I was at a suppliers when I saw a bloke walking around with a gas regulator in his hand.  Curious, I asked him what he was going to do with it.  "I need a washer for this regulator",  he replied.  It appeared to be an old English-made aluminum body Peebles; the brand was hard to make out as it was so corroded.  "I bought it from the dump shop along with a full 9kg galvanised gas bottle."  Not liking the look of the washer he had just purchased, I asked him how he had leak-tested it... "Oh, I just used a  lit match around it and then turned the bottle off to starve the flame." I kid you not!  I suggested a spray bottle of spray and wipe or soapy water would be a safer alternative.  Concerned about his testing method I asked him what he intended running with the gas... "Oh, a fridge and an internal water heater.  I cook on a meths stove." I had a talk with him about ventilation and carbon monoxide... "That's OK, I sleep in another room."  I'm not sure whether it's a caravan with an awning or a small shack that he lives in.  A few years ago (before I entered the trade) a good friend of mine used a gas stove in a campervan and he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I offered to have a look at his setup but he didn't seem keen.  I'm going to give him a visit anyway to put MY mind at rest.  So, you can legislate and regulate all you like but you will never stop people doing things on the cheap... DIY - it's in our DNA.

Linkback: https://www.plumbers.nz/gas-station/11/gas-ignorance-potential-darwin-award-candidate/1442/

thats disgusting




maybe the board could undertake some upskilling in darwins laws of evolution...