What are the main services provided by a gas safe engineer? Find out more about how boiler breakdown repairs, servicing landlord certificates and power flushing can improve your central heating.
What Can a Gas Safe Engineer Do?
There are different types of gas safety checks that an engineer is qualified to carry out:
An Appliance Safety Check includes checking the following:
All safety devices are operating as they should
These systems remove the fumes that are caused by burning gas.
The appliance has been fitted correctly and is correctly connected to the property's gas pipes.
The appliance is fully set up, and the gas being used is burning correctly
The system is suitable for the room where it has been fitted
If there is a chimney or a flue, then it needs to be working properly.
The system has a permanent and adequate air supply; this is needed as gas needs air in order to burn property and cleanly.
Finally, the operating pressure and the heat input of the system need to be checked. This is done to ensure that the system is working to the instructions provided by the manufacturer
A Gas Installation Safety Check includes all of the checks for the appliances described above, plus the following:
All gas pipework needs to be tested for leaks
All gas pipework that is accessible should be inspected to ensure it is in a good working condition
After these checks have been carried out, the engineer will provide a report that shows the checks that they have done. Although, this will depend on the types of checks that have been performed on that day. The only document that engineers are required by law to provide is a Gas Safety Record for Landlords.
REASONS TO CHOOSE A GAS SAFE ENGINEER
Cost
As well as all the safety aspects that come with gas installation, by using a gas safe engineer you will also be saving huge amounts of money in the long term because installations that are reliable, dependable, and professional are much less likely to break down. You can also save money by taking and agreeing to a service and maintenance agreement.
This will make sure that there is the constant ongoing support that will keep your appliance operating efficiently, in addition to providing emergency cover if breakdowns occur and enabling you to get access to spare parts when they are needed.
Documentation
Every gas safe engineer must carry an ID card that you, as a client, can check. The ID card will detail the areas the engineer is trained and qualified to work within. This accreditation also allows for the engineer to issue an industry-approved certification so they can demonstrate their compliance and commissioning of the different gas systems that they have installed.
This documentation is required for insurance and audit purposes. A gas engineer who is not gas safe approved would not be able to offer this for you.
Best Practice
Finally, one of the great positives of hiring a gas safe registered engineer is that the various qualifications that they hold are all recorded when they register for the service. This means that the engineer has a responsibility to make sure that all these qualifications remain valid. All qualifications need to be under five years old as this ensures that the engineer is up-to-date with all the modern systems, legislations, and materials.
As the client, you reap all the benefits from this. It means that you are always receiving the highest quality of work possible. Engineers can be suspended from the gas safe register if their various qualifications are not kept valid. They will also be removed if they do not retake their qualifications when the time comes.
Safety
A gas appliance that was not fitted properly or has been poorly maintained can lead to leaks, which can then cause an explosion or a fire. There is also a chance of the appliance giving out carbon monoxide. It is known as the silent killer for a reason, as the gas has no scent, cannot be seen, and has zero taste.
Carbon monoxide can kill without you even detecting it in your home. Using a gas safe engineer will ensure that all work associated with your gas appliances is carried out safely and accurately. This should give you peace of mind knowing that the quality of work that the engineer has provided is of high quality and there should be no safety problems further down the road.
WHAT IS THE GAS SAFE REGISTER?
The Gas Safe Register is the single official gas registration body of gas engineers and businesses in the entirety of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey. By law, it is required for all gas businesses to be on the Gas Safe Register.
Gas engineers can work with registered businesses, and they will be issued with a gas safe registered licence for undertaking gas work on the behalf of the registered business if they hold all the current and valid qualifications.
The evidence of the engineer's knowledge relates only to the topic of gas safety and is achieved by every engineer by going through a standard combination of assessments and training. It is similar in a way to how the DVLA issues driving licenses to the people who have clearly shown that they have the competency to be able to drive a car.
Registration to the register is only given if the business can prove that they have at least one gas safety qualified engineer on their team.
It is important to remember that the register is not a trade organisation or a membership body. The Gas Safe Register and all the services that are associated with it are operated on the behalf of the related Health and Safety Authority for each region in which it operates.
Can all gas engineers work on all types of gas appliances?
The short answer to this is no. Each Gas Safe registered engineer will have a list of the appliances that they are qualified to work on on the back of their Gas Safe ID card. The minimum qualification for all Gas Safe registered engineers is pipework, although you will find that gas engineers are commonly qualified to work on a range of different gas appliances.
It is important that you check whether an engineer is qualified to carry out the work that you need to be done before they start.
Engineers can have different qualifications, including the following:
- Domestic (for homes) and commercial (for factories and businesses)
- Natural gas and LPG
- The various areas of gas work, including cookers, boilers, fires, etc
By taking a look at the engineer's unique licence number, which can be found on the front side of their Safe ID card, you can go online and check their current qualifications.
GAS SAFETY AT HOME
When you are in need of having a gas appliance installed, serviced, or maintained within your home, then it is recommended that you use the Gas Safe Register to find a trained and qualified gas engineer near you.
Gas engineers need to be on the register in order to do gas installations that are safe and legal. The same goes for servicing gas appliances.
Risks with an unregistered gas worker
If you allow someone who is not a Gas Safe registered engineer to work or inspect a gas boiler, fire, or cooker on your property, then they may not actually be qualified to carry out their work safely and accurately.
In this case, you could be putting your life and others' lives at risk. Gas appliances that are faulty, poorly maintained, or installed improperly can cause the following:
- Explosions
- Fires
- Gas Leaks
- Lethal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Services Provided By A Gas Safe Engineer
Are you looking for a Gas Safe Engineer in Docklands, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Newham, Hackney, Southwark and Greenwich? For central heating services in East London contact our Gas Safe engineers today.