Any appliance which uses gas can cause a leak of CO (Carbon Monoxide), these appliances include the cooker, boiler and fireplace. Getting these high risk appliances annually serviced by a registered professional is essential in order to avoid a dangerous leak of CO.
The National Caravan Council (NCC) represent 95% of static caravan and park home manufacturers in the UK and have brought in guidelines and minimum standards which must be met by manufacturers who are members. These are that manufacturers fit “two Type B [audible and visual] carbon monoxide alarms that comply with BS BSEN50291:2001 and BSEN50292:2002 as standard in caravan holiday homes (since 2007) and residential park homes (since 2005)” (source:www.nationalcaravancouncil.co.uk)
It’s also recommended that carbon monoxide alarms are retrofitted to older static caravans and park homes manufactured prior to the above dates as the alarms may not be fitted as standard. When buying a CO sensor look for one which has an audible alarm, and be sure to fit one in both the main living area and the master bedroom. It may also be worth considering a third or fourth monitor in any spare bedrooms if they are being used on a regular basis.
You can also buy cheaper ‘black spot’ CO detectors, but these should be avoided as they have no audible alarm, meaning if there’s a leak while you’re asleep or simply not looking in the right direction you won’t be aware there’s a problem, until possibly it is too late.
In the event of the CO alarm going off you should immediately:
- Make sure that everybody has got out safely
- Turn off the gas at the mains, either at the meter or cylinder valve
- Seek medical help for anybody that is feeling sick or unwell
- Call the gas supplier for your area
- Inform the park manager that there has been a CO leak
Then you should:
- Have a Gas Safe registered engineer check that all appliances are safe
- Only enter the static or park home once a professional has said it is safe
It’s vitally important that you get an accredited gas engineer to annually service and repair any gas appliances in your static caravan or park home; this will avoid them becoming faulty and causing a gas leak. Check the engineer has a ‘Gas Safe Register’ card that is valid for the work being carried out, and remember that the ‘Gas Safe Register’ replaced ‘Corgi Registered’ as the official accreditation for gas engineers, repairers and servicers, meaning that if they only have a ‘Corgi Registered’ card then they may not be properly qualified.
Also ask to look at the card yourself as it will specifically list the things the engineer is certified to work on, such as pipework, boilers, cookers, gas fires, etc, as well as having the expiry date of the card, a hologram, and details of up to date qualifications.
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