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Gas safety in the home tends to get overlooked until something happens or goes wrong.
What is Gas Safety?
Gas Safety is about keeping your home and family safe from the dangers of gas related problems.
You will be surprised at how many peoples homes are at risk due to the lack of basic safety knowledge.
Let’s first talk about gas itself.
Would you know how to isolate the gas supply in your home if you thought you had a gas leak and what to do?
This always amazes me, when I ask a customer where their gas meter is located,
Most will look a little dazed and say, I think it is under the stairs, but I am not sure.
When you move into a property it good practice to know where the stopcock, electricity box and gas meters are located, so in case of an emergency you can isolate and make safe.
Gas Appliances
All gas appliances should be checked over annually to ensure the safe working of the appliance.
The central heating boiler is now more energy efficient than its ever been, but it needs regular maintenance to ensure its safety.
Today’s boiler produces condense when working,
Which is slightly acidic, should the condense line spring a leak, which occasionally does, it could cause major problems.
I have seen a gas leak on a boiler before caused by condense dripping on the gas pipe,
the customer only noticed it when she went into her garage to get her Christmas tree out.
I asked her when the boiler was last checked over, she said I think its never been looked at since they moved in.
Gas fires are another appliance that tends to get overlooked.
They should be serviced every year just like the boiler, again to ensure they are safe.
Gas fires 7Kw and over need ventilation to work correctly.
I have seen the ventilation grills blocked off because the customer tells me, sometimes you get a draft from the grill.
Ventilation is very important for the fire to combust correctly.
Carbon monoxide as we all know is a very dangerous gas that can take lives.
You cannot see or smell it. Any fossil fuel that burns, produces carbon monoxide.
Should the appliance flue become blocked or faulty it could spill carbon monoxide into the room.
A good kite marked Carbon monoxide detector should be fitted in every room that a gas appliance is installed in.
Gas safety is about common sense but many people tend to avoid it.
Surely it is better to be safe than sorry.
The gas safe register has many articles detailing the ins and outs of gas safety, and what to do in the case of an emergency.
Don’t forget, only a Gas Safe Registered company or engineer can work on gas.
They all carry a card with details of what they can work on.
Gas Safety is about being safe, so if you think you have a problem call in the experts, let them carry out the gas safety checks for you.
Once they have completed the checks, they will give you a certificate with details of all your gas appliances and if any further works are required.
