Regular checks and maintenance of the elements of the gas system ensure safe gas supply. By following the recommendations in the text below, check if you are using your gas appliances correctly:
- Regular checks of gas appliances
All gas appliances (boiler, stove, furnace, etc.) need to be serviced regularly by authorised service providers. It is recommended that all gas appliances for heating space and for heating water (boilers, heaters, furnaces, etc.) are serviced at least once a year.
- Regular checks of chimneys
If the user has a water heater connected to a chimney, the chimney sweeper is obliged to check the chimney at least once a year.
- Hiring authorised persons in case of changes to the gas installations
If any work is done on the gas installations, including work on the boiler and chimney, the user needs to hire authorised personnel (gas mechanic, service agent, chimney sweeper) to perform such works.
Any work need to be reported to Gradska plinara Zagreb, whose employees will perform the check and inspect the gas installations.
- Changes to the air supply system
If the user has an atmospheric boiler, and if any work is done which affects air supply (installing PVC windows and doors, installing an extractor hood in the kitchen, installing fans, etc.), the user needs to contact authorised persons (gas mechanic, service agent, gas distributor) for expert advice, because air supply significantly affects the process of combustion in atmospheric gas appliances.
ATMOSPHERIC GAS APPLIANCES
An atmospheric boiler is an appliance which uses air for combustion from the area in which it is installed, and flue gases are exhausted through a chimney. Air supply is one of the fundamental conditions for an atmospheric boiler to be in good working order. You can perform a check by reviewing the following:
- Ventilation openings on bathroom doors
Doors to rooms with atmospheric boilers (these are generally bathrooms) need to have ventilation openings at the bottom and at the top (2x150 cm2) in order to ensure favourable exchange of air needed for combustion.
- Trimming of all doors in an apartment
All doors in an apartment need to be trimmed at the bottom by 2 cm.
If the apartment has PVC windows and doors, the external wall has to be fitted with ventilation openings at the bottom and at the top (2x75 cm2). PVC windows and doors seal 100%, and after a shorter time all the air inside the apartment is used up, creating negative pressure and possible returning of flue gases.
- Using fans in the bathroom
The fan in the bathroom must not be on at the same time as the boiler. The fan must be turned off, as it quickly creates negative pressure inside the bathroom.
- Using an extractor hood in the kitchen
The kitchen extractor hood must not be on at the same time as the boiler. The extractor hood affects the negative pressure inside the apartment and the returning of flue gases from the boiler and chimney. Authorised service providers for boilers can install special devices to disable simultaneous operation of the kitchen extractor hood and the boiler.
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