What is the Gas Safe Register?

When it comes to some things in life, cutting corners can work but when it comes to your boiler, it pays to take a considerate approach and do things right. Your boiler is a vital part of your home but perhaps you are unaware of how dangerous it can be should it be repaired or installed by the wrong people. In the same way that you wouldn’t let an unqualified mechanic fit new brakes on your car, you shouldn’t use an unqualified or unregistered gas engineer when it comes to your boiler.

Quick repairs and cheap repairs offered by an engineer should probably set alarm bells ringing when it comes to your boiler. There are some things in life that have to be done correctly and that is especially true as far as your boiler goes. 

In the UK, all qualified engineers have to be placed onto the Gas Safe register, which is the list of qualified engineers in the UK that you can trust. Therefore, this means that they are legally authorised to work on gas appliances such as your boiler. For anyone who decides to offer a range of services that take care of gas appliances and are not on the register then they might face fines and could face time in prison. 

The main thing to consider here is that someone who is unregistered might be incompetent when it comes to carrying out gas work, that it could prove dangerous. Therefore, the Gas Safe register has been designed to offer a certain level of protection for homeowners and tenants as it will investigate any reports of suspect gas work. Any information that is received will then be passed onto the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who can then investigate and prosecute any businesses or individuals who have been undertaking work illegally.

Unqualified tradespeople can cause a huge array of problems for people and Gas Safe has recently carried out research to see how widespread the problem is. This means that more than a million homes across the UK are being put at risk because of unqualified engineers. The findings discovered that around 20% of gas appliances such as boilers, gas meters and cookers are considered to be dangerous and so, they have had to be disconnected immediately. For those appliances that have been considered faulty or installed correctly can cause many different problems such as gas leaks and that can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, fires or explosions.

It is quite common for homeowners to automatically accept that the engineer they have chosen is actually safe and Gas Safe registered. Therefore, they allow them into their home to carry out work that could prove dangerous while not asking to see their Gas Safe ID card. The right time to do this is to ask when booking an appointment and then checking their card when they arrive at your home but before they begin carrying out work. The ID card will contain certain information but you should make sure that you check the expiry date, the security hologram and that the engineer is qualified to undertake the work you want to be completed. This is because not all engineers are qualified to work on all gas appliances.

The Gas Safety Check Procedure – What Happens

Each year, gas appliances should be serviced and the service will include a gas safety check. This check will make sure that the appliance is burning fuel correctly and that all the right settings are in place while they will also check that the right pressures are in place. The checks will also make sure that harmful waste gases are removed from the system and expelled from the home. Therefore, the ventilation will be checked and that any safety devices included in the system are working correctly. As part of a full service, the appliance will be dismantled and cleaned accordingly, while any worn components will be replaced. Finally, performance tests will be completed to make sure that the system is working efficiently. After all of these checks, the engineer will then let you know if there are any issues that need addressing quickly.

When it comes to your boiler, you shouldn’t take chances and that means that you should always choose to use Gas Safe registered engineers that you can trust.