We rely on our gas boilers, cookers and fires to keep warm, have hot baths and showers and cook hot meals. It’s important that gas appliances are regularly serviced to help keep us safe and prevent them from breaking down when we need them the most.
Stay Gas Safe in your home with these top tips:
- Have all your gas appliances, including boilers, gas cookers and gas fires, safety checked annually.
- Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix and check gas appliances in your home – it’s the law and will help keep you safe.
- Always ask to see an engineers Gas Safe ID card and check the back of the card to ensure they are qualified to carry out the specific type of gas work you need.
- Find a Gas Safe registered engineer in your area or call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500
- Recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.
- Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room.
- Buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm for your home and make sure it is located near to your gas appliances in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance. Carbon monoxide can leak from appliances and kill.
- Only use gas appliances for their intended purpose e.g. don’t use a gas oven to heat a room or use a gas barbeque inside the house.
- Always ensure there is enough ventilation for your gas appliances to allow them to burn correctly and make sure you are not blocking any air vents that provide an air supply to the gas appliance.
- Anybody working with gas has to be Gas Safe registered by law. Report someone working without registration or call Gas Safe Register on the free phone number 0800 408 5500.