Safety Notices

If you smell gas at home:
Ensure gas appliances haven’t been left on and unlit.
Don’t smoke, vape or use a naked flame.
Don’t unplug or switch anything electrical on or off.
Open windows and doors to let the gas disperse.
Depending on your supply type turn off the gas at the supply, at the meter, bulk tank or cylinder.
If cylinder is indoors, remove cylinder to a well-ventilated outdoor area.

Call your gas supplier 24hr Emergency Service:
Calor: 01 291 6229
Flogas: 041 214 9600
If you can’t get through, dial 999 or 112. Don’t use a phone in the immediate area of the leak, use a neighbour’s or call from outside.

In your home, safety comes first. If you are having a gas appliance installed, serviced or repaired, always use a Registered Gas Installer (RGI). By law, only a Registered Gas Installer is permitted to work on domestic gas installations. A Registered Gas Installer is fully insured and trained in gas safety.

 

Make sure your home is safe by getting your boiler and other gas appliances serviced once a year by a Registered Gas Installer (RGI).
If you are as homeowner or a provider of accommodation, under the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006, you are the person responsible for ensuring that the gas appliances and installation pipework in your premises are safely maintained. You should have your boiler and other gas appliances serviced by a Registered Gas Installer once a year. If you are concerned that an appliance is not operating safely, or your appliances are not in good condition, have a safety inspection conducted by a Registered Gas Installer.

 

A flame supervision device is a protective device built into a hotplate, oven or gas burner which shuts off the gas supply when the flame is no longer detected. In this way the device protects against a possible build-up of unburned gas. For example, if the burner flame is extinguished or you forget to light the burner, you will be protected.
All new cookers and hobs sold in Ireland since 2005 require flame supervision devices to be fitted on all burners. If your cooker or hob was installed prior to 2005 it may not have a flame supervision device on all burners. We recommend replacing the appliance,  check with your local gas cooker retailer for further advice.

A Registered Gas Installer will provide you with a Declaration of Conformance Certificate confirming that the gas work was carried out in conformance with the correct standards and is safe to use. This is an important document, so keep it in a safe place.
To find a Registered Gas Installer, visit rgi.ie or call 1800 205050

It is required by law to always use a Registered Gas Installer for new gas installations, altering, servicing, replacing or decommissioning existing installations or installing and replacing gas appliances.

In your home
When having external or internal wall insulation installed or adding and extension, converting a garage, double-glazing or weather-sealing doors, you should always consider the ventilation requirement for your appliances and make sure never to restrict or block vents.  You must also make sure not to restrict access to appliances and isolation valves. Particular restrictions apply where a living space is to be used as a bedroom or a bathroom. For professional advice on appliance installation, flue and ventilation requirements contact a Registered Gas Installer before embarking on home improvement and alterations.
Gas appliances and boilers which are not ‘room sealed’ shall not be installed in a bedroom.  If you are considering changing the use of a living room with gas appliances in to use as a bedroom, it is important to professional advice from a Registered Gas Installer or your gas supplier

In the garden
Underground gas pipes can be damaged when carrying out work around the home, such as building extensions, new driveways, garden walls or landscaping. If you are planning to have work done on your property, always be aware of gas pipes that run underground. If you are employing a builder or contractor, make sure to remind them to always call your gas supplier before they dig to get all the necessary information for working safely in the vicinity of gas pipes.
In the interests of your safety, that of your family and of those carrying out the work, it is important to check the location of these underground pipes before beginning any work.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and poisonous gas. It can be produced by any appliance which burns any fossil fuel such as oil, coal, gas or wood. If a person is exposed to carbon monoxide over time, it can cause illness, even death. In normal conditions the combustion process will cause the carbon in the fossil fuel to combine with oxygen in the air to produce carbon dioxide, the same substance we exhale when we breathe. However, if there is a lack of air for the combustion process, or the appliance is faulty, carbon monoxide can be produced.

Watch out for the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning
When carbon monoxide is inhaled into the body, it combines with the blood and prevents it from absorbing oxygen. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, chest pains, sickness, diarrhoea and general lethargy. If anyone in your house has any of these symptoms, get fresh air immediately and then go to your doctor and ask him/her to check for carbon monoxide poisoning. If you suspect an appliance may be faulty, stop using it immediately and arrange for a safety inspection.
Watch out for any of the warning signs that your appliance is not functioning properly:
    •    Staining, sooting or discolouration around the appliance.
    •    Condensation on walls/windows.
    •    A strange smell when the appliance is on.
    •    A yellow or orange flame where normally blue for a gas appliance.
    •    Flu-like symptoms such as drowsiness or headaches.

Use a carbon monoxide alarm
In addition to regular safety inspection and maintenance of your appliances, vents, flues and chimneys, it’s important to use carbon monoxide alarms to alert you to the presence of monoxide. More than one alarm may be required to provide full coverage and must always be installed as per manufacturers’ instructions.
Make sure the alarm:
    •    Complies with European Standard EN 50291.
    •    Carries the CE mark and an independent certification mark.
    •    Has an ‘end of life’ indicator.

LGI member companies have a rigorous testing policy for company owned equipment, cylinders and bulk tanks and maintain to national standards and codes of practice.  however, correct storage, handling and usage of gas is essential.
Please follow the following safety guidelines when using cylinders, bulk tanks and pressure regulators:
    Keep area around cylinders and tanks clear of combustible materials
    •    Do not store any materials close to tanks, cylinders, isolation valves and safety devices
    •    Keep trees and vegetation cut back
    •    Do not drive or park vehicles close to cylinders or bulk tanks  
    •    It is important that when having a safety inspection carried out by an RGI to have the regulator(s) performance checked. Regulators may need to be replaced after 10 years in service.

Tampering with a gas meter is illegal and a serious public safety concern. It doesn’t just put you at risk, but it also puts your family, neighbours and the public at risk. Gas providers attend reported gas leaks caused by illegal meter tampering and any such event will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Tampering with a gas meter is
    •    A serious safety risk to you, your family, neighbours and the public.
    •    Dangerous, with a risk of gas explosion, fire, injury or even death.
    •    Illegal - if you tamper with your own or other people’s meters you will be guilty of a criminal offence and so liable for prosecution. It is also illegal to ask, pay or allow someone else to tamper with your meter.
    •    Costly – you will have to pay for the gas used and the replacement of the damaged gas meter.
Public safety is the main priority for LGI. By law, only Registered Gas Installers are authorised to work on gas pipework, appliances and meters.
If you suspect that your meter has been tampered with, please call Calor at 01 291 6229 or Flogas at 041 214 9600 to report your suspicions and arrange for the meter to be replaced.