Check your boiler or face a winter with no heating?
Your Plumber in Hull, AA Gas Services, would like to highlight a very recent warning given to homeowners in Lancashire. It is entirely possible that, if your home does not comply with new regulations, you could be made to switch off your central heating this winter over fears that deadly carbon monoxide fumes could be released into your home.
These new regulations mean that heating systems where flues are not situated directly next to an outside wall will be deemed at risk – and potentially, therefore, they could be turned off.
Properties most likely to be at risk include those built after 2000, as well as flats or houses converted to multiple occupancy dwellings.
Where boilers are not located on an outside wall they could, for instance, have extended flues – the pipes that carry gases and hot air outside – concealed inside ceiling voids or stud walls. As these flues are longer than is usual, they could have joints with seals which can perish over time – and can lead to deadly carbon monoxide fumes seeping out of the flue and into the building.
Darren Catchpole, MD of AA Gas Services, said: “There have been some tragic cases where people have died as a result of carbon monoxide leaking from flues. A carbon monoxide reading of just 1.28% in the atmosphere has the capability of causing death in one to three minutes.
“The simple fact of the new regulation is that, if there are no access panels installed which enable us to check the flue, our engineers may have no option but to turn the gas off, which is the last thing we want to do in the middle of winter, but customer safety always comes first.
“The good news is that our clients, and potential clients, have six months before this regulation is brought in. However, it would be inadvisable to leave it to the last minute simply because if work needs to be carried out, it may be difficult to find suitable and qualified contractors that are able to cope with last minute demand. Your Plumber in Hull has a proven track record in “CO Safe” installations and repairs and we would like to recommend that all homeowners who believe that they may be in danger of falling foul of the new regulations contact AA Gas Services immediately to have their property checked for compliance.
“Our advice is that if you suspect that you may live in a property which has a boiler with a concealed flue, have it checked as soon as possible by arranging for your boiler to be serviced and our engineer will advise you if any additional work needs to be done for your boiler to comply with the regulations. It could, quite literally, be a lifesaver.”
The new regulations mean access panels must be installed to concealed flues by 31 December 2012.
Your Plumber in Hull, AA Gas Services, available 365 days every year to ensure that your home is both warm and safe.
