Helpful Tips to Stay Gas Safe at Home

Stay gas safe at home this autumn/winter

Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances such as boilers can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly and without warning, as you cannot see it, taste it, or smell it.

How to keep you and your family safe

By taking care of your gas appliances properly and spotting the warning signs of an unsafe appliance you are taking care of your home and your loved ones. Whether you own your own home or are a tenant, it is important to look out for some red flags with the gas connections in your home to avoid a gas emergency.

Follow these few simple gas safety tips to keep you and your family safe.

Check for warning signs that could indicate your (or others) gas appliances are not working correctly. Signs may include lazy yellow flames /orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance, a pilot light that keeps going out or too much condensation in the room. If you smell gas in your home you should call the gas company as an emergency. They will come straight out to check the appliance and gas supply. Leave the building and do not operate any electrical switches.
Avoid blocking air vents during cold spells. Vents are there to ensure your gas appliances work safely. Blocking them could prevent this.
Never DIY on a gas appliance. If you suspect there is something wrong with your appliance or it is not working correctly, call a Gas Safe registered engineer. You can find one at co.uk or call 0800 408 5500. Unsafe gas appliances are a major source of gas problems.
Know the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse, and loss of consciousness (or tiredness).
Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm and make sure your friends and relatives have one too. Check they are marked EN50291 and display the British Standards’ Kitemark.
Make sure you have your annual safety check. Gas appliances should be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants – make sure your landlord arranges this. Set a reminder so you don’t forget at co.uk.
Look out for your local community. You may have a friend, relative or neighbour who is unable to arrange their own gas safety check or are unaware of what they need to do to keep safe. Help them stay safe by ensuring that they have their appliances checked and serviced regularly if they are able to do so.
Check your engineer is qualified for the type of gas work you need doing, natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the back of their Gas Safe ID card and on the Gas Safe Register website.

Landlords and Tenants

For those that rent a property or have a tenancy, it is important to know that Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. They must make sure maintenance and annual safety checks take place on gas appliances in the house. These checks, as mentioned above, must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

If you’re a landlord, you are legally obliged to make sure that:

Gas pipework, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition.
All gas appliances and flues provided for tenants’ use have an annual safety check. Your tenants can report you to the HSE if you don’t provide one, so it’s important to remember! You can set a free email and/or text reminder so you don’t forget, visit co.uk.
A Gas Safety Record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in.
You keep a copy of the Gas Safety Record until two further checks have taken place.
Maintenance and annual safety checks are carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting.
We encourage tenants to also check the card when the engineer arrives at the property, and to be aware of any warning signs that their gas appliance is working incorrectly, such as dark or sooty staining, excess condensation and pilot lights which frequently blow out.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Here at Mr Central Heating, we stock a range of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors including the Google Nest Protect and the Honeywell Home R100C-1.

The Google Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm has an industrial‐grade smoke sensor. It tests itself automatically and lasts for up to 10 years – available in wired and battery. It even tells you what’s wrong and can send an alert your phone. The Split-Spectrum Sensor detects fast- and slow-burning fires. It’s the first alarm that you can silence from your phone. It speaks up to tell you what’s wrong and where the problem is. Always be in the know. Keeps you safe and sound for up to 10 years. It can see the poisonous carbon monoxide that you can’t.

The Honeywell Home R100C-1 is a carbon monoxide alarm powered by a 10-year tamperproof lithium battery. The alarm is designed with a low-power chip. This allows the unit to reach at least 10-year battery life under standby mode. The high-precision electrochemical sensor detects the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air. When this exceeds a certain value the R100C-1 immediately sends out an audible and visual alarm signal to alert the user to the danger. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement.

For more advice:

It is important to have an annual gas safety check completed by a qualified heating engineer. This includes appliances such as a gas fire, gas heaters, gas cooker or gas central heating. We always want to promote the importance of gas safety, regardless of the time of year. If you’d like to find more gas safety advice and learn about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide, we have some great information for you here. For gas safety advice and to find or check an engineer visit the Gas Safe Register website at GasSafeRegister.co.uk. Alternatively call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500.