Maintenance of gas stoves in apartments: what is included in the maintenance, timing and frequency of service

Due to the explosiveness of the fuel used, gas-fired indoor equipment requires special attention. At the slightest malfunction, it becomes a source of serious problems, so the maintenance of gas stoves in apartments is regulated by law, as well as strictly regulated.

Agree, if you have a hob with a connection to the gas pipeline, then you should study in advance the frequency and procedure for conducting its checks. And then an unfamiliar master gasman will come, spin in your kitchen, and then, in the event of an emergency, you will remain to blame for everything, since you are the owner of the house. Next, we will tell you what should be included in the maintenance and how often it is carried out.

The legal side of the issue

Gas appliances in the apartment are the property of the landlord. It is he who is fully responsible for the serviceability and proper maintenance of the gas stove. If an explosion occurs, the owner of the home will have to answer for the damage caused.

Previously, gas stoves and columns were checked by law every three years. But since September 2017, the maintenance procedure has been changed in connection with the increasing fires and methane explosions in apartment buildings. Now maintenance and testing of gas equipment must be carried out at least once a year.

The main document regulating the issue under consideration is Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 410 “On measures to ensure safety in the use and maintenance of inside and inside apartment gas equipment”

It is legally prescribed that the owner of the house must enter into with a specialized company regular maintenance agreement. Without this document, the gas supplier can and most likely will immediately refuse to supply fuel, cutting the gas pipe to the apartment. No one will want to be responsible for your non-compliance with laws.

Initially, all aspects of the maintenance and inspection of gas stoves lay with the owner of the apartment.He himself was obliged to monitor the serviceability of all equipment and, if necessary, call a master or repair himself.

However, this approach led to multiple emergencies, as most homeowners preferred to save, leaving the in-house appliances with gas for later.

The slightest malfunction in a gas stove or ventilation in the kitchen with it can lead to a popping of gas - as a result of destruction, often cover more than one apartment

A gas supplier and an in-house gas stove service company do not have to be one firm. However, most often the maintenance agreement is concluded with the resource supplying organization so that there is less trouble.

Service of apartment stoves on gas

Many do not like planned visits by gas workers. They pass during working hours, which often causes problems. In some cases, approval verification can be postponed, but this is far from always possible. Plus, not all service companies make such changes in the established schedule (especially if they are monopolists in some city).

The terms “service” and “check” should be separated - they check the serviceability and operability of gas appliances, and maintenance includes minor repairs and cleaning of equipment

Checking by yourself or by forces of an unauthorized company is prohibited. The master who came to check the gas stove, based on its results, draws up a corresponding act with a signature and a seal. Without this document, gas will not be supplied to the apartment.

On the other hand - clean burners and nozzles from soot so that the flame burns again evenly - permissible with your own hands. The main thing is that then the stove turns out to be serviceable and workable.

If there is no experience and / or skills of such work, then all servicing operations are best delegated to an experienced master. It will cost money, but it will be safer.

Gas inspectors, while checking gas equipment, will still identify problem areas and points of intervention in the equipment. And if they have any complaints about the serviceability of the stove, the gas in the apartment will be immediately turned off by shutting off the tap or by installing pipe plugs.

The difference between VDGO and VKGO

AT Decree No. 410 a clear separation of the entire gas economy in an apartment building into an intra-house (VDGO) and an intra-apartment (VKGO) is made.

The HOA or the Criminal Code is responsible for the first, and the landlord is responsible for the second.

Pipes and devices to the shut-off valve on the gas pipeline in the apartment are the common part of the house, and the gas stove, hot water boiler, meter, etc. already belong to the landlord

Two contracts are concluded with the gas workers for servicing the VDGO and VKGO. In the first case, all the interaction with the inspectors is taken over by the house management company or the HOA. They conclude an agreement with each other with the terms of inspections, their frequency and payment.

In the case of in-house equipment, the owner of the apartment enters the matter. Only with him can a contract be concluded for maintenance, and only he has the right to let or not someone to check in his home.

Moreover, if you do not give consent to the inspection and do not allow gas workers to the hob, then you can remain without gas. And here it doesn’t matter whether there are debts for it or if everything is paid in advance.

Frequency of Regular Checks

The laws stipulate that gas stoves in an apartment according to a previously concluded contract are required to be checked by gas workers at least once a year. But they can come more often.

There are unscheduled inspections (when gas explosions occur), equipment replacements, other events and just emergency calls. However, the owner of the house must pay only one planned visit and those inspections that are initiated at his personal request.

Scheduled inspections are not a panacea for all possible gas problems, they only allow gas workers to enter every apartment at least once a year to examine the equipment there

If the apartment has a gas stove, then with checks will regularly come:

1. Gas workers - annually and for a fee.
2. EMERCOM employees or other authorized persons to watch the ventilation - quarterly, for free.

All mandatory inspections in apartments are aimed at improving the safety of using household gas appliances. The minimum frequency for checking gas stoves is firmly established at the level of national legislation.

Therefore, the owner of a dwelling in an apartment building is required to conclude a maintenance contract and at least once a year inspect inspectors.

Inspection procedure and procedure

It is difficult to argue with the need for maintenance of the HCGO. Most Russians themselves are aware of their security responsibilities. And for the rest, there are laws and strict requirements.

It remains only to figure out what is included in the routine maintenance and inspection of the gas stove, because the correct inspection is the concern, first of all, of the owner of the apartment, who is most interested in the absence of problems with gas.

The master who came with the check must provide an identification document with a photograph, inspect, identify malfunctions and draw up an act on the suitability of the hob for further operation

When viewed as part of the annual maintenance, the master gasman checks:

1. All HCGOs on integrity and compliance with state standards.
2. The presence of draft in the ventilation duct and the condition of the chimney (if any).
3. Availability crane and plates for emergency manipulations on the overlapping gas.
4. The integrity of the pipes of gas pipelines and cases in the places of their passage through the walls.
5. Tightness of threaded joints and serviceability of valves.
6. Condition and integrity flexible bends.
7. Gas pressure in the supply to the stove.
8. Serviceability of automatic ignition.
9. The efficiency of each burner, the smoothness of the taps and the correct flame adjustment.
10. Serviceability of thermocouple and emergency gas shutoff valve.
11. No mechanical damage to the hob.
12. Reliability of fixing the oven door in the closed state.

The owner of the house and family members are also instructed on the subject of safe proper operation of gas appliances.

If during the inspection defects are found that cannot be corrected immediately during the maintenance, the stove is disconnected from the gas before repair by the master or replacement

All deficiencies identified during maintenance and recommendations for the consumer to eliminate them are indicated in the act, drawn up in triplicate.

One remains with the master, the second is given to the owner, and the third is sent to the gas supplier. And if there are problems, then the apartment will be disconnected from gas supply immediately, until the shortcomings are eliminated.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The video will talk about the mandatory maintenance of gas indoor equipment:

What the master is required to do with THEN:

What we are forced to pay for during inspections and how we can save:

It is strictly forbidden to operate a faulty water heater or hob on gas. However, not all problems in them are inexperienced people able to determine on their own. Therefore, it is highly discouraged to impede routine inspections of the gas stove in your apartment. This is not so much a matter of compliance with laws, but of personal security.

If you have a positive or negative experience with gas workers or an interesting story related to the operation (repair) of gas equipment, write comments in the block below. We are also ready to help you understand all aspects of the inspection and maintenance of household gas appliances.