
We are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week 2021, taking place 13 – 19 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. Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly and without warning, as you cannot see it, taste it or smell it.
So how can you get involved in Gas Safety Week this year and make sure you are doing your bit to keep your family, and neighbours, safe?
- As your landlord, we are responsible for servicing your boiler annually. You can assist us in this by keeping an eye out for your appointment letter and making sure you are in to let our Gas Safe registered engineer carry out the check.
- Check for warning signs that could indicate your (or others) appliances are not working correctly. Signs may include 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.
- Turn on and test your boiler this Gas Safety Week.
- Attend our Gas Safety Week event at Phoenix Place, Dartford on 14 September 2021.
How do I ‘Turn on and Test’?
If your boiler is not regularly serviced, it is more likely to stop working when you need it most. Whilst we are currently enjoying the last days of summer, the cold winter months are just around the corner. It is important to prepare your home for winter to ensure that you and your family are warm during cold spells. That is why we are asking you to ‘turn on and test’ this Gas Safety Week.
It is an excellent idea to check your heating annually. Doing these checks at an early stage will give you a comfortable amount of time to report a repair and book in an appointment, so your heating is in working order when winter arrives, and it is needed. We also log the highest number of boiler repairs in winter which means you may need to wait longer to get your heating running during these months.
It is quick and easy to check your heating:
- Turn all of your radiator valves on;
- If you have one fitted, turn up the room thermostat to its highest setting;
- Set the heating to run on your boiler or programmer;
- Leave your radiators running (for at least 20 minutes) then check that each one is heating up.