Gas safety questions relating to mobile homes.

Sometimes be a little confusing to the gas user.

Below are just a few questions we get asked.

Question one:

Do I need to have a gas safety inspection on my mobile home every year?

This all depends on the park your mobile home is located in.

Most mobile home parks now require you to have a gas safety inspection carried out every 12 months.

The main reason behind this is safety, not just for you but for the other mobile homes users sited close to yours.

Another reason is many parks insurance companies now require this as part of their insurance cover.

It may also be a requirement of your mobile home insurance, so check your policy, if unsure, speak to your insurance company.

It’s always good to have an annual inspection just for peace of mind.

Question 2: 

I only use my mobile home for four weeks a year, the rest of the year it stands empty so do I still need a gas safety inspection?

All the more reason to have an inspection carried out, when an appliance is not used regularly it could become dangerous.

If the appliance is let’s say a water heater, the flue pipe could become blocked with leaves and such.

Which when operating could leak products of combustion into the room.

Products of combustion otherwise known as carbon monoxide.

As we all know, It is a silent killer, you cannot see it or even smell it.

The same applies to any gas fires installed in the mobile home these also have a flue that removes the products of combustion.

The on and off taps on cookers and hobs tend to get stuck and can sometimes leak gas if trying to force the tap on.

Grease within the taps tends to dry out if not used every day.

Question 3:

Why do I need all those ventilation grills that are fitted everywhere?

Can I not just block them off as the wind blow through them?

Whatever you do, never block off any ventilation grills, they are classed as a working part of the gas appliances.

I’ll explain, let’s take the water heater for an example. 

Most LPG water heaters fitted in mobile homes are known as conventional flued appliances.

This means when the water heater is working, it requires fresh air (Oxegen) to burn correctly, lack of fresh air, the appliance could become dangerous.

Question 4:

I have been told I need to change the hoses on my gas bottles every five years, is this true?

Yes, The hoses that connect to your gas bottles are known as pigtails. 

Over time they will deteriorate as they are exposed to the elements of the weather.

They should be inspected to ensure they are not leaking gas and replaced if any cracks or damage are found. They can become brittle over time.

The changeover valve that the pigtails connect too, should also be inspected and replaced every ten years.

Both the pigtails and changeover valve have date stamps on them, so it’s easy to determine their age.

Question 5:

I have been told that if I rent out my mobile home I need to have a landlords safety inspection carried out even if it’s for one day, is this correct?

The UK law states that any property rented out, be it a mobile home or your main residents must have a CP12.

This is known as a (Landlords Gas Safety Inspection) and must be carried out even if it’s rented for one day.

Question 6:

I have been told that I cannot install side panels around my mobile home it’s against the law. 

Why is this because I see loads of other mobile homes with side panels?

You can fit side panels around your mobile, but you must have ventilation grills fitted to each panel.

The main reason is if you fit panels with no vents, you could be starving the floor vents of oxygen within your mobile home.

As stated before these vents are there for a reason, so you can see it’s very important to ensure you fit vents to the side panel.

Question 7:

Can I fit my new cooker myself or do I need someone who is gas safe registered to carry out the installation?

All gas appliances natural gas or LPG must be installed by a registered gas engineer by law.

If the appliance is LPG, they must be registered to work on LPG. 

If they are only registered for natural gas they cannot work on LPG.

There is a myth that you can fit your own LPG appliance yourself because the mobile home is only classed as temporary accommodation.

Should you carry out any LPG work yourself and something happens you could find yourself in front of a judge.

Question 8:

I sometimes smell gas when using my cooker, is this dangerous?

If you ever smell gas you should isolate the gas supply straight away. 

It does not matter how small you may think the leak may be.

LPG is heavier than air and will fall to ground level, this means it could build up behind a kitchen cupboard.

If you think you can smell gas, Isolate first, then call in a registered gas engineer to locate and fix the leak.

Mobile home gas safety is all about your SAFETY and the people around you.

The above questions are just a few of what we get asked about.

There are many more but that would be another article.

We hope you found this article helpful in your search for mobile home gas safety questions.

If you have a question you would like an answer to, use our contact form above to post your question.

Remember, SAFETY is more important than money, so contact your local LPG gas registered engineer and arrange your gas safety inspection.

Boat Gas System Checks

When Was The Last Time You Had Your Boat Gas System Checked?

If you own a boat then you know how expensive it can be to keep it on the water,

what with the mooring fees, insurances as well as the fuel charges.

The upkeep of any boat is very expensive.

So when was the last time you had the boat gas system checked?

 

When you think about it, LPG (Liquid petroleum gas) is probably the most dangerous substance you have on your boat,

and yet you will spend more money on cleaning, painting the hull and servicing the engine than you will on your boat gas system.

Boats are not like cars they tend to stay around a lot longer and as such will have old outdated even dangerous gas appliances fitted that have never been checked over.

Your boat gas system should at least be checked once a year by a Gas safe registered boat engineer.
Any faults or problems will be brought to your attention and can then be addressed.

Your boat gas system checks that you can do yourself

 

Depending on what gas appliances are installed on your boat, always make sure they are burning with a nice clean flame when in operation.

Keep the appliance clean, if you notice any dust or dirt on or around the appliance burner switch it off straight away,

let it cool down, then give it a good clean.

The gas bottle locker should have a drain hole that discharges out over the side of the boat and not into the hull,

make sure the drain is clear and not blocked up.

Get a bucket of water and flush it through just to make sure it is running freely.

LPG is a heavy gas, and as such will fall to a low level, this is why the drain needs to be clear.

While at the gas bottle locker, pay attention to the gas hose, make sure it does not have any scuffs or cracks,

it will have a date stamp on it, check the date, they should be changed every 5 years for safety.

I bet yours is over 5 years old.

 

Hob

The gas hob is probably the most used appliance on the boat, used for making the coffee.

The burner rings tend to get blocked up after a while.

If you notice the flame is a little high on one side and lower on the other, then switch it off, let it cool then give it a good clean out.

Isolation Valves

 

All modern boats will have gas isolation valves fitted to every appliance,

on older boats these may not be fitted, make sure they are all working correctly,

light the appliance then turn the isolation valve off.

If the appliance switches off, then the valve is still working OK.
 
The reason you need to check all appliances and isolation valves is corrosion,

the same reason you clean the hull, over the course of the season you get a build up on the hull, it’s the same for your gas appliances and valves.

Gas Bottles

 

When it’s time to change over the gas bottle, make sure you have the correct spanner for the job, it will make it so much easier.

Before you start make sure all gas appliances are switched off, the same goes for the bottle. Close all windows or openings on the boat, you don’t want any gas leakage going inside.

Now change the bottle over, making sure you tighten the connection on the new bottle.

Open the bottle isolation valve slowly, once open go to the appliance that is furthest away.

You now need to purge the gas through, you do this by turning the appliance on,

make sure the spark generator is working, if not, some form of permanent ignition is needed to ignite the gas.

The ignition part is very important; you don’t want any gas escaping so as soon as you switch on the gas make sure the igniter is working.

You then do the same with the next appliance and so on.

Insurance

 

Most boat insurance companies will require you to have an annual boat gas system check carried out before they will insure your boat.

They want to know that the boat they are insuring is gas safe.

 

Most marinas also require that any boat with gas onboard, have an annual gas system safety check.

They will also want to see a copy of the gas safety certificate to keep in their files.

General Gas Safety

 

As with anything that uses gas, safety must always come first.

If you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors fitted, check they are working by pressing the test button on every visit to your boat.

Should you find that it’s not working, either change the batteries or replace it.

Never ever block up any ventilation grills that may be fitted to your boat, they are fitted for a reason and as such could be fatal if blocked off.

they are fitted for a reason and as such could be fatal if blocked off.

If you ever change any appliance or gas fittings always have it checked to make sure you and your boat are safe, yes it will cost you, but surely safety has no price.

yes, it will cost you, but surely safety has no price.

How to find a boat Gas Safe engineer

 

If you have access to the internet, do a search for the gas safe register.


Follow the link to the site, once on the site you can enter details of what type of registered engineer you want.

My advice would be to contact them by phone, you will see the contact number on the contact page.

 

The reason I say contact them by phone, you can explain exactly what type of engineer you need for your work.

Someone who is gas safe registered may only be registered for fires on natural gas,

and as such cannot work on your boat gas system.

Being gas safe registered is a bit complicated as

there are many different categories’ to choose from.

Each category will have an exam the engineer has to pass to be able to work in that category.

Just because the engineer is registered to work on natural gas,

it does not mean he can work on LPG and boats, he must be registered for LPG and boats.

Always be safe and have fun on your boat.

Annual Boiler Maintenance Winter Advise

Annual Boiler Maintenance

With winter just around the corner now is a good time to arrange the annual boiler maintenance.
There is nothing worst than finding yourself with no heating and hot water on the coldest day on the year.
This is always the day the boiler decides to stop work


What could happen to my boiler?

Most gas boilers today are condensing boilers and are more susceptible to the cold weather than the earlier models.
I know that sounds strange but it’s true.
This is why it is imperative the annual boiler maintenance carried out.

Condensing boilers maintenance

Condensing boilers are around 35% more efficient than previous models but need a lot more attention.
The combustion ratio has to be checked regular to keep it working in efficiency mode, it’s a littler like the boiler having an annual tune up.
The condense water trap which in normally located internally has to be check for leakage and cleaned out.
Should the trap have any form of leakage it could become dangerous as it is part of the boiler flue system.

Frozen condense pipe

If the condense drain pipe discharges on the outside of the property, it needs to inspected for leakage as well as checking it is well insulated against the cold weather.
Once of the most common boiler breakdowns in cold weather is the condense pipe becomes frozen and blocked, once this happens the boiler goes to lockout.

Boiler Pressure

The boiler pressure needs to be checked and should read around 1,2bar when the system is cold.
If the pressure has been a little erratic over the last couple of months, it’s a sign that the expansion vessel may need to be reset.
The vessel should always be checked annually as part of the annual boiler maintenance.

The Boiler Flue

This is a must, the boiler flue needs to be inspected for safety reasons.
The route of the flue has to be followed. If it passes through any voids it needs to be inspected.
Any joints on the flue pipe must be visible and inspected for any form of leakage.
The condense water produced from the boiler is acidic and if one of the flue joints is showing signs of leakage.
Then it has to be repaired straight away as it could leak carbon monoxide into the room.

I don’t need annual boiler maintenance

I have a 7 years warranty on my boiler so don’t need annual maintenance, if it breaks down I am covered, Wrong.


Boiler manufactures will void any boiler warranty if a boiler has not had its annual boiler maintenance carried out.
Each boiler has a book called benchmark.
This book is a maintenance history and every year it needs to be filled in.
Signed and dated to confirm the boiler has been inspected.

Gas Safe

When you arrange for someone to carry out the annual boiler maintenance, you must only use someone who is Gas Safe Registered to work on boilers.
It’s no good using Joe blogs from next door because he does his own.
Whoever carries out the maintenance has to be registered, it’s the law.

Don’t be cold this winter

I hope you find this advise helpful in keeping warm this winter.
The days of missing the annual boiler maintenance have long gone.
These condensing boilers need a lot more loving care, look after your boiler and your boiler should look after you.