Do Gas Safety Checks Include Radiators? Demystifying the Process

Gas safety is an important task every landlord and homeowner may come across at least once a year. It is a legal requirement for them under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended occasionally. Commonly, this law is referred to as GSIUR or simply Gas Safety Regulations.

All gas appliances installed in the property must undergo this annual inspection to ascertain whether they are fit for use. This includes gas-fired kitchen appliances, a boiler, and flues. It also includes inspection of gas pipework and any other gas-related fittings and fixtures. An annual gas safety check is the basic requirement for the issuance of gas safety checks, per the provisions of GSIUR. A gas safety certificate can only be issued if all the gas appliances pass the standard testing protocols.

But are the radiators a part of this annual inspection? This is a more frequently asked question. The simple answer to this very important question is "Yes." But how comes that when Radiators do not use gas for their functioning? Let’s demystify the whole process.

Understanding the Role of Radiators

Do they check radiators on a gas safety check? This important question needs a better understanding of the working and role of radiators. Radiators are one of the essential components of the Central Heating System, frequently used in domestic and non-domestic buildings. The process of heating the rooms starts with a boiler, which often operates on gas. Radiators are connected to boilers through a pipe network.

Water is heated in the boilers, which are mostly gas-fired. This hot water is transported to the rooms through a network of pipes that terminates at the Radiator. The radiator sucks in the cold air from the room. The cold air circulating through the radiators gets heated when it comes in contact with the hot water, which is also circulating through the radiator pipes. This warm air is then blown back into the room, thereby warming its internal environment.

How Does a Radiator Work?

The radiator is meant to provide warmth to your room. Hence, a radiator is designed to produce warm air. These are connected to the central heating system through pipes. Hot water, produced in the boiler, is pumped through these pipes to reach the radiator. Radiators such as cold air from the room. This cold air is then heated while it passes along the radiator pipes, through which hot water is passed. That heats the air. This warm air is then blown back into the room. The hot water gets cold in this process and is circulated back to the boiler.

So, it's a continuous process of circulation of hot water to the radiators and cold water back to the boiler. The hot water, during this process, passes through a series of radiators, installed at various locations in the building. Hence, the radiator, situated near the boiler, gets the hottest water, whereas those situated far from the boiler may get relatively less warm water.

Types of Radiators

Though the sole purpose of the radiators is to warm the room, there are different types in use, these days:

• Convection Radiator

This is the most common and conventional type of radiator. The processing of heating is the same, sucking in the cold air, warming it with hot water inside the radiator, and then blowing the warm air back into the room. Depending on the size of the room, there you may need more than one such radiator. This is the most popular type currently in use.

• Column Radiators

This is rather an older version of convection radiators, mostly found installed in older constructions. The process of warming the air is the same as in the modern-day's convection radiators, sucking in the cold air from the room, warming it with the hot water that circulates in the columns, and throwing back the warm air inside the room. These column radiators still have an aesthetic value for the room's overall ambiance.

• Flat Panel Radiators

These are used to enhance the interior décor of a room. Their sleek and flat design readily fits, in any modern interior décor concept; hence are quite popular, as well. However, the process of warming the air is still that of convection-type radiators.

Maintenance of Radiators

Radiators are considered to be low-maintenance appliances. However, they need regular care to ensure uninterrupted warmth throughout the cold season.

Here are some useful tips for regular maintenance and care of your radiators:

• Just like any other thing, radiators need cleaning to protect them from dust and dirt. Daily dusting should suffice with occasional wipe with a damp cloth. This may enhance the working of radiators.
• Do a visual inspection of the radiators at least once a month. Look for any rust on it. If detected, try to paint it to avoid the spreading of rust.
• Look for any leakages. This is rather a serious issue if detected. You may need to call the engineer to get it fixed.
• The main problem that most radiators may develop is air trapping. This drastically reduces the performance of a radiator. The banging or gurgling sound is an indication of trapped air in some parts of the radiator. Bleeding is the solution to this problem. You can perform bleeding yourself or may call the engineer if the problem is more serious.
• The accumulation of sludge is yet another problem, and radiators may develop. Flushing the radiators at least once a year is, therefore, a good remedy.

Do Gas Safety Checks Include Radiators

Now that you have learned how the radiators work; it will be easier for you to understand whether these are included or should be included in the annual gas safety checks.

Gas safety checks are required for all the gas appliances installed in the building. Though radiators do not use gas for their work, they are an essential component of the entire central heating system. So, indirectly, the performance of a boiler is also associated with the performance of the radiators. You cannot expect a perfect heating system without perfectly performing radiators.

That's why radiators must be made a part of the annual gas safety inspection. So, the engineer should also inspect the radiators for any leaks or other problems as part of his boiler inspection.

At the same time, it is also crucial that a separate maintenance and inspection schedule should be in place for the radiators. Without this routine maintenance, your radiators may not perform as expected, especially during the peak winters.

Conclusion

Radiators are appliances that provide warm air in your rooms. These are connected to the central heating system that starts from the boilers and ends at the radiators. So, the performance of a heating system is largely dependent on the perfectly performing radiator. The functioning of boilers and radiators are, therefore, interdependent.

Therefore, the inspection of radiators should be made part of the annual gas safety inspection. The engineer inspecting the boiler should also have a look at the radiators, as well, to ascertain if there's any problem with their functioning. However, radiators also need a separate maintenance plan for their optimum performance.