Doing any form of gas work on your property is tricky and, in some cases, illegal. You want to be sure that any safe DIY is done so by the law and isn’t put you or your loved ones at risk.
By law, any work involving gas appliances, flues, or pipework ideally needs to be conducted by a gas fitter and engineer. Attempting to do some DIY gas work is hazardous and illegal. It can also lead to fines, invalidate home insurance and cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which can lead to death.
When to Call a Gas Fitter
DIY is only safe for the non-gas, low-risk and routine maintenance tasks. There are plenty of times when you should contact a gas fitter to fix a problem, rather than attempting to do it yourself.
If you smell gas, then it’s important to call a gas fitter immediately. A rotten egg odour or hissing sound are two major and obvious red flags that you have a problem with your gas. Suspected gas leaks will be apparent if your carbon monoxide alarm goes off.
It’s always imperative to ensure your carbon monoxide works and that you test this often and replace batteries where required.
If you’re installing a new gas cooker, hob, or boiler, then you’re going to need a gas fitter. It’s easy enough to get something wrong when trying to do it yourself. You not only put yourself at risk, but your home, your household, and the surrounding homes, too.
Boiler repairs again are something you would need a gas fitter for. The same goes for pilot light problems or boiler leaks. Unusual noises will also indicate something is wrong with the boiler, and annual services are a given when you’re
When is it Safe to DIY?
There are times, however, when it’s safe to conduct DIY work in your home when it comes to your gas. Here are a few of those tasks that you can do alone.
Bleeding radiators
Releasing trapped air using a radiator key is a simple task that you can do without any help from a gas engineer. It’s worth looking up how to do it online or having someone experienced in your family or friendship group to show you how it’s done.
Checking/restoring boiler pressure
Using the filling loop to bring pressure back up to 1 bar is another task that you could do yourself, but might be too complex for some, or worrying even to attempt. Despite that, many people can do it themselves.
Replacing non-gas components
Replacing a water pump or central heating valve that’s outside the boiler’s combustion chamber is a good use of your time if you want to attempt to do it yourself.
Insulating exposed pipes
Wrapping any exposed pipes with insulation is helpful to prevent freezing and can be done very easily alone.
Cleaning/replacing thermostat batteries
Fixing controls that don’t directly manipulate gas flow, like cleaning or replacing thermostat batteries, is a DIY job you can do.
When in doubt, always call for an engineer or gas fitter, rather than attempting it yourself.
