Safety with Gas

Winter brings its own areas of concern and it's a good the time to have your gas appliances serviced and checked. Always use a qualified and competent person, such as a gasfitter, qualified service technician to have this work done.

Gas appliances need regular checking, servicing and maintenance. Having your appliances checked and serviced will not only help keep them in a safe condition, it also helps to keep them running efficiently.

To find out how often the appliance should be serviced refer to your instruction manual or contact the appliance retailer or supplier. They may also have a list of service agents. Alternatively, gasfitters and qualified service technicians are listed in the Yellow Pages. In particular, Energy Safety recommends that gas heaters, including flame-effect fires and cabinet heaters, be serviced annually.

Some tips to keep safe this winter include;

• Have any smell of gas investigated immediately.
• If you have gas heaters, look out for signs that should alert you to problems with the heater.
• Warning signs to look out for include:
  • a smell of gas from the appliance or in the building in general
  • difficulty in establishing a flame or unusual delays in flame ignition
  • an unusual flame pattern or a flame that has not fully established over the whole extent of the burner
  • blockage of burner ports or evidence of corrosion around burner ports
  • any alteration in the position of artificial logs or the burner bed of a heater
  • soot coming from the appliance or appearing on the inside of glass panels. If you identify any of these, please do not use the heater or installation. Have it assessed and serviced by a gasfitter or a qualified service technician as soon as possible.

Remember when you're using gas fires or heaters – keep a clear space of at least one metre from the heater. Energy Safety also recommends using a fire guard.

Homeowners who have any questions or need further advice should contact Energy Safety on free phone 0508 377 4636 or visit the Energy Safety Homepage.

This advice comes from Energy Safety which is part of the Ministry of Economic Development.