5 Things You Need to Know About Your Gas Appliances

As the scorching Australian summer approaches, many of us are eagerly preparing for outdoor gatherings, barbecues, and pool parties. However, one aspect of preparation that often gets overlooked is gas appliance servicing for homeowners.

It’s getting a little bit chilly, Winter is just around the corner and although we’ve had a seemingly never ending summer (probably twice that of some countries!) we all have to face the facts that it gets cold here at this time of year. Time to fire up the good old gas heating system that hasn’t been used in probably 8 months or more. It’s a little dirty, there’s dust inside the fan, you open up the flap at the front to light it and it’s so dusty you can’t even read the dials! Better yet, a family of spiders has migrated and made themselves a nice family home in there. You think, when was the last time I actually had this thing serviced? Well, here are some important things you should know about your gas appliances, getting them serviced and that dreaded thing called…

CARBON MONOXIDE!

1. How Often Do I Service My Gas Appliance?

Energy Safe Victoria recommend getting your gas appliance serviced every 2 years to prevent any issues arising. However, if your appliance is getting old and you aren’t looking at or can’t afford a brand new appliance (who can really?) I would recommend getting it checked over every year, just before winter starts and it’s not too late.

2. Read the Owners Manual.

Everyone should have a copy of their owners manual for their gas appliance stored somewhere in the house (now where the hell are mine??). Manufacturers spend a lot of time researching information to make their appliances as safe as possible because we are dealing with gas! There is usually loads of information in these manuals for you guys as consumers on how often to service, how to light the appliance and of course how to make it run efficiently. There may even be cleaning tips that can save you some money on servicing once a year.

3. Get a Licensed Gas Fitter! 

I cannot stress this enough friends! Make sure you check that your plumber is licensed and insured, when it comes to gas we are dealing with your home and ultimately your family. So you want to know that the person involved is well qualified. Most plumbers will be straight up and honest and tell you straight away if they can do it or not. Also check that they have the capability to do a carbon monoxide check on your appliance and home too. This is the most important part!

4. Gas Smells and Potential Leaks.

If you are about to light your appliance and something doesn’t smell right, well it usually isn’t. Whatever you do, DO NOT TRY TO LIGHT THE APPLIANCE! Whatever you do! There is this nasty little thing that we call Explosive ignition Click to see video). When you go to light the appliance and there’s too much gas and…. well you get the picture. A nice easy way that you as a homeowner can check for leaks is to use a bottle of soapy water. Squirt it all over the gas fittings, if there is a leak it will bubble up. If you do find a leak, shut the gas valve off that is next to the appliance to make it safe and then call a plumber.

5. Carbon Monoxide.

Here we go guys, carbon monoxide, the silent killer. This needs to be taken very, very seriously. They call it the silent killer because you can’t smell, see or taste it. It begins by you getting very sick and unfortunately in some cases people have fallen asleep and just not woken up. If your gas appliance isn’t venting the gases out of the flue properly (that’s the silver coloured pipe going up through the roof) then chances are that you may have a small carbon monoxide leak. In most cases it’s not severe, still very unhealthy but not severe enough to do a lot of damage so is very hard to pick up on. The best thing that you can do is to ask your plumber to perform a carbon monoxide check on your appliance. it should take less that 15 minutes of your time and is worth it!

Almac plumbing are your Bayside Plumbing professionals based in Hampton, Vic.



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