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East Ayrshire Council
Maintenance
Gas Safety in Your Home
All gas consumers are advised to have
appliances checked for safety at least
every 12 months by a Gas Safe
registered engineer.
Help and advice for homeowners
What do i do if my bill
seems wrong?
There should be a dial on your meter.
If you cannot read it, call your gas
supplier and ask for help. Check the
reading against your bill. If you are
using more gas than before but do not
think you have used your appliance
more, then this may indicate a slow
leak somewhere.
This document is also available, on request, in braille, large print or recorded on
to tape, and can be translated into Chinese, Punjabi, Urdu, Gaelic and Polish.
Ma tha sibh airson fiosrachadh fhaighinn ann an cànan sam bith eile, cuiribh
brath thugainnaig an t-seòladh a leanas.
Finding an approved contractor
Anyone carrying out any work to gas
supplies must be registered with the
Gas Safe Register.
www.gassaferegister.co.uk
Designed and produced by East Ayrshire Council Design Section © 2010 JB/02/10BB
To find a list of Gas Safe registered
engineers, look in the Yellow Pages or
ring 0800 408 5500 or go to
Dokument dost pny jest równie w alfabecie Braille’a, w wersji z powi kszonym
drukiem lub w formie nagrania d wi kowego na kasecie. Na yczenie oferujemy
tak e tłumaczenie dokumentu na wybrany j zyk.
Housing Services
Civic Centre, Kilmarnock KA1 1HW
Tel: 01563 576661 or 01563 576662
E-mail: [email protected]
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Gas safety in your home
Gas can be dangerous. This leaflet gives some general safety information
and what to do in case of an emergency.
Things To Check
• Know where to find the gas stoptap
(known to some as a stop cock)
and how to use it. It should be
close to the gas meter. When the
handle is at right angles to the pipe,
the supply is off. When the handle
is in line with the pipe, the supply
is on.
• Check that you have ventilation in
rooms where gas appliances are
found. Look for ventilators or
gratings in the outside wall or in
windows and make sure they are
not blocked.
• Check how the pilot lights work in
each of your appliances. It is a good
idea to fix a copy of the instructions
near the appliance.
• Most new appliances do not have a
pilot light - they use electronic
ignition.
• If drilling a wall or floor, use a pipe
detector to avoid gas pipes. These
can be bought in DIY stores.
• Do not use appliances if you think
they are faulty.
• Gas and fumes from burning gas
can be dangerous.
If you smell gas or suspect
a leak:
1 Turn off gas at the stop tap.
2 Open windows and doors to
ventilate the room and/or house.
3 Do not look for a gas leak using a
naked flame such as a match. Turn
off or put out fires. Do not light
cigarettes and do not turn electrical
switches on or off.
4 Call National Grid on the Gas
Emergency Freephone number
0800 111 999 immediately.
If you smell something wrong and you
start to feel sleepy or start to get a
headache in a room with a gas
appliance, open a window and arrange
for a Gas Safe registered engineer to
check the appliance immediately.
Make sure there is adequate
permanent ventilation in rooms with
gas fires. If you are not sure you have
adequate ventilation ask a Gas Safe
registered engineer for advice.
Gas fires
New gas fires have a built in safety
device called an oxygen depletion safety
system (ODS). This means that the fire
will turn itself off automatically if there
is not enough fresh air in the room.
Older fires should only be used in
rooms with a permanent source of fresh
air and should be turned off at night.
Other types of gas bottle, LPG etc.
LPG is commonly bought in steel
cylinders. LPG can be highly dangerous
and should be stored very carefully.
The cylinders should be kept away
Boilers and water heaters
Modern boilers/ water heaters have a
balanced flue (which allows air to be
taken in and waste gases to flow out).
Make sure that the air vent is not
blocked on the outside. If you have an
older boiler you must make sure there is
a good permanent air supply from
outside available. If you are concerned
about the safety of your boiler you should
contact a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Before calling professional help, you can
try to re-light the pilot yourself, following
the instructions with the boiler.
If the manual has been lost, the
manufacturer usually prints lighting
instructions on the inside of the door.
If the pilot goes out again soon after
being re-lit, you should call a Gas Safe
registered engineer.
Why gas is dangerous?
If gas does not burn properly then
carbon monoxide may be formed.
Carbon monoxide has no smell and can
kill. Symptoms of carbon monoxide
poisoning are similar to those of the flu
and include drowsiness, weakness,
headaches, feeling sick and pains in
the chest. Carbon monoxide detectors
are available from DIY stores. Plug in
detectors are more reliable than battery
operated ones as batteries can run out
without warning.
from heat and in a place where they
will not be damaged. Only use LPG in
a well ventilated room. If you are
concerned about the safety of your
boiler you should contact a Gas Safe
registered engineer.
On most modern boilers, the pilot
comes on automatically when it is
needed. This uses less gas than the old
type of boiler where the pilot light is
burning 24 hours a day.
If one of these boilers does not light
you need to call out a Gas Safe
registered engineer.
Pic cap to go here
What if there are sooty marks around
my gas fire/boiler?
This is a sign of fumes failing to
escape properly.
Get the appliance checked by a Gas
Safe registered gas engineer.
The flames on my gas fire are not
blue, they have turned yellow or
orange…
This is a danger sign - do not use the
appliance until you have had it
checked.
What if the flames on my gas fire burn
yellow?
Another danger sign – do not use the
appliance until you have had it
checked. “Real flame” fires are
designed to have yellow flames.
If these go orange or seem to be
elongated, get the appliance checked.
I live in a rented flat and do not think
my gas appliances have been checked
for years…
By law, your landlord should have your
gas appliances checked every year and
should be able to show you a Gas
Safety Certificate or have it displayed
in the property.
Contact the Council’s Private Sector
Housing Unit on 01563 554850 if you
have difficulty getting your landlord to
take their responsibilities seriously.