What is the difference between a gas appliance service and a gas safety check?

What is the difference between a gas appliance service and a gas safety check?

In the past we at Karsons have found that people commonly make the mistake of thinking that a boiler service is the equivalent of a gas safety check. This, in fact, is not the case, although services may form part of gas safety checks.

It is important to note that the only people who are legally allowed to perform gas safety checks and gas appliance servicing are engineers who are on the Gas Safety Register and who are competent to undertake this work.

What are Gas Safety Checks?

During gas safety checks, Gas Safety engineers check that appliances work in the following four ways:

-         They check that safety devices are in proper working order;

-         They check that the appliance is not leaking harmful gases and combustion byproducts and is instead expelling them into the outside air;

-         They check to see if the appliance’s operating pressure is correct, if it is on the right setting and if it is burning gas correctly;

-         They check that ventilation routes are effective and clear.

Although gas safety checks are strongly recommended in all buildings, landlords are legally obliged to arrange these checks every year. They must also receive a CP12 certificate and provide this to their tenants.

Engineers do not necessarily have to provide CP12s to people at the conclusion of a gas safety check, so it is a good idea for landlords to ensure that they will receive a CP12 before they make a payment to the engineer.

What are Gas Appliance Services?

Services, such as jobs like boiler servicing and gas appliance servicing, are a more detailed and comprehensive way of ensuring the safety of appliances. This amount of detail is attained by a more thorough check of the appliance’s internal components, done by removing the gas appliance cover, taking the appliance apart, and performing a full inspection of every single part. This ensures a much more thorough check of the safety and inner workings of the appliance.

Engineers may then clean the components of the appliance and check flues, vents, pipework and everything else for signs of ventilation. They will then test the performance of the appliance and, in most cases, repair any issues that are present immediately. In some cases, of course, serious defects may be present, and engineers may be unable to fix these without the right parts and tools and without enough time, at which point some serious work will be needed to put in to make sure everything is in perfect working order.

Once the service has been completed, the engineer may provide the building owner with a report that states what checks they have completed and when the next service should take place.

Gas appliance services will ensure that the items that are tested are safe to use and that they are adequately efficient and meeting their expected performance.

When it comes to checking your gas appliances, a service is what you want to ensure you have a 100% fully functioning appliance. While a safety check will make sure things are in good working order, it won’t have the detail and precision that makes sure every single component is performing at its maximum capacity.

The end result is that you will most likely save money both in the long and short term, there will be less likelihood of a bigger fault in the future, and a more efficient use of your energy.

If you wish to find out more about what we know about gas safety and how you can get the most out of your services, contact us at info@Karsonsconsulting.com. As experts in this field, we can tell you everything you need to know to make sure your building services are operating at their best.