By Terry Rogers
For homeowners and tenants that reside in a house where the flue is not visible, there are now new regulations that you will need to adhere to. Inspection hatches MUST be installed from January 1st 2011. 2 years will be given to the homeowner or landlord to ensure these inspection hatches are fitted, but carbon monoxide alarms must be installed until the hatch has been completed.
Safety checks need to be carried out by gas engineers that (by law) need to be able to see the flue. A flue takes fumes away from the boiler and if it is poorly maintained, or your boiler is not working correctly, can put you in serious danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. These safety checks will include the requirement for an audible carbon monoxide alarm to be installed – which will detect any problems with the invisible and odourless gas.
Gas engineers will legally be able to turn off the gas supply to your boiler From January 1st 2013, until the inspection hatches have been fitted in a suitable location in the home.
It is advisable to contact the builder if your property is less than two years old. If the property is between two and ten years old, then you may be covered by home warranty providers to have the inspection hatches installed. For older buildings – built pre-2000 – you will need to contact a Gas Safe registered engineer. Landlords need to ensure that the hatches are fitted and that the boiler and flue are checked every year, so tenants should contact their landlord to check he/she is aware of the new law.
Installing carbon monoxide alarms are essential to monitor any problems until the inspection hatches have been installed.
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