What Can Happen If You Don't Get a Gas Safety Check?

Getting the boiler serviced is one of those boring jobs that we often forget to do, but in fact it should be a top priority for everyone because faulty boilers can be lethal. An annual gas safety check doesn't cost much and can literally be a life-saver.

Everyone has heard tragic stories in the news about people who have died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning by a faulty boiler. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer - you can't smell it or see it, but if your boiler hasn't had a recent gas check by a registered professional, it could be emitting fumes without your knowledge.

The reason that carbon monoxide poisoning has such a high mortality rate is that people are overcome by drowsiness and then faint before they realize there's anything wrong and before they can do anything about it.

It's easy to ask a Gas Safe Registered Engineer to carry out a full safety check for you, usually once every 12 months, and issue you with a gas safety certificate.

For peace of mind between checks you should have a carbon monoxide detector installed near the boiler. These are small and inexpensive, and they sound an alarm, just like a smoke detector.

If anything doesn't seem right with your boiler then you shouldn't wait for the next landlord gas safety check service to get it checked out. There may be a problem that needs fixing immediately.