# Technician Liscensure and/or Certification?



## Fire Bug (Mar 24, 2009)

Hello Gasers,
 Can anyone out there tell me if the Dealer and/or Factory Technicians that come into your home to service your gas appliance,(Stove, Fireplace, Insert), has to be liscensed by a local authority or state agency, etc. 
 I am not talking about Factory Training, I am speaking of actual Licensure or dose this vary state by state?
 I makes you wonder sometimes when a technicain comes to service your gas heating appliance and the first thing out of their mouth is,"I never saw or worked on one of these before", and you have to assist them with parts of the serviceing process.
 I do know that to hook up the gas line to the gas valve,(final connection), they supposingly have to be certified. 
 Kind of gives you a taddy of an uneasy feeling since they are dealing with a product that very easily can destroy your home and very possibly harm or perhaps kill you and your family because of the possibility of lack of knowledge of the product they are working on.
 I have had Dealer Reps., District Manager Reps.,Customer Reps., Sales Reps.,etc. working on mine. Does mean that these above mentioned people where two,possibly, three hats and their job titles encompass more than what they elude to. Another words, "One person does the job of two or three".
 If this is the case I bet this sure would widen the manufactures profit margin quite nicely, unfortunately it could possibly be at the cost of the consumers safety.
 Ena or NO??
John


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## DAKSY (Mar 24, 2009)

In NYS, AFIK, we don't have to be licensed or even NFI certified to install 
or even work on heating appliances, wood, gas, pellet, coal or electric.
'Course this could change before I'm done typing this...
We can install & service in Mass - about 40 miles away, but we can't run gas line
or install chimney systems unless we're members of the local plumber's union...
How they figure plumbers know the requirements of chimney or DV systems baffles me,
but them's the rules...


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## Shane (Mar 24, 2009)

It can be determined at the county and or city level depending on where you are.  In Casper WY. you have to pull the permit for venting (no license required) and you have to have a licensed plumber or MC do the gas lines and they pull the permits.


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## Fire Bug (Mar 25, 2009)

Another words; it varries considerably State by State, City by City, Local Town by Local Town, etc.
 I believe in Penna., you do not need any type of certification or licensure, what so ever, but I believe to run gas line and make the final connection to the unit at the gas valve, you do have to be certified.
 I really hope that eventually Penna. will require both certification and and licensure because as I have mentioned in my opening post, when a Dealer Technician enters your home and tells you," I have never seen one of these" or "We are a dealer for this manufacture but we never serviced this type of unit or I am not accustomed to working on this model, how do you take this off or apart". This I would imagine give anyone a sure feeling of uneasiness, for sure!
 It's a little hebby, jebby when the technician asks the customer for service related advice, too say the least!
 This gas and gas by products that are being dealt with here, not painting a house or fixing a leaky faucet!
 That is odd that New York State doesn't require any type of license, this state usually has very strict standards for everything, from what I have been told by NYS Residents.


Enna or No,
John


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## JFSanders (Apr 6, 2009)

It falls under "The authority having jurisdiction". Most states have some sort of licensing program. This is a blanket license usually and covers all people working under said license holder. Hence you get John Greenhorn sent to your house to work on your stuff. They usually send them out first to get experience as they can't afford for John to ride with the old man to learn the ins and outs. Once John can't handle it they will send the ole' timer to fix it. I recommend that you request the ole' timer if you can get his name. Usually the young person answering the phone will tell you if you ask for the guy that everyone else goes to with their problems!

Jim


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## Fire Bug (Apr 6, 2009)

Sounds like the pro with the license is the Journeyman and the rookie without the license is the apprentice, only the apprentice has no Journeyman to supervise and check his work.
 This is a joke!!
 I don't know about you, but I don't think this information will help me sleep better tonight.
 Enna or NO???
 Blanket licensing???
 Thats almost as bad as giving someone that is having a problem with their gas fireplace, insert, stove,etc. some helpful advice on these forums,(even if your attentions are good advice and you are a well seasoned technician), and the novice individual unit owner blows up his house, himself, and his family following the good intentioned advise of the well seasoned technician/advisor. Who is leagally liable, the novice,advisor/technician,or the Webmaster who runs this website and promotes this good intentioned advice.
 I bet a Good Attorney At Law would dive on this, especially with no disclaimer listed.
 Enna or No?
 Blanket Liscensing??? You got to be kidding!
 Better call Tall Pines Farms Inc.,(Dealer), and tell Mr.Connors,(Owner) to send the "Old Timmer", when and if Hearth & Home Technologies ever gets the bugs out of my new FB Grand and ships it to Tall Pines Farm. Tomorrow is week #4. Moving right along, arent we?
 P.S. I have a 35MM Picture of the factory peeling paint on one of my FB Grand Units. I will forward it and others as soon as someone can advise me how to attach it to a post. Apparently, the way the attachments are set up on this site, it cannot handle the photo.
 I anyone can chime in, I would appreciate it and shed some light on the NUMEROUS problems that have plagued my FB Grand Units, even though their are some that insinuate it is only my imagination.
 Sorry, I can't send pics of the various banging noises, but I can send audio tape and video! LOL!
 Blanket Liscensing, give me a break!

John


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## texaschimneypro (May 1, 2009)

Yeah changes based on state. Here in Texas no license required. Actually no license available. Actually I am able to work on the plumbing as long as it is inside your fireplace opening but if outside have to be licensed plumber. Just make sure they are actual chimney sweeps not general contractors. Alot of general contractors or roofers, framers think they know about fireplaces but don't have a clue. Find a good chimney sweep who is established and been around for a while.


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## don_faithful (May 2, 2009)

When I worked for Vermont Castings and Majestic as an advisor on the phone, I noticed that field service technicians had very diverse skills and capabilities.  Some of them really knew their stuff while others were just borderline able to communicate.  In Ontario (Canada), the licensing requirements for gas technicians and gas pipefitters are theoretically very rigid.  For instance I am licensed to service gas appliances only up to 400,000 BTUH.  This is not to say that everybody doing stuff in the field is actually licensed.  Even gas venting is supposed to be installed by a licensed gas technician here.  I was talking to a guy during a wood-burning course whose company installed chimneys for 16 years.  It didn't occur to him that he needed a license to install chimneys for gas appliances.  So who knows what other stuff might be unfamiliar to him.  In the United States I would say that it is a bit of gamble - like having somebody working on your car.  I would certainly stick with the folks recommended by the manufacturer - usually a local dealer.  Dealers take the trouble to have their staff properly trained.  That might also be true of the local gas utility.  But I can't be nearly as definitive about field service technicians unless they can produce state-issued papers.  The licensing requirements depend on the jurisdiction.  I know that some field technicians are amazing.  Some of them are plumbers, it's true.  I don't mind if they are plumbers as long as they know what they are doing.  (I certainly care if there is a jurisdictional licensing requirement and the plumber is not certified to handle gas.)  Plumbers don't necessarily handle gas or deal with electro-mechanical devices.


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