Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas produced when natural gas does not burn properly. Any gas appliance or fitting can produce carbon monoxide if it does not function properly.
Lethal poisoning usually occurs when the gas pipeline, fitting, chimneys, or flues malfunction. This is one of the prime reasons people must regularly check if their home or gas appliances are working properly. Let us discuss the importance of these gas safety checks and how you can check if your home is gas-safe.
What Risks Do Gas Unsafe Appliances Pose?
If ignored, an unsafe gas appliance can be life-threatening. Such an appliance has three main risks.
1. Gas Leakage
A gas leak usually causes fires and explosions in a house. If any person in the house thinks that they smell gas, they need to dial the emergency service providers immediately. A safety registered engineer performs a gas safety check to confirm if there are any gas leaks or not.
2. Explosions
If your house and appliances are gas safe, they burn gas properly. However, a faulty appliance or pipework can leak gas, creating an explosion upon being ignited.
3. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas produced by an improperly working gas appliance. It is also lethal because it is odorless and tasteless. An average human won’t even realize carbon monoxide is present in their house.
To reduce these risks, it is vital to ensure that your gas appliances and home are gas-safe. You can take the following steps to mitigate these risks.
Check Your Gas Appliances Before Moving into a New Home
If you are a new homeowner, you must get your home checked by a registered gas-safe engineer. You must ask your landlord to carry out this check for you if you are a tenant. You can also request a copy of the most recent gas-safe certificate from the previous tenants or landlord.
Use Appliances Correctly and Ensure Ventilation
While these are general safety measures, everyone in the house must know these basic rules. Always use gas appliances correctly and for the intended purpose. It avoids any emergencies that can be risky.
Indoor gas appliances must continuously operate in a well-ventilated space and burn correctly. Congested places with a lack of ventilation have a higher chance of explosion. For instance, a stove must always have a kitchen range hood, chimney, or flues.
Educate Yourself About the Warning Signs
Awareness is handy and must be given to everyone in the house. To avoid any risk related to gas appliances, you must learn the warning signs of gas leakage. For starters, a gas appliance must never have a leak, crack, or clunking noise. It must also be free from black marks.
Moreover, you must also check that all the vents are free from blockages. If you suspect the vents are blocked, call your local gas engineer for a professional check.
Never Panic in Case of Gas Leak
The smell around the faulty appliances is the first sign of a gas leak. If you ever come across this smell in your house, the first step is to open all the doors and windows to allow ventilation. Secondly, you must turn off the main gas valve. One cautious step that you must take is not to turn on any switch or electrical appliance that could create a spark. Also, avoid lighting any matchstick or lighter. You may then leave the property as a precaution and inform your nearest emergency service provider.
How to Protect Your Home From Gas Leakages?
Numerous households need to be made aware of gas-safe certificates or warning signs. Before moving in, such people must have these two procedures completed.
Get a Gas Safety Check Annually
If you have any gas appliances in your home, you must get them serviced yearly. Ensure that a gas-safe registered engineer carries out any service or installation of gas appliances. Servicing at regular intervals prevents leakages and keeps you and your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Make sure to check the credentials of anyone who claims to be a gas-safe registered engineer. Ask for IDs before they start working on your property. You can cross-verify their registration numbers with those on the Gas Safe website. Remember, 79% of the boilers that unqualified engineers install have put homeowners at risk. You can check the register here.
Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide detectors are installed in the house near gas appliances. You must get these detectors even if you have completed a gas safe check and are confident there are no gas leaks in the house. Carbon monoxide detectors are a significant investment and have a long life. They can give audio and visual signs if they detect carbon monoxide in the house.
Special Consideration
Tenants must be aware that when gas is turned off and turned back on, the air gets stuck in the pipelines of their homes. Therefore, the first gas appliance you light up may take some time to ignite. After a few minutes, the gas flows correctly, and you can usually use the appliance.
Conclusion
Getting gas appliances and your home checked for faults may inconvenience many, yet it helps prevent major disasters. Therefore, you must always ensure that you carry out these checks regularly. If you forget to schedule a gas check yourself, a reminder reminds you about it.