Gas Safety Week: Fighting for a Gas Safe Nation

We are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week 2018, taking place 17 – 23 September.

Gas Safety Week is an annual safety week to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. It is co-ordinated by Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas.

Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Every year thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly with no warning, as you cannot see it, taste it or smell it.

By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones. Follow these few simple checks to keep you and your family safe.

  • Check your Landlord’s Gas Safety Record. By law, your landlord must keep gas pipework, appliances and flues supplied for you to use in good condition. They must arrange a gas safety check of the appliances and flues every 12 months and give you a record of the check.
  • Check any gas appliances you own every year. Gas appliances should be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Set a reminder so you don’t forget at co.uk.
  • Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered. You can find or check an engineer at gassaferegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500. 
  • Check your engineer is qualified for the type of gas work you need doing g. natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the back of their Gas Safe ID card and the Gas Safe Register website.
  • Check for warning signs that your appliances aren’t working correctly, such as lazy yellow /orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance, a pilot light that keeps going out and too much condensation in the room.
  • Know the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.
  • Have an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert you if there is carbon monoxide in your home.

For gas safety advice and to find or check an engineer visit the Gas Safe Register website at GasSafeRegister.co.uk.

 

 

Arktek Gas Engineer

Why you need to service your boiler regularly

Boiler servicing is one of those tasks that is often easily forgotten about. You may get a notification at the start of spring advising that this is due, you make a mental note to book it in and before you know its just another thing forgotten. When you eventually remember again it’s the middle of Christmas, you have the whole family staying over and you have more important things to worry about and then all of a sudden, the boiler goes.

It’s easy to think that the boiler does not get used during the summer months, but whilst you may not use your heating during the summer, the chances are you are still using hot water regularly. The boiler could then be running into issues and these would go unnoticed until the winter when the boiler is being used excessively. Having the boiler serviced annually means that the engineer will identify any potential issues and fix these before there is any major damage. Servicing your boiler probably costs less than you think and it would definitely cost less than replacing your boiler completely.

Maintaining your boiler and getting it checked regularly will keep the boiler running efficiently and because you’ll catch any issues early on, your boiler will be less likely to break down later. A healthy and well-maintained boiler will most likely last longer than a boiler that has not been serviced.

Getting your boiler serviced regularly can actually help to save money on your gas bills. As part of your service, the engineer will carry out all the necessary checks to make sure that your boiler is running efficiently. The more efficient the boiler is, the less energy it will take to run.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, 4000 people go to A&E each year with carbon monoxide poisoning and because the symptoms can easily be mistaken for other illnesses (headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapsing and loss of consciousness) sometimes it is not caught in time and can be fatal. Every year there are about 25 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in England and Wales. Servicing the boiler gives you peace of mind that it is running safely and puts you at ease that your family is safe.

Another reason to get your boiler serviced regularly is to ensure that you do not void any guarantee that you may have. Boiler warranties will only apply if the boiler is serviced on an annual basis. If you don’t service your boiler this will void the warranty and if it does break down you would not be able to claim any money for the repairs.

Have you serviced your boiler in the last 12 months?

If you haven’t had your boiler serviced in a while, now may be the perfect time to book this in. There are a wide range of reasons why you should do this annually and for a small charge it really could be the difference between life or death.

Arktek Group Ltd have fully accredited gas engineers on hand to provide annual boiler services and gas safety checks to your domestic premise. Why not find out more by visiting www.arktekheating.co.uk or call us on 0191 516 6911 and speak to one of our customer services team.