Most households use some sort of gas appliance. Gas appliances need air to ensure that they burn safely and during this process they produce carbon monoxide which is usually removed via a flue or chimney. If the flue or chimney becomes blocked or the gas appliance malfunctions this could cause the device to become faulty and leak carbon monoxide into a property.

Carbon monoxide is a gas that is hard to detect since it is odourless, tasteless and colourless. The gas is extremely dangerous to health and can be fatal as it stops the blood bringing oxygen to your vital organs as well as cells and tissue. In the UK alone around 15 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning from gas appliances. It is therefore important to ensure gas safety within a home.

To be gas aware and safe in your property, it is recommended that you follow these five safety tips:

1. You should get your main household gas appliances such as your gas boiler or gas fire checked by a qualified gas engineer every year. This best time to get these checked is when the appliance has its annual service.
2. For all other household gas appliances you can check them yourself. To do this you need to be looking for any issues with the appliance and signs that you should look out for include yellow flames, black stains or marks appearing on the appliance along with excessive condensation appearing in rooms.
3. You need to understand and recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning as this will highlight a faulty appliance and a problem with the gas supply. Unfortunately, carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms mimic other illnesses such as food poisoning. However, the common symptoms to look out for include; headaches, dizziness, sickness, breathlessness, tiredness, erratic behaviour and visual problems.
4. You need to ensure that the room where the gas appliance is located is well ventilated as this will help the appliance burn correctly.
5. You should only use the gas appliance for what it was intended for. For example, never use a gas oven to heat a room or bring a gas barbeque inside the house.

Along with these tips it is recommended that you install a carbon monoxide detector. These will alert you with an alarm if carbon monoxide is detected. These detectors are inexpensive and easy to install and could save you and your family’s lives.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

When people are looking to prepare their households for the winter months they are often busy concerning themselves with looking at ways to make their home energy efficient such as checking loft insulation. However, many people often overlook safety measures related to their property and buying the most important safety device of them all – a carbon monoxide alarm.

A recent service has shown some frightening statistics with only one in three households owning a carbon monoxide alarm and only one in five people knowing that this odourless gas can kill. Last year 50 people in the UK lost their lives through carbon monoxide poisoning and a further 4,000 people were hospitalised because of the gas, so households really need to take heed.

Carbon monoxide gas becomes an issue if a gas appliance such as a boiler becomes faulty or poorly ventilated. When this happens the appliance could leak carbon monoxide into the household and because the gas is odourless, colourless and tasteless it will be unknowingly breathed in by the occupants of the property. By inhaling the gas it will mean that the blood’s ability to transport oxygen around the body will be reduced and this can lead to confusion, coma and death in severe cases.

To ensure that your gas appliance isn’t leaking carbon monoxide then it will be important to get your appliance serviced regularly. You can also look out for tell-tale signs that your appliance may be leaking gas. These signs include the appliance burning a yellow or orange flame instead of a blue flame, soot appearing on the appliance and more condensation on inside windows than usual.

Your household should also have a carbon monoxide alarm installed for early warning against any leaking gas. These alarms aren’t expensive and are easy to fit so there is no excuse for not having one within your home. Prices for the alarm range from £12 to £50 and when purchasing one it is recommended that you buy one with an audible alarm which activates when carbon monoxide is detected. You should also ensure it has a British Standard EN 50291 mark or shown with the CE mark and have a British or European Kitemark, Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) or equivalent testing approval mark.

Once the carbon monoxide alarm is purchased you will then ensure an appropriate position for this device in your home. Ideal locations include a hallway or landing and the alarm should not be fitted to a ceiling but be visible at head height. The alarm should also be placed at least one metre away from gas appliances.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

As we are sure you’re all aware, this week is a very important week in the UK. Why, you may ask? Well, this week is Gas Safety week.

Efforts are being made all across the UK to raise awareness about the safety hazards a gas boiler can propose. As the week progresses, we urge you to take notice and have your gas boiler checked for faults.

Okay, we admit it – perhaps Gas Safety week isn’t as popular as we would like. But whilst it probably won’t be at the forefront of your mind, the purpose of the week is incredibly important. Each year, around two hundred people are killed in the UK from the inhalation of lethal carbon monoxide fumes. This happens due to faulty heating systems, and often relates to boiler faults. To keep your family safe, you should regularly have your boiler checked by a professional in case damage has occurred.

The facts about carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas that can be fatal if absorbed into the blood stream. If proper gas appliance maintenance does not take place on a regular basis, carbon monoxide gas may leak from a fault in a boiler. It can then spread around the family home, ready for inhalation by residents. Carbon monoxide can cause dizziness, sickness and headaches. Often it is difficult to diagnose the problem in time – which is why prevention is always the best cure.

There are a number of measures you can take to eliminate the threat posed by carbon monoxide. Firstly, and most importantly, you should have your gas boiler checked by a qualified Gas Safe technician on an annual basis. Whilst this may incur a cost, it is a worthwhile investment in the safety of your family. Additionally, you could purchase a carbon monoxide detector alarm and place it in close proximity to your gas appliance. This is an extra precaution, which is useful – but not a replacement for proper checks by a professional.

Landlords: your gas appliance responsibilities

If you are a landlord, it is your responsibility to properly maintain your gas appliances and ensure they don’t present a safety hazard to your tenants. You must ensure all boilers in your residencies are fully functioning, and have appropriate measures in place to deal with the threat carbon monoxide poses. Legally, your boilers must be checked every twelve months by an official Gas Safe engineer. You could find yourself in trouble if you don’t comply with this safety law, and are at risk of losing your right to let out properties.

Put simply, leaving your gas boiler to its own devices and not implementing regular safety checks is a risk that shouldn’t be taken. For the sake of around fifty pounds, even when the budget is tight savings like these are not ones that should be made. Don’t ever compromise the safety of your family members to make a last minute cost cutting.

Guest Article by Connor Sephton

When the temperature drops, out come the cowboys.

And we’re not talking about men wearing large hats, riding horses and carrying six shooters. We’re talking about guys wearing woolly hats, carrying tool boxes and masquerading as qualified tradesmen.

When cold weather strikes and inevitably pipes bursts, boilers stop and radiators rupture, your first thought is to get the repair done as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. And that’s what the cowboys prey on; a sense of urgency and desperation.

But professional bodies are warning people to be on their guard against bogus tradesmen. Few people when stressed over a broken pipe, or faulty boiler, think to check the qualifications of the people answering the urgent call to put things right. But, say the trade organisations, its vital to ask to see if they are registered with a recognised body before they start work.

And unfortunately, these tradesmen are often the cheapest and, say the professionals, the ones more likely to offer ‘cash deals’ (which don’t involve VAT). This is usually a sign that the tradesmen does not have the proper status.

This is especially important when it comes to work on a boiler say the professionals. They point out that people are still not aware that for anyone to work on a boiler, they should be CORGI-registered. And this is not just a recommendation, it is the law of the land with stiff penalties for those that break the rules. Over 30 people are killed in the U.K. every year through carbon monoxide poisoning and this is usually caused by boilers which have not been serviced regularly, or have been serviced by a non-registered workman.

There is also a growing trend for landlords to service their own boilers and heating systems, in this time of economic austerity. This, believes the health and safety executive, will lead to more avoidable deaths as boilers go without proper checks.

But it not just boilers. Plumbers should ideally be qualified to at least full City and Guilds NVQ Level 3 Qualified Plumber Certification. And what’s more, all tradesmen, should have in place a public liability insurance which protects them should things go wrong with their work and they cause actual bodily injury.

So, recommend the trades bodies, you’d do well to ask your plumber, or heating engineer, to see copies of their relevant certification, or qualifications. And what’s more, when the weather turns cold, you can bet that the cowboys will start riding across the horizon, raring to help you. But beware, you literally could be putting your life at risk.

Guest Article by Neil Camp