"Services that kill" - Gas

September 12^th 2011 saw the launch of the first ever Gas Safety Week run by the Gas Safe Register. So in the second of our series discussing “Services that kill” we will take a look at Gas and Gas Safety. Gas Safety Week aims to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.
By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones. Follow these top tips to help keep you and your family gas safe:

• make sure only a Gas Safe registered engineer works on your gas appliances
• make sure gas appliances have a regular service and an annual gas safety check,
• always check the engineer's Gas Safe Register ID card

To view true stories from the Gas Safe website click here

Buying a new home?

In most cases when you commission an independent survey the surveyor will not be able to comment in detail on the gas appliances. Why?

• The surveyor is unlikely to be a Gas Safe Registered Engineer.
• The appliances are rarely “on” during a survey.
• The survey is non invasive

The seller should ask the vendor for an annual gas safety record which shows that a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked the gas appliances. If your vendor cannot supply an up to date annual gas safety record, you should get a Gas Safe registered engineer to check the gas appliances before you move in. This check should include the gas boiler, oven, hob and gas fire. The registered engineer will give the vendor a gas safety record which they should handover to you before you move in.

For a surveyor the lack of testing conducted by members of a government approved Accreditation Scheme is sufficient reason to justify that a Condition Rating 3 (Urgent/Serious) should be applied.

The seller should understand that failure to have the Gas appliances tested could be problematic once they find a buyer. For this reason it is sensible if you are selling a property to have a gas safety report on all the appliances you intend to leave in order to show copies to the potential purchasers, their surveyor and their conveyancer/solicitor.

 Horror Stories video click here.