Heating merchants and distributors are being warned about the rise of cheap, imitation fire safety valves from overseas.
Engineering specialist Teddington has reported an increase in the number of its customers that are being offered fire safety valves imported into the UK.
The Cornwall based company is now warning merchants and distributors to be wary of cheap imitations that may not be industry approved.
Kenneth Maxwell, Teddington sales manager, said: “Since the beginning of the year a number of our customers have come to us and said they’ve been offered fire safety valves at a lower price.
“In many cases they look identical to our KBB and even have similar labelling – but they are manufactured abroad and may not be subject to the same quality control checks that we have here.
“We decided to take this step and warn others because we want them to continue to buy from reputable manufacturers, ones that are industry and OFTEC approved. For the sake of saving just a few pounds, it’s not worth the risk.”
Tim Lock, OFTEC’s technical director, commented: “If oil equipment is for sale at a significantly reduced price, there is probably a reason why. The oil heating industry prides itself on its safety record and we cannot let imitation products enter the marketplace. We would always encourage people to check with us first if they are unsure of the origin of equipment. We have a list of approved manufacturers and can advise accordingly.”