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Every household nowadays has natural gas; it is an essential commodity to have in your house. We use it to cook food, heat water in the bath, and keep ourselves warm and comfortable in winter. Hence, it is essential to your house; we can’t imagine living without it.
However, do you know natural gas can cause you more harm than good if you don’t take care of it properly? This means gas leakage from faulty appliances or main pipelines can be catastrophic.
A leakage such as this leads to headache, illness, or even worse case, death and a huge fire in the house. You must ensure how to keep your property and family safe from these gas disasters in any way possible. Here are 7 important gas safety tips to follow. So, let's get started.
Never Leave Your Gas Appliances Unattended
As a first tip, we recommend that you never leave your gas appliances, such as stoves, fireplaces, and heaters, running independently while outside the house. Although the latest appliances have been developed with safety features to prevent fires and leakage of gases if you leave your appliances running, your home will be filled with gas, which can be extremely dangerous.
Gas appliances produce harmful emissions like methane and nitrogen dioxide, which are harmful to your health and pollute the surrounding air.
Evacuate the House Immediately if You Smell Gas Leakage
It is important to note that natural gas has no odour, but a rotten eggs-like smell is added so that you can detect it fairly quickly. When you recognise the signs of a gas leak, you can evacuate your family from your home before a more serious situation occurs.
The following indicators can detect gas leaks
The smell of rotten eggs
Gas lines emitting a hissing sound
An increase in gas consumption that is not explained
The presence of bubbles outside your home in standing water
An unexplained death of a plant in your home
Irritation, headaches, nausea, breathing problems, dizziness, and fatigue for no apparent reason
Please evacuate your home immediately if you observe any of these signs. If the situation worsens, you may need to call 999 or your utility provider. You should also avoid smoking, using your landline, or operating electrical devices while natural gas is present. As soon as you are outside, leave your doors and windows open to allow the gas to escape. The most important thing you need to know about gas safety!
Install a Carbon Monoxide Detector for Your Home
It is important to note that carbon monoxide can be a serious threat, especially when it escapes from your residence. As carbon monoxide is both invisible and odourless, it can seriously threaten your and your family's health. For this reason, you must install carbon monoxide detectors in your home and ensure they are regularly checked. These alarms resemble smoke detectors and should be installed near your bedroom if they go off while you sleep.
Know the Exact Location of Your Gas Safety Valve
In case of gas leakage or if your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, you must turn off your gas main supply, and to do so, you must know where the main shutoff valve is located in the house. Mainly, it’s outside your house, along with your gas meter.
Further, you must understand how to shut it off correctly if needed. Although the latest valves can be easily shut off using your hands when you rotate them. Some houses still use older valves, which require you to use a screwdriver or wrench to turn off completely. If you have these valves, please teach yourself how to turn them off.
Do an Annual Gas Safety Check From a Professional Engineer
As a homeowner, it is essential that you always have your house inspected by a gas safety engineer once a year and have a gas safety certificate issued for your property. Several companies offer these inspections, but we recommend that you hire Gas safe engineer from Gas Safety Certs to perform an annual gas safety for your property. The engineer must have an ID stating his or her credentials and ability to perform the review.
During the check, the engineer will examine the gas pipework on your property to ensure it is tight and leak-free. If all goes well, the check should take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete. All households benefit from the peace of mind associated with this annual gas safety check.
These inspections require you to pay a small amount, but they are worth paying to ensure the safety of your property from gas leaks.
Check that Your Vents and Chimneys Are Clear of Any Debris
A good air supply ensures that gas appliances burn and work correctly, reducing the possibility of accidents. Keep your home well-ventilated, and ensure no obstructions in the vents or chimneys. To clean your fireplace chimney, follow these tips
Keeping the damper permanently open can help prevent serious accidents. You can lock the damper using the lock included in the assembly kit. Installation of vented gas logs is only possible in existing masonry fireplaces.
It is recommended to use ventless gas logs whenever possible. They produce a clean and smokeless flame that poses no health risks. Additionally, ventless gas logs must not be installed in an existing fireplace. Ensure the logs are placed exactly according to the manufacturer's instructions. Carbon monoxide can leak if you do not follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Appliances should only be used as intended
You should only use your gas appliances for their intended purpose instead of tinkering with them. Do not use your gas cooker or gas barbecue inside your home to attempt to heat the room or grill meat inside the house. All these practices can contaminate your house with carbon monoxide emissions
Natural gas is an excellent energy source for your home, but it is only beneficial when utilised safely and correctly. Thank you for reading our gas safety tips. We hope that they have been helpful. Rest assured, if you ever detect a gas leakage in your home, immediately call 999 or your national gas supplier and follow their instructions.
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