Is it wrong to ask a central heating /gas engineer to fix something that I think is plumbing related ?

[allamberedover]

I feel this is a stupid question and that I've got a blind spot about the definitions .

I've got an alarming water hammer related to the WC flushing .It started after someone who described himself as a plumber took out a cylinder type thing from the tank and replaced it with the more traditional (IMV) globe ball float thing .He charged me £120 and said he could tighten up the external flush lever but he'd have to take the tank ( just wall hung ,not boxed in ) off the wall .
Anyway ,anxious to use a professional ,I messaged the man who installs and services my central heating .
He says he'll have a look and see if it's something he can help with .But maybe I've committed an error and asked the wrong tradesperson .
Please send help ,my brain is fried with the heat.

He might not be the right person but if not he might be able to recommend someone who can fix it. Our boiler/ heating people don't do other plumbing stuff at all. I found a general bathroom plumber on Checkatrade who was great and if needed I will use him again.

My heating engineer is not plumbing qualified so he outright but politely tells me. For example, he doesn’t install new bathrooms etc.

Your heating engineer might have experience with plumbing issues having worked alongside plumbers but may not be qualified other than to offer advice and maybe sort out a small problem.

Don’t worry. He will tell you if it’s beyond his remit or experience.

Ah ...so I was wrong to ask ! I'm ridiculously anxious never to offend a tradesperson ,I don't know what's the matter with me !
At least I know now ,if he can't help or suggest anyone who can I'll look at checkatrade .
Thank you both .

A lot of gas engineers start off as plumbers. DH is a gas engineer but got the plumbing qualifications first. DS18 is now training to be a gas engineer but also did the plumbing course first .

The person I use is heating and plumbing so I don't see the harm in asking. And he's obviously willing to have a look. If he can't do it, just ask if there's someone he'd recommend.

Just to add plumbers are not regulated so actually don’t need to have the qualifications to work. Any one can set up a business as a plumber

I do know a couple of gas engineers in RL( not very well and in a different city ) and I'm overwhelmed by how technical it all is - although obviously if we're talking water ,gas,fire,pressure etc - and how they have to keep updated doing different exams all the time .

Just to add plumbers are not regulated so actually don’t need to have the qualifications to work. Any one can set up a business as a plumber

That's interesting ( and shouldn't be the case ! ) and explains the last chap who attended .

Presumably you explained what it was when you asked him to visit? If he didnt think it was something he could do he would have said.

My plumber is a former gas engineer. He left to start his own plumbing business. I found this out by asking him a plumbing question when he came to service our gas boiler. No issues with asking, start the conversation with “do you know anything about…..?” They will either say yes they do or no they don’t. I’ve never heard of a bloke being offended when a woman asks them if they can fix something.

The guy who changed our boiler and serviced our gas appliances is also going to refit our bathrooms and kitchen at some point so I think it’s entirely dependent on the individual. If your guy can’t help I’m sure he’ll tell you who can.

I presume because bad plumbing won't kill you unlike shonky gas and electric installations.

So only trades that deal with stuff that might kill you should be regulated ?
Maybe .
But think of the damage that a water leak can cause !

If you know and trust your boiler servicing guy then he's a great person to ask for a reliable plumber. That's how I have always got hold of new tradies, by using their networks.

I don't know what a, 'water hammer' is, but fixing toilets falls within the remit of basic DIY, so I'm sure he can cope.

Presumably you explained what it was when you asked him to visit? If he didnt think it was something he could do he would have said.
Yes I did and he said he'd visit and see if it was something he could help with .
That made me wonder as I have it in my head ( maybe incorrectly ) that a person who can install boilers etc must be pretty highly qualified and why would they doubt whether they could sort a water hammer .
So then I doubted myself asking him and thought maybe plumbing and gas engineers aren't actually related .
or maybe I'd committed a faux pas ( see previous post about mt crazy anxiety ) like referring to a joiner as a carpenter .
Maybe it's because I'm in SE London and it's hard to find good tradespeople .

water hammer'
lucky ,lucky you ! 😀
It's alarming and horrible .

Gas heating engineers are almost always plumbers.

Think about it, to install a gas boiler you need to be able to detach/attach both gas and water lines.

You may find that some won't do "general plumbing" because they make enough of a living doing heating related stuff. Or maybe they just don't like sticking their hands down toilets, which can be miserable.

Ah well,I asked. He came. Listened to the noise. Looked inside the tank/cistern after I'd removed the lid. Which he clearly didn't want to.. And I promise it was pristine.
He said he'd ask the plumber he'd recently employed to look at it but I've heard nothing .
I'll chase it up .
He said lots of people live with that kind of thing .
But I don't want to . We have very high water pressure , it's worse at night and first thing in the morning and is honestly very alarming .