Gas Cooker, Hob and Fire WorkCarried Out by a Gas Safe EngineerCertified, Tested and Signed Off

Cookers, ranges, hobs and ovens

Freestanding cookers and range cookers are normally connected with a bayonet fitting and an approved flexible hose, sized and routed so the appliance can be pulled forward for cleaning without straining or kinking the hose, and fitted with a stability bracket or chain where the manufacturer requires one. Range cookers frequently have a higher gas rate than the appliance they replace, which means the existing supply pipe has to be checked for capacity rather than assumed adequate.

Built-in hobs and ovens are connected rigidly and need careful attention to clearances from combustible surfaces, adjacent tall units and extraction, along with an accessible isolation point that does not disappear behind a fixed panel once the kitchen is finished. Where a property is on LPG rather than natural gas, the appliance must be converted with the manufacturer's kit and the injectors changed, not simply connected and hoped for.

• Freestanding and range cooker connection
• Built-in gas hob supply and replacement
• Gas oven disconnection and reconnection
• Kitchen refit capping and repositioning
• LPG conversion using manufacturer kits
• Isolation valve and hose upgrades

Gas fires, living-flame and decorative appliances

Gas fires carry more installation risk than any other domestic gas appliance because they rely on a flue or chimney to remove combustion products from the room people sit in. Before an installation we check the flue type and condition, arrange sweeping or lining where the flue requires it, confirm the hearth and surround meet the appliance's requirements, and verify that room ventilation is adequate for the appliance's rating.

After the appliance is fitted we carry out a flue flow test to confirm the flue draws, then a spillage test with the room in normal use — doors and windows as the household would have them and extraction running — to prove combustion products go up the flue and not into the room. Any fire that fails a spillage test is left isolated and the reason explained, because the alternative is an appliance quietly putting carbon monoxide into a living space.

Tightness testing, ventilation and gas rate

A tightness test measures whether the whole installation holds pressure with the gas off at the meter, and it is the check that distinguishes a certified job from a connection. Alongside it, we verify the working gas pressure at the appliance and calculate the gas rate against the data plate, which catches undersized pipework and partially blocked burners that a visual inspection misses.

Ventilation is the quiet failure point in modern homes. Sealed windows, extraction and boxed-in air bricks all reduce the air available for combustion. Every appliance has a ventilation requirement based on its heat input and whether it is room-sealed, and we check that requirement against what the room actually provides rather than what it was designed to provide twenty years ago.

Landlords, safety checks and carbon monoxide alarms

Landlords must have every gas appliance and flue in a let property checked annually by a registered engineer and recorded on a gas safety record. That includes cookers, hobs and fires, not just the boiler. Where we install an appliance in a let property, the appliance is added to the record and the tenant given the relevant documentation.

Regulations now require a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker, and we recommend one in kitchens too. An alarm is not a substitute for correct installation — it is the last line of defence when something changes later, such as a blocked flue, a bird's nest in a chimney or a covered vent after building work.