How to remove Carver Fanmaster 2000

[Mikemccusker]

I have a problem where by my fire hardly works on 1 kW and not at all on 2kw. I have that it could be 1) switch 2) pcb or 3) the element. Thing is in order to get access to the pcb and element I need to remove the gas burner thing. I have removed four screws from the front that screw into the floor but the mechanism is still held fast. Does anyone know what else needs to be removed?
Best regards
Mike

 

[Jaydug]

Yes - if it's similar to the later Ultraheat you'll need to disconnect the gas union which will probably be underneath the caravan. Also you'll very likely need to remove the flue clamp and remove the flue pipe from the fire. There will be a rubbery ring within the clamp which on no account should be reused. Needless to say - none of this should you do without 'being competent'. Also you need to be sure of your fault before completely removing the fire.

 

[Damian]

There are also screws holding the back of the gas fire in place........ not easy to get at !!

 

[JayT]

Normally you have five screws around the perimeter. The flu needs disconnected. Underneath you will have to disconnect the gas Union which is normally passed through metal mesh. After all this if its still stuck fast iirc they used cork underneath and it sticks to the floor with a surprising amount of grip. Do all that and it's still stuck it's surprising what a good tug will shift

 

[pmb]

Does this have the slider switch with the 4/5 position switch and the leds? I've had a google and am getting conflicting answers. Reason I ask this is the pcb attached to the switch fails and the switch contacts also. I had mine repaired a few years ago on a 4000 when mine wouldn't work on 2 kw and also the leds didn't follow the position of the switch. Simple job if this is the case but I may be barking up the wrong tree. You can also get a complete new switch assembly from intec of a different design.

 

[Mikemccusker]

It does have the slider. I have removed this and sent it away to have it repaired and tested so I can
rule the slider switch and its small pcb out.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Dont forget also if you are undoing gas pipes surely a Gas Safe engineer is required .
Sir Roger

 

[Damian]

Dont forget also if you are undoing gas pipes surely a Gas Safe engineer is required .
Sir Roger

No, an owner an do anything they want to on their own van as long as it is not loaned out to others, or used as part of a business.
Whatever they do must comply with the regulations however.
Most caravan engineers are ACoPS qualified as they have to be to work on vans not their own as part of their business.
Only caravans and motorhomes hired out as part of a business MUST use a Gas Safe Registered Engineer.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I think Damian's response would stand a little clarification.

Private touring caravans and Motor home are two of a number of special cases where the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 are relaxed.

Gas systems at home must by law only be worked on by registered fitters.

 

[Jaydug]

Gas systems at home must by law only be worked on by registered fitters.

When did that law arrive? I ask because when I moved to my present house in 1970, I fitted a micro-bore heating system with a big floor standing gas boiler. In 1985 I changed the boiler for a wall-hung model. In 2002 I updated the boiler again and fitted a new control system. Although the boiler is still functioning perfectly well, I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth changing for the latest model.

 

[Damian]

From Gas Safe website:
Building Regulations

The Building Regulations for both England and Wales make it a legal requirement for the appropriate Local Authority (LA) to be informed about the installation of a heat producing gas appliance e.g. boiler or fire.

Only a Gas Safe registered businesses/engineers can legally fit a new gas appliance. Once a gas appliance has been installed it can only be notified by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

If you have a new gas appliance fitted your Gas Safe registered engineer must let your LA know. This is achieved through a self-certification process known as notification. Registered engineers have duty to comply with the Building Regulations by installing gas appliances and then notifying the appliance to the relevant LA. However that duty is also is shared to an extent with the property owner, as the responsibility ultimately falls upon the property owner to ensure that the Building Regulations are complied with and may be the focus of any Building Regulations related enforcement action by the LA if the work is not notified

From ROSPA website:
Gas Safety Advice & Information

Better Gas Safe than sorry.

Public safety top priority for Gas Safe Register

Gas Safe Register has replaced the CORGI gas registration scheme as of April 9, 2009. Corgi ID cards are no longer valid. You can check card ID details instantly online.

Only Gas Safe Registered engineers can work on gas and fit, fix and service boilers, gas fires and most types of gas cookers in your home - it's the law.

Keeping the public safe from dangerous gas work is Gas Safe Register's top priority. If someone other than a Gas Safe Registered engineer carries out gas work in your home, you are risking the safety of your family and your property.

Ignorance of the Law is no excuse.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The Gas Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers (CORGI) was founded in 1970. At the time registration was voluntary. Only after the introduction of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 was registration made a legal requirement.

CORGI lost the registration franchise in 2009 and it was awarded to GasSafe who has run it since. The award of the registration process is in the remit of the HSE who oversee the operation of the gas industry's safety protocols.

Failure to comply with the GSI&UR is a CRIMINAL offence and the courts can impose fines or custodial sentences.

 

[Gafferbill]

......when I read the OP's question it is about the Fanmaster part of the heating installation which is the electrical warm air heating unit.
This can be removed as a complete unit without disturbing any of the gas fittings.
You simply undo the screws holding it's casing to the back of the gas heater casing.
Access to my Fanmaster 3000 unit is behind the gas fire in the bottom of a wardrobe cupboard.

 

[ProfJohnL]

......when I read the OP's question it is about the Fanmaster part of the heating installation which is the electrical warm air heating unit.
This can be removed as a complete unit without disturbing any of the gas fittings.
You simply undo the screws holding it's casing to the back of the gas heater casing.
Access to my Fanmaster 3000 unit is behind the gas fire in the bottom of a wardrobe cupboard.

Not all installations offer the same degree of access to the back of the heater as yours might, and in some cases it is necessary to move if not remove the heat exchanger to gain access.

 

[Jaydug]

From Gas Safe website.
Only a Gas Safe registered businesses/engineers can legally fit a new gas appliance..

This seems to be at odds with the HSE's latest publication - which says:-

82 Anyone who does work on a gas fitting or gas storage vessel must be
competent to do so (whether or not they are required to be a member of an
approved class of persons). Therefore, do-it-yourself gas engineers and those
performing favours for friends and relatives all need to have the required
competence. The level and range of competence should match the full extent of
work done, but needs only to be sufficient for and relevant to that work..
84 Competence is a combination of practical skill, training, knowledge and
experience to carry out the job in hand safely, and ensuring the installation is left in
a safe condition for use.

 

[JayT]

Relative word is competent not qualified or licenced.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Jaydug,

When dealing with legalities, it really helps if the source document you are using is referenced, so we can at least check its validity and context.

As a general point, the HSE have responsibilities that extend well beyond the fitting of gas installations in domestic properties. In a number of these extended specific situations there is no requirement for the fitter to be registered with GasSafe, hence the HSE comment in brackets. Generally speaking these situations are covered by some other formal process of establishing competencies of fitters. Private self propelled and touring caravans are examples.

A key point the HSE quote highlights is that whoever does the work on any gas system it must be up to the required standards - that is something that caravanners often overlook when decideding to exercise their DIY repairs. either through ignorance of what the standards are or just incompetent workmanship.

I make no bones about the fact I will often deliberately fail to mention the private caravans right to to do DIY on the gas systems, because I know from extensive experience the dangerous mistakes that some owners make. I prefer to promote the safer practice of having a professional job done.

But the GSI&UR are quite specific about the need for ALL gas fitting in domestic properties to be carried out by a fitter who is registered with the organisation currently charged with operating the registration process GasSafe. Simply being "competent" is not enough to satisfy the law when working in domestic properties, you have to registered and carry the ticket for the type of work involved.

That is not at odds with the quote you give from the HSE.

I used to be CORGI registered for LPG, but that lapsed when I retired and on quite a few occasions since friends thinking I'd be competent have asked me if I would do a job for them, and I have to decline because I'm not registered.

 

[Jaydug]

Hello Jaydug,
When dealing with legalities, it really helps if the source document you are using is referenced, so we can at least check its validity and context..

Fair enough! The document I quoted was http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l56.pdf and the page I quoted from was number 22 paragraphs 82 & 84

 

[Damian]

As a Gas Safe Registered Engineer for LPG I was going to reply in some detail but cannot be bothered when someone takes two paragraphs out of the hundreds associated with the legalities of working with gas to try and justify what they have done illegally.

Suffice to say that if I know anyone who fits or carries out ANY work on domestic gas systems or appliances who are not Gas Safe , I will report them and watch as they try and justify their actions to a Judge, and see the look on their face when hit with a massive fine and most likely a stay in one of Her Majesties Prisons.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Thank you for the link.

You quoted clause 82 fully. The bracketed part on which you seem to use to explain why you think an un registered fitter may work on a domestic gas installation
"(whether or not they are required to be a member of an approved class of persons)"
This is not a dispensation for the non registered person to undertake work on domestic installations. It seeks to emphasise that the content of this clause applies to areas of activity where registration is not required as well as to those where registration is required.

You do not completely quote clause 84 which should end
"Knowledge must be kept up-to-date with changes in the law, technology and safe working practice."

Evidenced by your claim to have worked on a domestic installation without registration you did not keep up to date with knowledge or the law.

As part of a safe working practice, the fitter should be fully conversant with the GSI&UR and the ACOPS from which you quote. Technically by working on your domestic gas installation whilst not registered is an unsafe working practice.

That demonstrates the danger of cherry picking what you want rather than what you need.

Most government legalised technical jargon is very specific. unless it specifically tells you can do something, don't do it. A good example of this is your driving licence, where it may seem that a Large Good Vehicle and a Bus will require very similar driving skills, but unless the driver has passed the specific test for each vehicle they are not allowed to drive them.