Gas leaks (escapes) can occur from faulty appliances and pipework. While gas is not poisonous like carbon monoxide (CO), leaks can lead to fires or explosions. A distinctive odorant is added to the gas to make it detectable – you can usually smell this briefly any time you turn a gas hob on.
If you think you can smell gas, take action and call the free National Gas Emergency Number, 0800 111 999, immediately. They will advise you to:
Carbon monoxide poisoning is another potentially deadly consequence of having poorly maintained or unsafe gas appliances in your home.
If you think you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, please take action and call 0800 111 999 immediately
When it comes to gas safety, it is a legal requirement that Great Places must:
An appliance safety check includes checks and tests to appliances in your home. It’s necessary to ensure that the appliances you are using are safe and legally compliant.
We will ensure that:
An appliance service will include all of the above checks and tests, plus any other specific checks, for inspection and/or cleaning of the appliance as specified in the manufacturer’s instructions.
Your appliance service may include:
The whole of the gas installation, including all appliances, whether provided by Great Places or a customers own appliance, will be checked for safety. In addition to the checks described above the engineer will check:
When assessing an unsafe gas appliance, all engineers will follow the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GIUSP), which provides “˜best practice’ advice to engineers on how to deal with specific gas safety concerns.
As part of the safety inspection all gas appliances will be checked, in a customers appliance this will be a visual inspection only to comply with regulatory standards. Should the engineer consider that there is a safety defect then the guidance of the unsafe situations procedure will be followed, normally this would be a request to stop using the appliance until it can be repaired. We will not be held responsible for any repairs, replacement or re-connection of the appliance.
These all play an important role in the safe operation of gas appliances, allowing products of combustion to escape and ensuring a high level of ventilation. As cold as it might get during winter, never block up these airways, as this could result in a dangerous build-up of carbon monoxide in your home.
Chimneys will need to be checked every year for blockages (such as birds’ nests and debris) which can prevent dangerous fumes from escaping. The Gas Safe-registered engineer will be on the lookout for these.
In order to stay fully gas safe in your property, you’ll need to be mindful of these potentially dangerous consequences of having poorly maintained or faulty gas appliances.
After they have worked on the appliance, the engineer may issue you with a report detailing the checks they’ve carried out. This will normally be a Gas Safety Record, depending on what work they have undertaken. This will often be sent to you within a few days of the inspection.
