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Heating systems that use gas, solid, and oil fuels can give off toxic waste gases when being used. It’s important to understand how these gas systems work in order to keep you and your family safe.

It’s vital to keep yourself safe at home, know who to contact in an emergency, and what to do in the event of a gas leak.

 

 

Gas Safety Information

The flame on a gas cooker, or any other gas appliance, should burn blue. If the flame is yellow or orange in colour, this indicates that there may be a problem. Turn off the appliance and report to us immediately.

For your own safety, until the fault has been fixed, the appliance must remain off and not be used under any circumstances.

Never attempt to install a gas cooker without the assistance of a gas safe engineer. Find a gas safe engineer  near you today.

Annual safety inspections are a legal requirement for gas appliances that we have installed; your safety depends on it. Please allow our engineers into your property when we have arranged an appointment to visit your home to complete these inspections.

Solid fuel systems with either a chimney or flue will also be swept annually. A chimney that has been closed and is now out of use must not be brought back into use under any circumstances.

Please let us know if you have installed any solid fuel burners (e.g. log burners, fireplaces, etc.) so we can check that they are safe.

If you are looking to make improvements to install solid fuel burners, please see our page on home improvements.

Signs of a gas leak are similar to feeling unwell. You may be:
  • Feeling lightheaded and/or dizzy
  • Feeling nauseous
  • Experiencing headaches

If you feel any of the above, please leave the house immediately. You may find that the symptoms ease when you’re outside. If this is the case, then you may have a gas leak.

 


 

With any suspected gas leak, it is absolutely vital that you do not:
  • Expose a naked flame anywhere in the property (e.g. spark a lighter, strike a match, turn on a gas hob, etc.)
  • Turn any electrical switches on or off, or use anything at all which may cause a spark.

 


 

What do to if you have a gas leak:
  • Open doors and windows to allow fresh air in.
  • Turn off the gas at the mains tap, which is usually near the meter. Move the handle a quarter turn until it’s at 90 degrees from the pipe to shut off the gas supply.
  • Leave the property and contact Transco on 0800 111 999. Do not use the phone inside the property as this may cause a spark.
  • Find a safe space to wait outside the property for a gas engineer to arrive. Do not re-enter the property at all.
  • If you are feeling particularly unwell, contact your GP or go to hospital immediately and explain that you have been exposed to a gas leak.
  • Please contact us at the earliest opportunity and explain what has happened.

Once you have done this, contact us to let us know. We can provide support, advice, and give information on the next steps for your circumstances.

The gas supply must remain isolated until the leak has been fixed.

Carbon Monoxide can be a toxic by-product of gases that power your heating systems not burning correctly. Every home with a gas boiler, or solid fuel burner, or gas fire will have at least one Carbon Monoxide alarm fitted where these appliances are located.

If your carbon monoxide alarm goes off, you must:

  • Stop using all appliances. Switch them off, and open doors and windows to ventilate the property;
  • You must leave the property immediately;
  • Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 to report the incident, and also contact us by phone to let us know about the incident;
  • Seek immediate medical help – you may not realise you’ve been affected by the carbon monoxide, and going outside into fresh air won’t treat any exposure by itself;
  • Do not return to your property. You must wait for advice from the emergency services.

For further advice on Carbon Monoxide safety, please see the SSE website

Your home is designed with your safety in mind. Don’t be alarmed – it is normal for all gas systems to emit toxic gases. These gases are removed from appliances via a chimney or vent, and expelled safely into the atmosphere. (Please see our article on how we’re building greener homes to reduce the negative impact of this process!)

Owing to the importance of the chimney or vent in keeping you safe, it is vital that they’re not tampered with and are not blocked in any way. Please let us know if any of your boiler vents are blocked, any damage to boiler casing, or damage to the boiler pipes (flue.)