gas safety advice

Important Gas Safety Advice for Landlords

landlord gas safety certificate
Being a landlord doesn’t only mean collecting rent and holding rooftop parties for your tenants. It also entails responsibilities especially when it comes to tenant and property safety. Adhering to these guidelines ensures that no lives are lost and real estate is kept fresh and new at all times.

 

Law on Rental Accommodation

Landlords are duly required by law to keep their tenants safe. This responsibility extends throughout all ranges of accommodations that are covered by leases or licenses. It also includes any residential property provided for rent, holiday accommodations, rooms, private households and hotels.

 

Law on Gas Safety

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 tackles several key items that will help guide landlords on how to comply with the act. It also aids tenants as they are made aware of the landlord’s duties with regards to gas safety. The act deals with the installation, maintenance and utilization of gas appliances and fittings in both domestic and commercial properties. It covers compliance on gas safety laws as well as guidance on the landlord’s part.

 

Landlord’s Responsibilities.

The landlord has 3 main responsibilities if he chooses to utilize gas in the premises. First, he will be responsible for all the maintenance of the facilities and pipework. This also includes having all applicable gas appliances serviced as defined by the manufacturer. If there is no advice as to the frequency from the manufacturer, a Gas Safe registered engineer should be able to provide inputs. If none was solicited, service should be done annually.

 

Second, it is also their responsibility to have safety checks run on all appliance and flue every 12 months. This annual check is essential in ensuring that all the appliances and fittings are safe for daily use.

 

Lastly, it is also the landlord’s responsibility to provide copies of the gas safety record to existing tenants within 28 days of this being completed. For new tenants, they should be provided copies of it prior to moving in. For their part, landlords should keep their copies for a rolling two year window.

landlord-safety-certificates-southwest-london-macror-plumbing

Some other things worth noting include:

  • All checks must be performed by a registered Gas Safe engineer.
  • Tenants bringing their own gas appliance are held responsible for it. Landlord responsibility stops at the gas pipework.
  • Tenants should be made aware where the main gas valve is so as to prepare for emergencies.
  • Tenant leases or contracts should explicitly allow landlords access for safety inspection and maintenance of the gas pipework. Landlords should document well the events and actions taken in case any tenants refuse access.
  • Tenants that are on short-leases are still subject to gas safety inspections and maintenance if their lease period falls on designated time.
how to avoid boiler breakdown

How To Avoid 90% Of Boiler Breakdowns

power-flush-central-heating-systemSludge Cause’s

Central heating systems are composed of boilers, pipes, radiators and the thermostat controls. While this structure worked out for several decades, people have begun seeing problems especially around winter. Switching on the boiler during the cold season can sometimes be a problem. Likewise, radiators also get discolored and even worse, your pipes get infected by black sludge that can become too thick to even see through.

 

This sludge is simply a formation of rust that has accumulated from radiators and other end-user devices. When all these fall down to your central heating system, you’ll find that it’ll grow inefficient. A good analogy would be the effect of fatty foods on your heart. The more it accumulates, the more dangerous it is for you. While there are ways we can cure this, the old saying, “prevention is better than cure,” is also applicable to central heating systems.

 

sentinel_x100_inhibitor_1lAdd an Inhibitor

With an inhibitor in place, rust will not form inside the central system anymore. Inhibitors coat the metal and prevent it from chemically reacting with other substances.

 

Removing Sludge using Magnaclean

When sludge has already formed, it can be tough to remove. As the sludge is a combination of various metal oxides, it is inherently magnetic. Despite people knowing this for several years, there were numerous different approaches to the problem that involved complex solutions and compounds. Recently, Adey Ltd solved this with a simple approach which they coined Magnaclean.

 

How does Magnaclean Work?

This ingenious device simply sits inside your central heating system and does all the work for you. It utilizes a magnet to clear the water running through it by attracting all the metal oxides. As soon as it is full, you simply pull it out, wash it and return it to its position.

 

magnaclean-filterMagnaclean doesn’t prevent rust 100%. However, it does minimize any damage caused by rust. That’s why it can be used in conjunction with an inhibitor too. Some critiques say that all you need is an inhibitor and don’t need any Magnaclean. While their functions do coincide, it would actually be better to have both in place. Why? Well, how do you know you have placed sufficient inhibitor? Magnaclean could be a way to ensure that you are protected on two fronts.

 

Overall Benefits

Magnaclean helps you in numerous ways. Maintenance of the central heating system is minimized as it works independently and only needs to be cleaned when it is full of metal oxide. This results to a more efficient central heating system which, in turn, results to savings on resources. Additionally, carbon emissions are also drastically reduced when Magnaclean is put in place.