Hints and Tips

In the event of a gas leak/escape, DO NOT turn on/off any electrical switches and DO NOT smoke or introduce an ignition source. DO turn off gas at meter control valve and open doors/windows. Also, keep people away from the area and call a Gas Safe Register registered Engineer or TRANSCO (in England) to stop the escape as quickly as possible.

Like cars, the servicing of gas appliances is important and lengthens the life of the appliance. Important settings like burner pressures and CO2 readings are checked/adjusted to ensure the appliance is running safely and efficiently which can help to cut gas bills. A service may also bring faulty parts to the attention of the Engineer so that they can be changed before complete failure.

If you move into a house with air vents in the walls, doors or windows, DO NOT cover them up unless you are certain they aren't required. It is possible that these vents are providing essential air to your gas boiler or gas fire and covering them up could be dangerous! Sometimes, appliance vents are sited several rooms away from the appliance itself. If in doubt, contact a Gas Safe Register registered Engineer.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 state that any person who carries out work on gas appliances or fittings, must be competent to do so. The body that deems whether an engineer is competent is Gas Safe Register. When an Engineer comes to do gas work at your home or business, ask to see their Gas Safe Register identification card. To check if an installer has the correct registrations to carry out your work, look at the details on the back of the Gas Safe Register card. Also check their name/photo on the front of the card and the expiry date. You can visit the Gas Safe Register website to check if an installer is Gas Safe Register registered.

The Gas Regulations also state that Landlords must make sure all gas appliances, fittings and flues are inspected for safety every 12 months in a rental dwelling. This is for the safety of the tenants and the piece of mind of the owner/landlord. If you are a tenant, make sure you ask for this to be done each year and you should receive a copy of the inspection report. The Landlord, however, does not have responsibility to get an appliance owned by the tenant checked. (Sometimes, tenants buy their own gas cookers etc).

Combination boilers have a sealed heating system that is under pressure. These boilers will have a pressure gauge (usually on the front of the boiler) that shows the ststem pressure. Occasionally, very small leaks in the system, and the venting/bleeding of radiators by the resident can cause a drop in system pressure. When the pressure gets very low, the boiler may not work at all. The heating system pressure is topped up by means of a 'filling loop' which is a straight forward job and is likely to be in the boiler manufacturers instruction book. If you aren't comfortable doing this task, or can't find the user guide for your boiler, ask a friend or neighbour who may be able to help - this could save money on calling an Engineer for a relatively quick and easy task. As with any trade work, do NOT attempt it if you aren't sure! If the pressure in your system drops quickly or often, then you have a fault or leak on the system that definitely warrants a visit by an Engineer.

It pays to familiarise yourself with the services in your new home. In times of emergency when you might not be thinking too clearly, it will be good to already know the location of the isolation points and valves for your gas, electrical and water services.

When people get faults on their heating systems/boilers, it is often down to the sludge and scale that are typical within a system, as well as poor system design. This build up can cause valves to seize, pumps to burn out, radiators to have cold spots, and boilers to be noisy and inefficient. We would recommend in most cases that people get their heating systems power flushed, and a corrosion inhibitor added afterwards. This is mandatory for a new/replacement boiler installation to meet the Benchmark Guidelines and failure to cleanse/flush a system may void manufacturers' warranties.