The following is meant to give an overview of our qualifications and somewhat explain their background. Some of the explanations here are simplified. They do not provide in-depth details about the various types of qualifications. They also do not cover registration and licenses required for working with fuel-burning appliances and electricity in the UK. This is because we could probably write a whole book on the subject. The aim here is to give people a very rough overview. We want a place where we can list all our qualifications, so we don’t have to email these to customers individually upon request.

– Qualifications:

When it comes to qualifications, we can all agree that tradespeople carrying out any work should be competent. If you are considering hiring a marine tradesperson, ask for credentials. These qualifications should show competence for the work to be done. Some traders, like painters and signwriters, may simply have a portfolio that shows works completed on other boats. Some traders, such as mechanics, may also be able to show certificates of completed training courses, and/or other qualifications. In our case, this level of qualification relates to the manufacturer’s training courses. This applies to small appliances like Webasto, Eberspacher, or Autoterm.

– Optional Registrations:

There are some optional registrations for marine heating engineers working with fuel-burning appliances. For fuels like wood, coal, pellets, and oil, it is sufficient to undertake OFTEC, HETAS, NAPID, Stroma, or similar training. Certificates from the awarding body must be refreshed every 5 years. The awarding body will issue a certificate of competence. There is no requirement to register with a scheme such as OFTEC, HETAS, NAPID, Stroma, etc. It is, however, important that the work carried out is within the scope of the training received. I.e. a HETAS showroom and servicing certificate should not be used to claim competence in installing stoves or heaters. An OFTEC vapourising oil burner certificate should not be used to claim competence in working on jet-fired appliances.

– Mandatory Registrations:

For marine heating engineers, mandatory registrations are required for LPG-related work. This is governed by an act of parliament, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, which is controlled by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Persons working with LPG on boats have to be GasSafe registered. Marine Heating Engineers must hold the correct category of Gas Safe registration. I.e. a registration for working with LPG on caravans should not be used to carry out work on boats.

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We hold the following certificates and registrations:

BSS – Boat Safety Scheme

Though we no longer carry out BSS examinations, this certificate is listed here to show that we have received the relevant training. This and our many years of experience as examiners allow us to make sure all our boat appliance installations are compliant with BSS requirements. A statement about why we stopped this service can be found here: https://marineheating.co.uk/category/boat-services/safety-certificates-and-surveys/bss-cerificates-boat-safety-scheme-examiner/

Essential Qualifications and Credentials for Marine Heating Engineers

We have been Gas Safe registered since 2019 and hold LPG, Caravan, Campervan and Boat qualifications since 2020. Gas Safe registration certificates are updated annually. Training has to be repeated every 5 years. GasSafe also inspect and test businesses and engineers throughout these 5 years.

OFTEC

We have undertaken training provided by OFTEC and are qualified for servicing, installing, and commissioning Oil and Solid Fuel appliances. OFTEC training has to be repeated every 5 years. Registering a business with OFTEC is optional. It mostly helps trades working on houses with notifying work under building regulations. Since we only work on boats, this doesn’t apply to us. We do however still need to renew certificates every 5 years.

Electrics

At the beginning of 2024, we began training to become marine electricians. Unlike with gas work, there was no clear path of training available for the inland waterway sector. No act of parliament governs the registration of individuals working with electricity. There is only a requirement to be competent under health and safety legislation. As a result, we have gained industry-recognised professional certification as caravan and motorhome electricians. Once this had been completed, we also attended a comprehensive 12-Volt domestic marine electrics training course.

RYA

We hold two certificates of completed training with the RYA. One is for the Diesel Engine Course and the other is for the Inland Waterway Helmsman’s Certificate. Though we do not advertise these services at the moment, we do offer them upon request. We also routinely move boats when working on them, and we sometimes work on parts of the engine when installing heating systems.

ALDE

ALDE offer manufacturers training courses. These courses provide Gas Safe registered engineers with the skills to service, repair, and install ALDE LPG boilers. We are approved ALDE service partners.

Diesel Heaters

We have completed training with Webasto and Autoterm. These appliances are very simple. The training is more of a box-ticking exercise. We are already OFTEC certified for working with oil-fired heating appliances.

For anyone who is concerned about the “Russia” part of the Autoterm certificate, please consider the following: Autoterm used to be based in Russia but made a huge effort at a huge cost to leave Russia when Putin invaded Ukraine. Many of their workforce (on all levels) are Ukrainian. Autoterm now make their heaters in the EU and have no more business in Russia.

Other Certificates

There are some other certificates we have picked up along the way. These are mostly showing a minimum level of competency to allow us, for example, to carry out BSS Examinations.