Gas safety tips

14 people have died and over 230 have been made critically ill in the past year due to exposure to carbon monoxide.

CO is produced when gas is burned without a sufficient amount of oxygen present. This state of affairs can be induced by an incorrectly installed, or poorly maintained, gas burning appliance.

Carbon Monoxide can cause death and serious health problems such as brain damage, depending on the level of exposure.

Every room that has a gas appliance in it, such as a boiler or oven, should be fitted with a CO alarm.

A wrongly installed device can lead to a potentially dangerous false sense of security, so make sure that you follow the instructions that come with your alarm to the letter.

A carbon monoxide alarm is just like a smoke alarm, only it alerts you to the presence of the invisible, odourless, and deadly gas that is carbon monoxide, also known as CO.

If you are buying a carbon monoxide alarm, the best type to get are the ones with audible alarms, marked with the British Standard EN 50291.

It should also be marked by a national or European approval mark, such as a Kitemark, if you are to be sure of its safety and reliability.

You can buy carbon monoxide alarms from DIY shops and hardware stores, in the home security section, and they typically cost around the £20 mark.

Installing a carbon monoxide alarm is no substitute for making sure that your gas appliances are installed correctly and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Stay away from colour-changing CO detectors, as not only are you quite unlikely to look at these on a regular basis, but they will also not wake you up if you are sleeping and carbon monoxide levels become dangerous

If you are not sure of which alarm to buy or how to fit it, ask a Gas Safe registered engineer, who will be able to advise you.

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