On this page
Quick answer
UK law requires anyone who carries out gas work to be competent. Anyone doing gas work in the course of a business, including for payment, must also be on the Gas Safe Register. In practice, a householder without gas training cannot meet the competence requirement, so DIY gas work on boilers, fires, cookers or pipework is unlawful as well as dangerous. Things you can safely do yourself include resetting the boiler, topping up heating pressure, bleeding radiators and turning the gas off at the meter in an emergency.
Key takeaways
- The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require gas work to be done only by competent people.
- Anyone doing gas work as a business must be Gas Safe registered.
- “Gas work” includes installing, disconnecting, servicing, repairing and adjusting gas appliances and pipework.
- DIY gas work can cause gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning, fire and explosion.
- Water-side tasks such as bleeding radiators and repressurising are not gas work.
What the law says
Regulation 3 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 says no person shall carry out gas work unless they are competent to do so. It also requires that anyone carrying out gas work in the course of a business is a member of the class of persons approved by the Health and Safety Executive, which is the Gas Safe Register. The HSE is clear that competence means proper training and assessment, not general DIY confidence.
What counts as gas work
Gas work is broadly defined. It includes:
- Installing or removing a gas appliance, including connecting a gas hob or cooker.
- Servicing, repairing or adjusting a gas appliance.
- Altering, extending or disconnecting gas pipework.
- Work on flues serving gas appliances.
Even swapping a gas cooker hose or moving a gas fire counts. See gas hob installation and moving a gas pipe during a kitchen renovation.
What you can do yourself
- Reset the boiler using its reset button. See how to reset a boiler safely.
- Top up system pressure. See how to repressurise a combi boiler.
- Bleed radiators and adjust TRVs.
- Thaw a frozen condensate pipe from outside.
- Turn off the gas at the meter in an emergency. See emergency gas shut-off valve.
Why the rules exist
Poor gas work can cause gas leaks, fires and explosions, and appliances that produce carbon monoxide. CO is invisible and has no smell. See carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms. The rules exist because the consequences of mistakes fall on everyone in the building, including neighbours.
Insurance and selling your home
Unregistered gas work can also cause problems with home insurance claims, and when selling, buyers’ solicitors often ask for evidence that boilers and gas appliances were installed by registered engineers with Building Regulations notification.
Landlords
Landlords must use a Gas Safe registered engineer for annual safety checks and any gas work on the appliances they provide. See landlord gas safety certificate checklist.
Book with Gasmaster
Need gas work done properly and legally? Gasmaster Plumbing & Heating, Gas Safe registered (220932), works across Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Biddulph. See our Gas Safe engineers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect my own gas cooker?
Only if you are competent, which in practice means Gas Safe registered or properly trained. For almost everyone, the answer is no.
Is it illegal for a handyman to fit a gas hob?
If they are doing it for payment, they must be Gas Safe registered.
What should I do if I find unregistered gas work?
Stop using the appliance and have it checked by a Gas Safe engineer. You can also report illegal gas work to the Gas Safe Register.
Sources
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Health and Safety Executive, gas safety guidance (hse.gov.uk)
- Gas Safe Register, reporting illegal gas work (gassaferegister.co.uk)
Related services
Abdul runs Gasmaster Plumbing & Heating and has worked on boilers, heating and gas appliances across Stoke-on-Trent since 2005. He is Gas Safe registered (reg. 220932), and these articles come from his day to day work in homes and businesses across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire.
