The Importance of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

The safety of our customers is of utmost importance to us at Chaps – this blog explains the importance of having working, reliable smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home/in your tenanted properties (if you’re a landlord).

We are all taught from a young age the dangers of fire and therefore we are likely to ensure our smoke detector is working. Although, it is very easy to forget about as a smoke detector is one of those appliances that we don’t notice every day, it sits there silently until we burn a bit of toast… It is very important that you check your smoke detector regularly to ensure it is reliable and doing its job.

Landlords and Tenants

By law a smoke detector must be installed on every floor of a property where a room is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in any room containing a solid fuel-burning appliance such as a wood burner, coal fire or biomass.

On the first day of a new tenancy the landlord/letting agent must make sure the alarms are tested and in working order.*

Carbon Monoxide Awareness

What is carbon monoxide (CO)?

CO is an odourless, colourless poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gas, oil, wood and coal.** Don’t worry, carbon fuels are safe to use, it’s just when they’re not burnt properly that they release the harmful CO.

Signs of CO Leakage

There are a few signs you can look out for which may indicate that incomplete combustion is occurring in your boiler:

Soot or yellow/brown staining on or around appliances
Increased condensation inside windows
Pilot lights keep going out
Yellow or orange rather than blue flames (except fuel effect fires or flueless appliances which display this colour flame).

It is important to keep a regular eye on your boiler so that you can recognise these signs before it is too late. This is one of the main reasons annual boiler services are undertaken – if your boiler is due a service book it in now. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Follow this link to find out the full symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, here are just a few to be aware of:

Headaches or dizziness
Nausea
Breathlessness
Erratic behaviour

If you or other members of the household are displaying these symptoms please act immediately:

Call an ambulance if you or a member of the household is unconscious/having difficulty breathing
Switch off the faulty appliance and shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve
Open all doors/windows to ventilate the space
Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999
Visit your GP if you feel you have been exposed to CO

How can Chaps help?

At Chaps install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors – so if you don’t have one already, let us know and we can get an installation booked in now.

We also test and provide Gas Safety Certificates to landlords once we’re happy their appliances are safe to use

References:

*https://www.propertymark.co.uk/advice-and-guides/landlords/safety-it-s-more-than-smoke-alarms-and-gas-checks.aspx

**https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/co.htm

Here are just a few common questions we get asked on a day-to-day basis, we hope this blog answers any questions you may have. If not, simply contact us and we will work hard to help you with any queries.

Q There is no water in the house

There are a number of reasons why this can happen, such as an airlock. However, sometimes the water board have to turn off the water supply in the area if there is a burst water-main nearby.

First test to see if there is water to your kitchen tap – this is normally mains water supply coming into the house. If there is no water at this point it would be a good idea to either check with your neighbours to see if they have water or contact your local water board. If there is water to your kitchen tap then there is probably an issue in your property, if this is the case then call Chaps.

Q I can smell gas

If you think you have a gas leak or can smell gas, leave the house and phone the National Gas Emergencies number immediately on 0800 111 999. If you’re at home, and you can do it safely, turn off your gas supply. … Move the handle a quarter turn until it’s at 90 degrees from the pipe to shut off the gas supply

Q I live in a flat and have a leak coming through my ceiling from the flat above

The chances are that there is a leak in the flat above. Try contacting the occupiers of the flat above as it may be their responsibility to arrange for their own plumber to attend. If you have a communal area where the water meters are fitted you could look at your neighbours’ meter to see if it is running constantly, if it is you could try to turn the water off at this point but you will need to be careful just in case your neighbours are in the shower or their washing machine is running. Alternatively you could call Chaps so that we can assess the situation.

Q Should I turn my water off when I go on holiday?

If you are planning on leaving your property empty for a few days then you should turn off your incoming water supply. This is normally done on the stopcock where the water enters the property. You may not be covered under some insurance policies if you do not do this. If you find you cannot turn off the water then just call Chaps. We can locate the stopcock and check that it is working correctly for you.

Q I cannot turn off the water supply to my property

There should be two isolating points to your property. The external one normally on your drive or pavement belongs to the water board so if you cannot find this or it is difficult to use then you should contact them. The other one is where the water supply enters your house.

Q My heating is not working

Check that the programmer is set correctly and your room thermostat is set to high. We have many calls asking for an engineer to attend and it could be something simple like this. If it still does not work then give us a call.

Q My oil boiler has stopped running

The most common oil boiler breakdown is due to no oil. If you are confident that you have oil and the boiler is still not working then call Chaps and we will arrange for one of our specialists to attend.

Q My heating won’t turn off

The likely cause is due to a faulty motorised valve which is fitted on the pipework between your boiler and the heating system. Unfortunately all you can do is turn off the electrics to your boiler system and give Chaps a call.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors