The following is a guest post from Alex, who represents Home Serve.
When something goes wrong with your boiler or another gas appliance, a Gas Safe engineer should always be your first – and only – port of call.
While we’ve all got a friend who thinks he’s a bit of a handy man who can do a job around the home on the cheap, when it comes to dealing with important utilities, only an engineer who is on the Gas Safe Register will have the necessary qualifications and skills to do the job properly and safely.
This is because dealing with jobs such as gas leak repairs on boilers can be a tricky – and potentially fatal business – if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Poorly maintained, badly fitted, or faulty gas work can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal.
One of the scariest things about this highly poisonous gas is that it can’t be seen, smelled or tasted.
People suffering from poisoning often get headaches, feel dizzy or nauseous or suffer breathlessness, collapse or a loss of consciousness.
Although many people will have heard of the Gas Safe Register, some may be unsure what it is and how important it is to find a tradesman who’s signed up.
It was introduced by the Government in 2009 to replace Corgi, the previous gas registration body in Great Britain and the Isle of Man. Northern Ireland and Guernsey came under the scheme the following year.
There’s now around 120,000 gas engineers on the register, which checks that all of its members are qualified to work with gas.
It’s recommended that a Gas Safe-registered engineer checks your gas appliances every year, although if you suffer a home heating breakdown, you may need one to visit your home sooner.
Should you be in the position where you need a tradesman to come and fix a problem with your boiler, your first check should be that they’re on the register.
When the engineer arrives at your door, ask to see their ID card. Before they start the work, you’re well within your rights to check that they’re legitimate, which can be carried out easily and quickly on the Gas Safe Register website.
Of course, one thing you can do to make sure every engineer that comes out to carry out this type of work is on the register is getting boiler insurance.
Taking out this type of cover takes the hassle away from a home emergency and offers the peace of mind that a fully qualified tradesman will be on the way to fix your problem as soon as it occurs, whatever time of the day or night it is.
From Kris: I know that I would never tackle a job dealing with gas lines in my home myself, and I would definitely call a professional. This is an area where it may not pay to be frugal.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ll do just about everything around the house except mess with the gas pipes. I’ll leave that to the experts.
The thing about gas that scares me is the explosion/fire risk. Where I live, though, and in this province in general, gas is not used at all and everything is electric, from the heaters to the water tank to the stove.
Wow, your heaters are electric too?? Our furnace and hot water heater are both gas!
Yep, everything is electric. I’ve never seen a single gas appliance in any apartment or house I’ve ever lived in and I’ve lived in quite a few. Gas is just not used that much here at least residentially. If electric heat isn’t used then it’s usually a wood or pellet stove, but more commonly the pellet stove is used in supplement to electric. In commercial kitchens I believe they use gas stoves.
Gotta remember that electricity is disgustingly subsidized here, too. I think it’s 5 cents a kilowatt.
I want subsidized electricity!!!!
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