What do you think lads?

[Bless]

Guys I'm looking for your expert opinion on a subject I'm digesting. Which would you say is the better awarding body to gain an unvented hot water qualification under? BPEC or CITB. I well look forward to your opinions and reasons why you chose what you chose. thanks

 

[Deleted member 25704]

Guys I'm looking for your expert opinion on a subject I'm digesting. Which would you say is the better awarding body to gain an unvented hot water qualification under? BPEC or CITB. I well look forward to your opinions and reasons why you chose what you chose. thanks

Its a one day course! Go for the cheapest. You will learn nothing that cannot be learned from a book.

Ridiculous that we still pay for this nonsense, given that those who are not plumbers can sit it!

 

[leaky]

got to do mine again next month doing it through baxi training centre in warrington cost 175 great place but is a bit of a waste of time used to be a green ticket that means do it once covers you for life now it has to be redone every five years just like the acs costs a fortune keeping up to date tickets now

 

[chris watkins]

Its a one day course! Go for the cheapest. You will learn nothing that cannot be learned from a book.

Ridiculous that we still pay for this nonsense, given that those who are not plumbers can sit it!

Interesting Clanger ! you may want to sit in on one of my BPEC un-vented, cos everyone that attends comments on how worth while they found it doing the training & having someone who had been working on these systems from before they where allowed in domestic dwellings passing on their knowledge & experiences, bringing the subject to life.
Maybe people should find out a bit more about the differences between training centers & what they can offer instead of just going for the most local / cheapest one ? The value of which comes not from the piece of paper but from the knowledge acquired surely ??

 

[gasmanrob]

I did b pec the first time round when I was paying and citb when someone else was paying, I'd say the Bpec was slightly more involved but that was my first time doing unvented. In the end the only difference is price and the colour card you get

 

[Deleted member 25704]

Interesting Clanger ! you may want to sit in on one of my BPEC un-vented, cos everyone that attends comments on how worth while they found it doing the training & having someone who had been working on these systems from before they where allowed in domestic dwellings passing on their knowledge & experiences, bringing the subject to life.
Maybe people should find out a bit more about the differences between training centers & what they can offer instead of just going for the most local / cheapest one ? The value of which comes not from the piece of paper but from the knowledge acquired surely ??

Chris

I think guys like you are hard to find. You seem a decent bloke and have an interest in plumbing and some interest in those who want to learn it.

I too registered with CITB and then with BBA in 1989, paid for a re-sit about six years ago with the only difference being the 2 connection expansion vessel (anti-legionella) which I still have not seen on the market.

Given I can read and interpret a few engineering principles after doing the job for a while and having been the commissioning agent for may manufacturers (having had their unvented training too), I don't see why I should have to keep paying for these meaningless tickets.

I am sure I could learn something from you Chris, but you could also direct me to the changes, so I could read it for myself without having to pay!

 

[chris watkins]

Chris

I think guys like you are hard to find. You seem a decent bloke and have an interest in plumbing and some interest in those who want to learn it.

I too registered with CITB and then with BBA in 1989, paid for a re-sit about six years ago with the only difference being the 2 connection expansion vessel (anti-legionella) which I still have not seen on the market.

Given I can read and interpret a few engineering principles after doing the job for a while and having been the commissioning agent for may manufacturers (having had their unvented training too), I don't see why I should have to keep paying for these meaningless tickets.

I am sure I could learn something from you Chris, but you could also direct me to the changes, so I could read it for myself without having to pay!

Much like the gas then ??? by which I mean within all systems where competency must be proved there will be people who keep themselves up to date with the ongoing changes (CPD) & there will be others who have not looked at anything for the 5 years from the last time they were tested. How do we tell the two apart ???? should we not test those that do not keep up to date ?? ("what's wrong with that flue above the ceiling" etc ??)

Part G changes - vented as well un-vented now included, 19mm O/V,High Limit stats required on O/V systems, 150mm overhang of tank bases against the cistern base, Safety discharge now allowed into S/Stacks via Hep Valve & PP pipe, pressure pipe allowed as D2, 48 deg C max water to new baths, water saving 125 max daily water, 600mm D1 & I am sure I have missed a few.

How many of those do you know about but much more importantly is how many good guy's on hear know ? (what about the short courser who got his ticket free cos it did the 6129 special)
It is all not new been out a couple of years now & in the trade press etc. If not a reACS then what ?????

 

[lame plumber]

Much like the gas then ??? by which I mean within all systems where competency must be proved there will be people who keep themselves up to date with the ongoing changes (CPD) & there will be others who have not looked at anything for the 5 years from the last time they were tested. How do we tell the two apart ???? should we not test those that do not keep up to date ?? ("what's wrong with that flue above the ceiling" etc ??)

Part G changes - vented as well un-vented now included, 19mm O/V,High Limit stats required on O/V systems, 150mm overhang of tank bases against the cistern base, Safety discharge now allowed into S/Stacks via Hep Valve & PP pipe, pressure pipe allowed as D2, 48 deg C max water to new baths, water saving 125 max daily water, 600mm D1 & I am sure I have missed a few.

How many of those do you know about but much more importantly is how many good guy's on hear know ? (what about the short courser who got his ticket free cos it did the 6129 special)
It is all not new been out a couple of years now & in the trade press etc. If not a reACS then what ?????

if you follow the mfis which should be upto date, where is there to go wrong as the rules are all based on what the manufacturers decide is best, so in the end no requirement for retests.

 

[iain85]

got to do mine again next month doing it through baxi training centre in warrington cost 175 great place but is a bit of a waste of time used to be a green ticket that means do it once covers you for life now it has to be redone every five years just like the acs costs a fortune keeping up to date tickets now

Really? Are you sure?

 

[AWheating]

I go for the one at a local training center that has good word of mouth, i dont really care whos name is on the cert tbh (well mine needs to on there of course). Aslong as i feel the course helped me learn something ie. i stayed awake all day then im happy. You could just read the regs from front to back but i always get suck on page 3.

or is that my newspaper?

 

[iain85]

When I redid my Acs in 2010 they told me (local college) that the unvented cert lasts indefinitely?

 

[AWheating]

no every 5 years it needs renewin, or this has been the case untill recently.

the regs change so you need to keep your knowledge up to date.

 

[iain85]

Blimey best look into a new cert then! Thanks

 

[chris watkins]

if you follow the mfis which should be upto date, where is there to go wrong as the rules are all based on what the manufacturers decide is best, so in the end no requirement for retests.

A look at my list & you would have realised that a lot of the changes to Part G are unrelated to & would not be included in any MI's (one good example would be the requirement to install a blending valve or other devise to limit the hot water temperature to new baths !) but if you have a look through there are lots of other examples.

The other reason for some form of training is that some of the changes to technical standards require an amount of dissemination, who either would have the time or the inclination to investigate the BS for plastic pipes to find out what "Class S" covered for instants, I have to, to allow me to pass on the information that not only can S/W plastic waste NOT be used but pressure pipes such as Speed fit & Hep can be.

 

[AWheating]

tbh manufacturers instructions do take along time to change when new regs come out. For ages after Gas Safe started most MI still said get a corgi engineer. Worcester bosch MI seem to take about 3 years to change, its only recently ive noticed the correct phone numbers are now on them after they changed the numbers some years back.

i wonder how many tree's make 3 years of MI?