Natural gas is a common energy source in Australian homes and does a great job as long as it is used safely. Around 5 million households in Australia rely on natural gas to cook their food, heat up water, and condition their home’s air temperature.
While quite safe when used properly, the very nature of the substance is flammable, so caution must always be followed when working with natural gas. It is illegal and unsafe for unqualified and unlicensed people to work with natural gas, so if you want to have it installed or worked on in your home you need to get professional Plumbers in Modbury who are trained and fully licensed as gasfitters to take care of it for you!
Taking proper precautions with natural gas is necessary to protect your family’s health and well-being, so it’s highly recommended that you have all of your gas appliances serviced once every two years by a qualified gasfitter to make sure that they are functioning properly.
Your home’s gas appliances require regular servicing because:
- Dust and lint can build up and block airways, fans, and air filters which lead to overheating and problems with the burner.
- Dust and lint can block burners in space heaters and water heaters so they soot up the heat exchanger and flue passageways.
- Over time the safety controls can wear out and eventually fail.
If left unaddressed, the issues above will increase the risk of your gas appliance spilling out deadly carbon monoxide! A registered and licensed gasfitter will use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) analyser to test for carbon monoxide spillage as part of their comprehensive service. When they are finished be sure to ask for a service report so you can keep a record.
The following are some important guidelines to follow when using the natural gas appliances in your home:
- When operating gas appliances it’s vital that you read the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them to ensure that you are doing so safely and correctly.
- Only use gas appliances only for the purpose they are intended for, and according to instructions.
- Never tamper with gas appliance fittings or safety valves.
- Never use excessive force when opening or closing gas control knobs.
- Never try to use your oven to heat the room or to dry clothing.
- Be sure to turn off your radiant gas heater before you leave the house or go to bed. Don’t leave your gas heater on overnight.
- Never leave young children unsupervised around gas heaters or appliances.
- Be sure to give your grill, oven, cooktop and range hood a regular cleaning to prevent spilled fats and burnt foods from building up and creating a risk of fire.
- Be sure to remove any clothing, paper or other flammable materials from the area around gas appliances.
- Don’t get distracted in the kitchen when the gas stove’s burners are on, you need to pay attention to them in case of a malfunction like a flare up or if the flame goes out while the gas is still running.
Using natural gas is great when done safely!
