Safety Gas isolation valve for your gas appliance

Any home appliance that uses natural gas or liquid propane (LP) gas carries a potential fire hazard. Water heaters, furnaces, space heaters, stoves, ovens, and cooker ranges can all be powered by gas, so it’s a good idea to know where the gas isolation valve is located on any of these appliances. Shutting off the gas to the stove yourself is safe only if the gas odour is faint and is clearly coming from the area of the cooker or oven.

If You Smell Gas

If a gas smell permeates the entire house, or you detect a strong smell when you walk inside your home, locate the gas isolation valve and isolate the supply at the gas meter open all windows and leave the house immediately and call 0800111999 from your mobile or a neighbour’s house or from another phone well away from your house.

Gas isolation valve

If the gas smell in your home is very strong, it is best to leave the house immediately and let the utility company (SGN) come in and check out the problem. Understanding the danger of gas leaks, SGN make this emergency inspection quickly and for free, using special sensing equipment to pinpoint the leak. The danger of explosion is very real in a house where the gas smell has filled one or more rooms, and so you should leave immediately.

If the odour of gas is faint and is contained in a small area, you can shut off the gas yourself before calling the utility or SGN. In many instances, the location of the gas smell will give you a strong hint about what appliance is malfunctioning or where the bad connection is located. If you smell gas in the kitchen, for example, it’s quite likely that the problem lies with the stove, cooker or range oven. When the smell of gas is localised in this way, it is usually safe to act quickly to turn off the gas supply to the appliance itself, but always use your best judgment, and err on the side of safety.

Instructions for safety in gas isolation valve

Use the gas isolation valve at the gas meter or connected to the appliance’s flexible supply line to turn off the gas. Building regulations now require the gas isolation valve to be located within two meters of the appliance and in the same room, so if you find an improper situation, it is a good idea to have a service person install a proper gas isolation valve. Isolation valves for standard (freestanding) gas stoves or ranges typically are located behind the appliance. Contact Ability today

Recommended Posts