As proud members of the Gas Safety Register we wanted to share their top tips on Gas safety in the home with you. Many of us rely on gas appliances to heat our homes, provide hot water and cook our food. To make sure your appliances are in good condition and working safely, follow these top tips all year round. To watch a video from the Gas safety Register organisation click here.
– Have all gas appliances in your property safety checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer
As part of any safety check ensure that the engineer carries out a tightness test of the pipework to ensure there are no gas leaks,
and a visual inspection of accessible gas pipework should also be completed to ensure the installation is in good condition.
– Make sure you ask to see your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card both front and back.
The front will confirm their registration and identity, the back will confirm they can do the gas work you’ve employed them to do.
– Stay aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
Headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.
– Look out for warning signs that a gas appliance isn’t working properly
Lazy yellow flames, excessive condensation and black marks/stains. However, gas appliances can be unsafe without displaying these symptoms,
so best practice is to have them checked every year.
– Buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm
Install it (in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines) near to your gas appliance. Alarms are a strong second line of defence against
carbon monoxide poisoning.
– Use gas appliances for their intended purposes only
e.g. do not use a cooker to heat a room.
– Provide enough ventilation for gas appliances to burn correctly
Make sure no air vents or chimneys are blocked.
– If you know of anyone doing gas work outside of Gas Safe registration, they are breaking the law.
You can report them online or contact them on the consumer helpline 0800 408 5500
– If you’re a tenant in a rented property, make sure your landlord provides you with an annual gas safety check