Annual gas installation inspection: who and how

Who can inspect a gas installation

A general handyman isn’t legally allowed to. The check is done by a specialist with gas qualifications (uprawnienia gazowe), meaning a certificate covering supervision of gas installations. A report signed by someone without one is worthless to the building administration and to your insurer. When an offer comes in through the app, ask for the type and number of the certificate and make sure it hasn’t expired.

Price ranges and offers from tradespeople: odd job man in Warsaw.

How much does a gas inspection cost?

The price comes down to how many appliances there are (hob, water heater, boiler, gas heater), how much pipe is visible, the type of building and access to the meter and valves. A flat with one hob is less work than a house with a boiler in the cellar and pipework over two floors. Labour rates are in the table.

Fixing any faults found isn’t part of the inspection. Replacing a valve or the hob hose, tightening joints and the parts themselves are paid separately. Flues and ventilation ducts are checked by a chimney sweep, and that inspection is booked separately.

What is checked during a gas inspection

The specialist tests the pipe and joints for leaks with a gas detector or a pressure gauge, and looks over the valves, the flexible hob connection, the pipe fixings and the outside of the meter. They check how the boiler and water heater are connected, whether the room gets enough fresh air and whether the vent grille has been taped over.

At the end you get a report: what was checked, what’s fine and what needs fixing by when. Keep it with the chimney sweep’s report. After an incident, those are usually the first documents anyone asks for.

Safety: if you smell gas

Don’t wait for the scheduled check. Don’t switch lights or appliances on or off, don’t light anything and don’t make a call from inside. Turn off the valve before the meter if it’s easy to reach, open the windows and get out. Call the gas emergency service (pogotowie gazowe) once you’re outside. A room with a boiler or water heater needs a CO alarm, and a gas leak detector near the hob is worth having too.

How a gas installation inspection works

1. The specialist confirms which appliances you have and checks access to them, the meter and the valves.
2. The whole visible length of pipe is inspected, fixings included.
3. Joints, valves and appliance connections are tested for leaks.
4. The boiler, water heater and hob are looked at: how they’re connected, whether any hoses are old or kinked.
5. Air supply and ventilation are assessed wherever appliances stand.
6. A report is written up with what to fix and the deadlines.

Common gas installation mistakes

• The vent grille in a kitchen with a water heater taped over for winter to stop the draught.
• The hob hose shoved behind a cabinet and kinked.
• The pipe boxed in with plasterboard and no access panel, so the joints can’t be reached.
• A new hob connected by the owner, with no specialist and no leak test.
• Confusing the inspection with a boiler service. The boiler has its own service schedule from the manufacturer; the installation has its own check.
• Last year’s report lost, so nobody remembers what had to be fixed.

What to prepare before a gas inspection

• A list of gas appliances and where they are.
• Clear access to the meter, valves and pipe: move cabinets, take covers off any boxing.
• The previous gas and chimney inspection reports, if you have them.
• Boiler details: model and date of the last service.
• In a block of flats, ask the administration whether a building-wide inspection is already booked.

What a gas inspection report should contain

The report lists which appliances and pipe runs were checked, the result of the tightness test and any faults. It includes the inspector’s details, licence number and the date.

Any recommendations, such as replacing the cooker’s flexible hose or clearing a vent, are stated plainly. Until they are dealt with, the installation should not carry on as before.

The document helps when renting out or selling a flat and if there is a claim. In a block of flats the manager holds the report for shared parts; keep your own for the flat.

Clients often ask about these at the same time: chimney inspection and chimney sweep cost.

Frequently asked questions

How to order

Describe in the app which gas appliances you have and add photos of the meter, valves and connections. Specialists with gas qualifications will send offers with their own price, timing and certificate details. Compare reviews and pick one; only that person sees your address.

You pay directly and the specialist issues the invoice. They’re responsible for their own inspection and their own report. The condition of the pipework, work by previous installers and hidden defects are not on them. Their job is to find those and write them down.

Hold uprawnienia gazowe and do these inspections? Create a tradesperson profile, add your certificate and pick up inspection jobs in your own town. You work for yourself and pick the business form that suits you.