Occassional slight smell of gas with boiler...

mark317

Hi all, new to the forum and looking for some advice.

About 6/7 months I could get an ever so slight smell of gas from around my boiler for a few seconds when it first fired up. I called National Grid out who waved their little metal wand around the boiler and said it was detecting some gas so they shut it off. I then got a Gas Safe engineer out who had a look around and had some liquid in a spray bottle and they sprayed it around the boiler and said this liquid would bubble up when in contact with the gas. It didnt do this nor could they smell any gas on repeated start ups etc. They recommissioned the boiler.

Every now and then I notice the smell again, but only for a few seconds on the first fire up. Once the smell has gone I can go in and out of the room for the rest of the evening and you wont be able to smell gas again.

If I hadnt been in the room at the exact time it fired up I would never have noticed.

I have done some googling but no one really seems to have experienced something like that. Is this normal? Dangerous?

I have a carbon monoxide detector in the room, but this hasnt been set off by this.

My partner cant smell it when I can and its not as overbearing as the smell that would emit from the gas hob etc so I am unsure what to do.

Should I get it looked at again?

Thank you in advance.

muckybutt

Should you get it looked at ? Are you serious ?

Of course you should get it looked at, if you havent already it needs servicing this should flag up any faults - but also mention the gas smell when you book an engineer.

Your carbon monoxide detector wont go off for obvious reasons..... natural gas isnt carbon monoxide ! some folk cant smell gas at all, me I can smell gas at 50 paces.

Seriously if you can smell gas dont use the boiler until its been serviced, not ideal in weather like this I can appreciate but always best to be safe than homeless because of a gas explosion...it could happen and does happen dont let it be you.

Gas you dont muck about with.

keystone

mark317 wrote: »

................ who waved their little metal wand around the boiler and said it was detecting some cash...........

I wish I could do that.

In all seriousness am not sure what you expect anyone to do about it from here. You need it looked at again - and rather quickly. Follow the advice above.

Cheers

Avoriaz

mark317 wrote: »

...I called National Grid out who waved their little metal wand around the boiler ....

Bloody amateurs.

Don't they know that the best way to find a gas leak is to search with a lit match?

southcoastrgi

Avoriaz wrote: »

Bloody amateurs.

Don't they know that the best way to find a gas leak is to search with a lit match?

you laugh, the detectors NG use have a flame inside them

Avoriaz

southcoastrgi wrote: »

you laugh, the detectors NG use have a flame inside them

Really?

Is it a sealed flame inside a chamber that draws in air and detects the presence of gas or it it a naked flame?

That does seem dangerous, even in trained and skilled hands. (I'm assuming that applies to NG staff)

southcoastrgi

i'm not sure how it works but i know i nearly ran out the door when he showed up with it to test a leaking meter

mark317

Thanks. I have shut it off and I have someone coming to have a look at it tonight. I am also going to see about having it serviced too.

What is the approximate price nowadays for a boiler service so I can ensure I am getting a competitive price?

Thanks

guruchelles

Our boiler (rented house) is as old as me, ie. 30 odd and it always emits a gas smell when it fires up. I mention this whenever there is a gas safety check, and again when the guy came round to do a service recently and apparently it's fine.

Bit worried by this thread, though...

mark317

See thats the same as me, although my boiler is only 7 years old and I am a lot older, I have been told before by a gas safe engineer that they couldnt detect a leak?! Have to see what someone says tonight.

At least yours is rented property so you wont need to cover the cost, so get it looked at again.

Avoriaz

guruchelles wrote: »

Our boiler (rented house) is as old as me, ie. 30 odd and it always emits a gas smell when it fires up. I mention this whenever there is a gas safety check, and again when the guy came round to do a service recently and apparently it's fine.

Bit worried by this thread, though...

I'm not qualified in any way to give advice but, at a guess, that could be a small amount of gas escaping from the pilot light before it ignites.

Similarly you can sometimes smell a trace of gas when you turn on a ring on a gas hob and press the ignition or light it with a match etc.

You are wise to mention it whenever the boiler is serviced.