- Turn the gas off at the meter.
- Open doors and windows to ventilate the property.
- Do not use or operate any switches or electrical appliances.
- Do not smoke or ignite open flames.
- Contact the gas emergency service.
The gas emergency service
0800 111 999
24hrs - 365 days
Completely free
How often should gas appliances be checked
Annually. Ideally all gas appliances should be checked and serviced annually, but if you cannot afford to get it serviced, getting a check completed is strongly recommended. It's a legal requirement for landlords that rent properties out because the risks associated with gas and gas burning appliances are so great. Getting appliances and pipework checked means you help defend against the risks associated with gas.
An annual check is not expensive and is not really much different from giving a car an annual MOT. It should be considered as an essential part of owning and running a home.
Never DIY with Gas
Gas is flammable, explosive and when burnt can produce some very nasty fumes that could put you and your family at risk. Never attempt to fix a gas appliance or install a gas pipe yourself. You must be qualified and you may be breaking the law.
In England, you must be registered with the Gas Safe Register to work with gas appliances and pipework.
Servicing vs checks
A lot of people, including landlords, businesses and home owners do not understand the differences between checking gas appliances and servicing them. For us, as gas engineers, we see the consequences of this miss-understanding every day that we pick up our tools.
An annual check
- Check for the safety of an appliance, flue and pipework.
A standard service
- Checks for the safety of an appliance and flue.
- Includes adjustment of the combustion process to ensure it is running efficiently.
- Will identify leaks or problem areas within an appliance.
- Includes removal of trapped air ensuring heat can distribute evenly.
A manufacturer level service
- Checks for the safety of an appliance and flue.
- Includes adjustment of the combustion process to ensure it is running efficiently.
- Will identify leaks or problem areas within an appliance.
- Includes removal of trapped air ensuring heat can distribute evenly.
- Includes replacement of high wear components such as electrodes or seals.
- Will include cleaning of areas un-accessible without replacement seal kits and the replacement of these seals with new ones.
Putting it in the most simplistic fashion, an annual check is all about safety, making sure an appliance is safe to use and operate. A service is the same, but adds an element of efficiency to the check, ensuring an appliance is not only safe, but also running efficiently, identifying issues before they arise and ensuring that you get the most heat out of the gas you burn by not wasting the process of combustion.
Standard or basic servicing as we term it does not include any replacement components - These are included in our manufacturer level servicing option. When you take out a standard service, this will be the standard industry style service as developed by British Gas, but we offer a more detailed service package too which includes spare parts as recommended by the manufacturer of the appliance, new seals, electrodes or whatever else we know to be a common failure point that can be easily replaced for little cost. For reliable running, the manufacturer level servicing option is by far the most economical way to operate an appliance.