Mobile Home Gas Safety Inspections

• Mobile Home Gas Safety Inspections Check

  Now that the weather has started to turn for the better many will be heading off on their weekends to their mobile homes to relax and enjoy the good weather.

  

  
  

  If like most, your mobile home would have been decommissioned over the winter period to protect it from freezing and causing damage to the water heater or boiler.

  The Mobile home gas safety inspections though seems to get overlooked,

  Just like home, your gas appliances should be checked over to make sure they are safe to use and are working safely.

  So what could go wrong?

  One of the most common problems we come up against is a blocked flue, it could be from the fire, the water heater, even the boiler.

  With the heavy winds this winter many lost parts of the flue, it’s not something you normally look as most are located on the mobile home roof.

  Some of the flues get blocked up with leaves falling from the trees.

  The appliance will work, but if the products of combustion are not being dispersed correctly,

  it could become a dangerous situation.

  Ventilation

  Another big problem we see is that the ventilation grills get blocked off, they are there for a reason

  so the appliance can burn correctly if they are blocked off the appliance may become dangerous.

  Safety

  Many say I don’t need a mobile home gas safety inspection as the appliances don’t get used that much, not like they do at home.

  The truth is they still need to be checked over, more so because they are left for a period of time when the cold weather can cause a lot of damage.

  Homes are well insulated these days whereas a mobile home is not as efficient.

  Many parks now require a mobile home gas safety inspection to be carried out before the season starts and they want a copy of the inspection certificate for their own records.

  So what’s involved in the mobile home gas safety inspections?

  The first check is to make sure the gas bottles are secured and cannot fall over.

  Check that the gas bottle hoses are within the five-year date and replace if needed.

  Visually check all gas pipework underneath if possible.

  Carry out a gas tightness test, this will indicate if any form of a gas leak is present.

  Now we move on to the appliances.

  Water heaters

  Visually check over the flue pipe, making sure that the pipe is sealed and no holes are present,

  now we carry out a smoke test to prove the flue has no leaks.

  Turn the appliance on and check for a nice crisp flame picture,

  visually check over to make sure the appliance has no damage,

  but most importantly check that it has been fitted correctly and is working safely.

  Central Heating Boilers.

  Just like the water heater the boiler flue needs to be checked for any signs of damage or leakage.
  Visually check the boiler internally for any signs of damage or rust.

  Many suffer from rust and once the rust breaks through the boiler casing it becomes dangerous.
  It could leak products of combustion, carbon monoxide, through the rust hole, so this is an important check.

  Check that the boiler is working as it should and safely, carry out a service if requested.

  Gas Fires

  Many mobile homes have a gas fire fitted in the living area and it’s very important that this is checked over for carbon monoxide leakage.

  The flue is normally boxed in and the boxing needs to be removed to check that the flue liner is secured and is in a good working condition.

  The flue terminal located on the mobile home roof is check for any signs of damage, this is the one that normally gets damaged.

  Carry out a smoke test to prove the flue is working and safe to use.

  Cookers and Hobs.

  Check that these appliances are fitted in the correct manner and are working safely.
  With the cookers check that the hose is in good condition and fitted as per gas regulations.

  Visually check that the appliances are in good condition and are safe to use.

  As you can see mobile home gas safety inspections are vital

Mobile Home Gas Safety

Mobile Home Gas Safety

If like me you own a mobile home then, you want to be sure that you and your family will
be safe when you use your home in the summertime.

By following a few simple steps you can be sure that you will all be safe.

First, let’s look at the mobile home gas safety side

Carbon Monoxide Detector

This is one of the most important items you should have fitted in your mobile, it could save your life,
I know that might sound a little drastic, but it’s true.

As we all know carbon monoxide is a silent killer, you cannot see it,
you cannot even smell it, but undetected it will kill you.

One of your appliances maybe leaking carbon monoxide into the room without you knowing,
a detector will sense it, and warn you straight away.

Carbon monoxide detectors are not very expensive, you can buy them in most of the major hardware stores.

They are very easy to fit, just follow the fitting instructions that come with the detector.

Smoke Alarm

All homes including mobiles should have a smoke detector installed, just like the carbon monoxide detectors they do and will save lives.

When you go down to the hardware store to buy the carbon monoxide detector,
ask the sales assistant for a combined carbon monoxide and smoke detector.

It will be cheaper to buy a combined detector than buying one of each.

I would advise not to buy the cheapest ones, as some of them are imports from China and not up to European specifications for safety.

Ask the sales assistant which model he would recommend.

Always check that your detectors are working on every visit to your mobile home, they have a test button that uses push,

you should hear a loud noise, then you know it’s working.

 

Ventilation

 

Your mobile home may have ventilation grills fitted in the walls, maybe even on the floor,

They have been fitted for a reason, blocking them could be fatal.

You may have a gas fire fitted in your mobile home that needs ventilation to burn correctly.

When a gas appliance is working it needs oxygen to burn, lack of oxygen will make the
flame lift off the burner and it will spill carbon monoxide into the room.

Ventilation is not just for gas appliances, it also includes wood burners basically anything that produces a flame.

So make sure any vents are not blocked off.

Gas Appliances

 

Just before the new season starts, have all your gas appliances checked over.

Call your local gas safe LPG company and asked for a mobile home gas safety check.

Once the inspection has been carried out, the engineer will issue a certificate
with details of any faults found and his recommendations.

Depending on where your mobile is sited, you may find that the site management requires
you show them a copy of the mobile home gas safety certificate.

Gas Cylinders

 

Two gas cylinders normally connect to a change over valve, this valve senses when one of the bottles is empty and changes over to the full bottle of gas automatically.

There is still some manual change over valves out there,

where you have to do this by hand, but most now are automatic.

When changing the empty gas cylinder over,

make sure you turn the cylinder valve completely off before disconnection.

Make sure you have the correct spanner for the job, it will make it a lot easier to change the cylinder.
 
All gas cylinders need to be upright and secured so they cannot fall over.

Never store any gas cylinders or any type of fuel in your mobile home,
always store them outside safely.

Cooking

 

When cooking in your mobile always open a window close by, this will help remove the products of combustion from the cooker or hob.

Always keep young children away from the cooking area and never leave any cooking pots unattended.

General Mobile Home Gas Safety

 

So long as you follow the gas safety rules you and your family will be safe.

Never cut corners when it comes to safety if you think something is not right then switch
off the gas on the gas cylinders and call in a Gas Safe expert straight away.

If you ever need to change any parts on your gas appliances, arrange for the expert to do this for you.

If you want to supply the part that needs to be replaced only buy original and never buy the cheap inferior part.

Mobile home gas safety is easy if you follow the rules.

Always be safe and have fun in your mobile home.

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