Rules for the operation of gas equipment in a residential building

For safety reasons, any installation, reinstallation and maintenance of gas equipment in the house should be trusted only to professionals, and when buying equipment, you need to check not only the certificate, but also the service life of the product (it should be 15 years).

Safety regulations

Gas is a cheap type of fuel, burns without residue, has a high combustion temperature and, as a result, a high calorific value, however, when mixed with air, it is explosive. Unfortunately, gas leaks are not uncommon. In order to protect yourself as much as possible, you must strictly follow the safety rules.

First of all, it is necessary to study the operating instructions for gas equipment and follow them, monitor the normal operation of gas appliances, chimneys and ventilation.

Household liquefied gas consists of a mixture of propane and butane, does not have its own color and smell, therefore, a strong-smelling odorant (ethyl mercoptan) is added to it, which gives it the smell of a rotten egg, to quickly detect a leak by smell.

The owners of residential premises are prohibited from disturbing the ventilation system of residential premises during the redevelopment and reorganization of the apartment.
Before lighting the gas stove, the room must be ventilated, the window should be left open for the entire time of working with the stove. The valve on the pipe in front of the stove is opened by moving the flag of the handle to the position along the pipe.

The flame should light up in all holes of the burner, have a bluish-violet color without smoky tongues. If the flame is smoky — the gas does not burn completely, it is necessary to contact the specialists of the gas supply company and adjust the air supply. Please note: if the flame detaches from the burner, this means that too much air is supplied, and in no case should you use such a burner!

Domestic liquefied gas is 2 times heavier than air, so when it leaks, it first fills the lower rooms and can spread over distances, so even a small leak can cause suffocation and cause a fire.

If you catch the characteristic smell of gas in the room, you should not turn on or off any electrical appliances in order to avoid an electrical spark that can lead to a gas explosion. In this case, it is urgent to shut off the gas pipeline and ventilate the room. In case of departure to the country or on vacation, it is necessary to turn off the gas by turning the tap on the pipe. Ideally, turn off the gas valve after each use of the stove or oven.

It is necessary to immediately contact the emergency gas service in the following cases:

• there is a smell of gas in the entrance;
• if you find a malfunction of the gas pipeline, gas valves, gas appliances;
• when the gas supply suddenly stops.

Remember that inspection and repair of gas equipment can only be carried out by employees of gas facilities. Their authority is confirmed by service certificates, which they must present to the owner of the apartment.

General conditions for the use of gas

There are two types of gas equipment: in-house (gas pipeline, gas meters in apartment buildings) and in-house (stove, hob, oven, water heating equipment). The responsibility for maintaining the gas networks of an apartment building lies with the management company.

In order for the room to become gasified, several conditions must be met.

1. The apartment must have at least two isolated rooms (a one-room studio apartment cannot be gasified).
2. It is necessary to have good exhaust ventilation in the corridors of the house.
3. The gas inlet device must comply with the requirements of fire and explosion safety.
4. In the corridors where the gas pipeline will be laid, the ceiling height must be at least 1.6 m, while the ceilings themselves must be fire resistant.

The use of gas input devices installed directly in apartments, elevators, ventilation systems of a residential building is strictly unacceptable. Gas risers are installed vertically in kitchens and stairwells; their installation in other parts of the apartment is not possible. Throughout the gas pipeline, special valves are being made to turn off certain sections.

The gas hose for connecting the stove must be certified; its length should not exceed 5 m. Experts warn that it is better to refrain from painting the gas hose, as the paint can cause it to crack.

There should be no extra connections when connecting a gas stove. The hose connects directly at one end to the faucet and the other end to the stove.

When installing the stove, it must be taken into account that the hose and gas riser must be accessible for inspection. Therefore, gas communications cannot be removed under drywall, stationary false panels or interior details.

Checking gas equipment

Please note: in accordance with housing law, the responsibility for maintaining gas equipment lies with the homeowner. To prevent possible leaks and gas poisoning, emergency services carry out scheduled inspections. Gas water boilers must be checked annually; gas stoves — once every 3 years. Outdated or defective equipment must be replaced.

The management company is obliged to notify all residents in writing of the time of the next inspection of gas equipment, otherwise the violations identified and recorded during the inspection may be challenged.

During the inspection, gas specialists must carry out:

• visual check for leakage at the junctions of the gas pipeline and at the gas shut-off point, if necessary, measure the leakage with a liquid manometer;
• checking the tightness of fastening parts in the places of all joints on the equipment;
• inspection of the exhaust pipe and chimney of residential buildings;
• checking the stability of gas supply to stoves and water heaters;
• setting the intensity of gas supply in the equipment;
• check of automatic and electronic operation of devices.

gas cut off

The list of reasons why gas supply may be temporarily terminated is fixed in the contract with the management company or gas supply organization. Due to certain circumstances, this list may be changed.

Here is an approximate list of reasons for shutting down gas supply:

1. the subscriber of the gas network has independently installed or retrofitted gas appliances;
2. the gas service has detected malfunctions in gas communications, or there is no stable exhaust in the chimneys (ventilation), or an insufficient concentration of gas in the pipes has been detected when it is supplied to gas-using equipment;
3. signs of illegal access to gas supply networks were found;
4. an emergency (emergency) situation has arisen that cannot be eliminated without disconnection;
5. in the process of planned (including major) repairs of gas equipment and communications;
6. an agreement has not been concluded that provides for emergency maintenance;
7. tenants of an apartment building are evicted due to the demolition of the house;
8. the amount of consumer debt exceeds the amount of payments for two billing periods;
9. the consumer regularly violates the clauses of the agreement with the management company and creates all sorts of obstacles in obtaining the data necessary to determine the actual volume of gas consumption;
10. the consumer uses equipment that does not meet legal standards or does not comply with the one prescribed under the contract;
11. there is no maintenance agreement between the management company and the subscriber.

In the event of a planned shutdown of gas supply, the service provider is obliged to notify the subscriber in writing, and this must be done no later than 20 days before the proposed shutdown with an explanation of the reason (or reasons). In the event of an emergency, the gas supply is turned off without warning.

Gas shutdown dates

To carry out repair work, gas supply can be turned off for 4 hours in total during a month. If the gas is turned off for a longer period, for each hour in excess of the norm, the amount of payment for this service in the current month should be reduced by 0.15%.

Please note: the premises are considered non-gasified if there are no gas utilities in it (including transit pipes); therefore, when replacing a gas stove with an electric model, it is necessary to completely remove the pipe from the apartment.

In the event of an emergency, gas can be turned off without warning for no more than 24 hours. Full resumption of gas supply is carried out within 2 days following the restoration.

In accordance with the Rules for the supply of gas to ensure the domestic needs of citizens, if gas is turned off for non-payment, two notifications must be sent to the violator — the first 40, the second 20 days before the shutdown date. Only in the event that the owner does not take any action to pay off the debt, the gas supply is turned off within three days without additional warning.

If the gas was turned off for non-payment, then the resumption of the service will occur only after the requirements of the management company are met. After paying off the debt, gas supply is resumed within 5 days.

In order to reduce the time for shutting off gas supply during a major overhaul, cooperate with the senior in the house (or at the entrance) and with the management company. Ensure that all residents will be on site during the repair of gas equipment. Please note that the timing of the repair (replacement) of gas equipment largely depends on the residents of the house themselves. There are cases when, due to absent neighbors, gas supply could not be turned on in the houses due to the fact that the tenants of the apartments did not want to let the gas workers in, and other apartment owners simply did not know about the work being done due to their long absence.

Illegal shutdown of gas

The management company is obliged to notify tenants in advance and in writing about the verification work. Accordingly, if there was no notification, the shutdown of gas supply is illegal.

We list the cases when turning off the gas is illegal:

• planned technical work in the apartment building is completed;
• there is no debt to pay for the services of the gas supply company;
• gas equipment was found not to comply with the standard or contract, but the consumer disputes this fact in court;
• the emergency situation has been eliminated and the period for the restoration of gas supply established by the regulations has expired.

In addition, the reason for turning off the gas cannot be the inability to inspect the gas equipment located in the apartment at a time when the owner was not there. It must be said that the homeowner may refuse to inspect gas equipment, the gas company has no leverage over it.

Remember: the management company is not entitled to make a decision to turn off the gas supply to all residents of an apartment building if only a few residents have debts.

Complaint when gas is cut off

In the event of an illegal interruption of gas supply, apartment owners, personally or through the head of the entrance or house, must demand an explanation from the management company. The justification for shutting off the gas must be provided in writing.

If the management company does not take measures to restore gas supply or cannot explain the reasons for the interruption of gas supply, it is necessary to write an application to the local authorities and ask for an examination.

After conducting an examination and obtaining a specialist opinion, you need to apply to the judicial authorities for proceedings. The statement of claim must be accompanied by an expert opinion, an agreement with the management company, a title document for an apartment with a disconnected gas supply, a certificate of no debt for utilities.

In the event of a positive decision on the issue, the court, having considered the case materials, must decide to reduce the amount of payment for gas supply within the framework of the norms established by law.

How to replace gas with electricity

There is an opinion among housewives that pies are tastier in an electric oven than in a gas one, and electricity bills in a non-gasified apartment are smaller, plus everything — you can afford more redevelopment options. Perhaps it is for these reasons that the number of those eager to replace a gas stove with an electric one is steadily growing, although such a reorganization can definitely be called one of the most difficult to coordinate. First of all, the problem lies in the fact that the regulatory documents governing the reorganization and redevelopment do not contain an accurate and unambiguous algorithm of actions. In practice, to solve such a problem, you will have to shovel departmental instructions and regulations, so we will tell you an approximate plan of action.

1. Enlist the support of neighbors. Let’s say right away that it is extremely difficult to obtain such consent, only if you do not find like-minded people among the neighbors.
2. By contacting the management company, get permission to allocate additional electrical power to your apartment.
3. The management company must also approve the change in the appearance of the house, because the transit gas pipe will have to be led around your apartment along the outer wall of the house.
4. Then you can contact a specialized organization to prepare a project for a new electrical installation and a project for the reconstruction and redevelopment of an apartment. The redevelopment project must be coordinated with the gas supply company and the electric grid company (ESC).
5. After the documents are received, the specialists of the gas company (in Moscow — OAO Mosgaz) carry out work to disconnect the apartment from the gas supply. ESC specialists are laying and connecting a new power cable. Representatives of the management company record all work.
6. The installation of a new electrical installation of the apartment is in progress. These works are also formalized in the Criminal Code and ESC, an Act of delimitation of balance sheet ownership and operational responsibility is drawn up.
7. In the territorial body of Rostekhnadzor, an Act on the admission to operation of a new electrical installation of the apartment is drawn up.
8. After the completion of the reconstruction and redevelopment work, the Housing Inspectorate draws up an Act on the Completed Reorganization in the usual manner.
9. The supplier of electricity (in Moscow this is most often OAO Mosenergosbyt) should issue documents for changing the tariff for paying for electricity.

In practice, this path takes at least a year and a half. Only close-knit groups of neighbors — homeowners — can pass it.

• Source: Ideas for Your Home Magazine#227