Servicing

ALL GAS APPLIANCES SHOULD BE SERVICED EVERY YEAR

"No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel unless he is competent to do so" Gas safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 - Regulation 3(1).

Any business carrying out gas installations, servicing or repairs must be a "class of persons" approved by the Health and Safety Executive. The only body with such approval at this time is the Council for Registered Gas Installers - CORGI. Therefore anyone undertaking gas work must be CORGI Registered. Gas fitters who are employed by a CORGI Registered company, but do work on their own behalf must be CORGI Registered in their own right. Anyone who does any gas work must be competent to do so, even if they are not required to be a member of an approved "class of persons". DIYers and people performing favours for friends and relatives all need to have the required competence for the full extent of the work they plan to undertake. Work includes activities that could affect the safety of a gas fitting, whether new or existing and whether or not it contains gas.

It is recommended that all gas appliances are regularly serviced by a CORGI Registered engineer. This regular interval is usually not longer than 12 months. By having your appliances regularly serviced minor problems can be detected and rectified before they develop into serious or potentially life threatening situations.

When servicing an appliance the following points should be observed by the engineer.

1. Ventilation is correct. This includes ventilation for both the combustion process and the removal of flue products.
2. The flue system for the appliance is suitable, not blocked or leaking, and terminating correctly outside the property.
3. The operating pressure and heat input of the appliance are correctly set.
4. The appliance is burning correctly. This can be checked by a visual look at the "flame picture" and/or use of a combustion analyser.
5. All safety devices function correctly.
6. The gas tightness of the appliance.
7. The appliance is physically stable, secure and properly connected to other fittings.