What to do if the apartment smells of gas

After the tragedies in the Rostov region and Magnitogorsk, many are afraid to use gas stoves and heating systems. But you still won’t be able to refuse them.

January 27 2019

The authorities are now discussing a bill on the installation of gas analyzers in multi-storey buildings. In an emergency, they will be able to send a signal to the emergency dispatch service, turn off the gas, turn on additional ventilation or open emergency hatches. In order for the system to work as it should, it will be necessary not only to install sensors, but also to change the gas supply system itself. Its installation will be expensive. The money is proposed to be used from capital repair funds.

In the meantime, in Moscow, in the region, and other cities, employees of gas services conduct unscheduled inspections of equipment in homes. At the same time, fraudsters have become more active, who, in particular, in Moscow pretend to be Mosgaz employees and offer to install a gas analyzer, the cost starts from 4,5 thousand rubles. In fact, this is a useless sensor that can only squeak when it picks up smoke. At the same time, it reacts to any foreign particles in the air, even deodorant. If a visitor offers to buy an alarm, call 104 and ask if this is really a Mosgaz representative. If the answer is no, call the police. During inspections, gas service specialists will not install additional devices, and even more so call for their purchase.

By the way, real inspectors should always be in uniform. They walk around the apartments one at a time. They must immediately introduce themselves, the first thing they will check all the threaded and welded joints of the gas equipment using a special device – a leak detector, then the hose, burners and ventilation. Please note that a fine of up to 2 thousand rubles can be issued for refusing to let a specialist into an apartment.

How to protect yourself from tragedy and what to do if you smell gas, he told Denis Lobov, head of the fire safety department of MBU “KhimSpas”.

– Do not use a gas stove to heat an apartment. Combustion products accumulate and can cause poisoning.

– On frosty and windy days, the draft in the chimneys decreases, check them carefully. Don’t forget about ventilation ducts.

– Turning off heating boilers in private houses sometimes leads to failure of the heating system, do not leave them unattended for more than 10 hours.

– Store spare gas cylinders outside the house in a ventilated area in an upright position, do not put in the basement.

– To connect the cylinder to the plate, use a special rubber hose no more than a meter long. Make sure that it is not stretched or pinched.

– In the event of a gas leak, call 112 or 104, immediately shut off the gas supply to the stove. Don’t light matches. Do not turn on lights and electrical appliances so that the spark does not ignite the accumulated gas and cause an explosion. It is best to de-energize the entire apartment. Ventilate all rooms thoroughly by opening doors and windows. Leave the room temporarily.

– If people around you have signs of poisoning, take them out into the fresh air and place them so that their head is higher than their feet. Call an ambulance.

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