How Safe Are Your Gas Appliances?

• When was the last you time you had your gas appliances checked over for safety?

  

  
  

  If you are like most people in the United Kingdom then around 80% would have never even thought about it

  until something goes wrong.

  It’s very important to have them checked over, and it could even save you money on those fuel bill.

  When it comes to gas it’s very important to have your gas appliances checked over at least once a year.

  Gas Appliances

  Let’s first look at the boiler

  That supplies the hot water and central heating for your home.

  Most boilers in the United Kingdom are now high efficiency condensing boilers,

  they need to be maintained to keep them running in high-performance mode.

  They are called condensing boilers

  because when they are working they produce condense which is a very weak acid water.

  This water is discharged from the boiler and should be routed into the closest drain or a soak away.

  Sometimes the condense pipe gets blocked and can cause problems with the boiler.

  One of the main reasons they need to be checked on a regular basis is SAFETY.

  As these boilers produce condense which as stated is acidic

  We need to check for any form of leakage within the boiler,

  Should an internal leak occur it could corrode the casing as well as other parts of the boiler the leak may be leaking onto.

  If there is a leak, it could it could become very dangerous over time.

  The condense pipe from the boiler actually forms part of the boiler flue.

  All boiler flues need to be checked for integrity

  again making sure the flue is discharging the products of combustion from the boiler directly to the outside and in a safe manner.

  Now with the older boilers, again they need to be checked over,

  Again SAFETY being the main reason.

  Over time seals need to be replaced and if left untouched the boiler could become unsafe.

  Gas Appliances Gas Fires

  Gas fires are another gas appliances that seems to always get overlooked.

  Again they need to be checked over for SAFETY.

  Depending on what type of gas fire you may have,

  Checks have to be carried out to make sure the products of combustion are being removed and not entering the room the fire is located in.

  Some fires vent the products up to a chimney and this may need to be cleaned due to build up over time of soot.

  Other fires remove the products via a fan again it’s all about SAFETY.

  I have even been told by a client that because they have a flueless fire it does not need to be checked. Untrue,

  Flueless fires must be checked without fail.

  Ventilation plays a big part for gas fires, so checking you still have the correct ventilation is very important.

  Sometimes these vents get covered over or blocked off without realizing they are there for a reason.

  Cooking appliances

  Cooking appliances again should be checked to make sure they are safe to use.

  Oven door seals need to be checked to make sure they have not perished.

  Freestanding cookers must have a stability chain or bracket fitted to stop them falling over if pulled on, normally by a child.

  So how safe are your gas appliances?

  One last thing, If after reading this article you are going to arrange for someone to check your gas appliances,

  Remember to only use a Registered Gas Safe Company.

  You will be able to find someone local to you by visiting the Gas Safe Register Website,

  It very simple to use and you should find three local registered companies who can carry out the inspection for you.

  Don’t use joe blogs from down the pub, use GAS SAFE and be SAFE