Gas is safe when it’s done right.
What to do if you smell gas, who may install it, and how to look after cylinders and appliances.
Smell gas? Do this now.
- Close the cylinder valve or the main gas valve.
- No flames, no smoking, and don’t switch lights or plugs on or off.
- Open doors and windows. LP gas is heavier than air and settles low, so open low too.
- Once it has cleared, brush soapy water over the connections with the valve open. Bubbles show the leak.
- Don’t use the appliance again until a registered gas installer has checked it.
Use a registered installer
Fixed gas installations (hobs, stoves, geysers, piped gas) must be done by an installer registered with SAQCC Gas. Ask to see their card.
Get your Certificate of Conformity
The installer issues a CoC when the job is done and tested. Keep it: insurers and buyers of your home will ask for it.
Ventilate
Gas appliances need air to burn cleanly. Never use an outdoor heater, braai or geyser indoors, and keep heater vents clear.
Look for flame failure
A flame failure device cuts the gas if the flame goes out. Totai rollabout heaters also have an oxygen depletion system, and patio heaters a tilt switch.
Look after the cylinder
Store cylinders upright, outside, in a ventilated cage away from drains. Replace perished hoses and keep the regulator off the ground.
Travel safely
Carry cylinders upright, valve closed, secured, with a window open, and never leave them in a hot closed car.
About LP gas.
LP gas is stored as a liquid under moderate pressure and turns back into gas when the valve opens. Because it is heavier than air it flows along floors and gathers in low spots, which is why ventilation at floor level matters.
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