Regulation 26.9 Gas Engineer Safety Checks | NGCFE
Regulation 26(9) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires specific safety checks to be completed immediately after work has been carried out on a gas appliance.
The checks cover the effectiveness of the flue, the appliance’s combustion-air supply, its operating pressure or heat input and its overall safe operation. Where pressure or heat input cannot reasonably be examined, combustion performance must be checked instead.
Any defect found during these checks must be reported promptly to the person responsible for the appliance and, where that is someone different, the owner of the premises.
This is a post-work legal duty for the person carrying out the gas work. It is not a checklist for homeowners to use when working on their own gas appliances. Domestic gas work should be completed by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer working within the categories shown on their Gas Safe ID card.
What does Regulation 26.9 require?
After performing work on a gas appliance, the engineer must examine four main areas:
- Flue effectiveness: whether the flue or chimney is capable of safely removing the products of combustion.
- Combustion-air supply: whether the appliance has the air it requires to burn gas safely.
- Operating pressure or heat input: whether the appliance is receiving and using gas at the appropriate rate. Both may need to be checked where necessary.
- Safe functioning: whether the appliance and its safety controls operate correctly and the appliance can be left in a safe condition.
Regulation 26(9)(ca), introduced through the 2018 amendment, also requires the appliance’s combustion performance to be examined where it is not reasonably practicable to check the operating pressure or heat input.
FAGS memory aid: Flue, Air, Gas and Safe operation. This is a convenient training mnemonic, but the legal requirement remains the wording of Regulation 26(9).
When does Regulation 26.9 apply?
Regulation 26(9) applies when a person performs work on a gas appliance. The required examination must be carried out immediately after that work.
This means the checks are relevant following activities such as installation, servicing, maintenance or repair where the activity falls within the legal definition of gas work. The exact checks and testing methods will depend on the appliance, the work completed, the manufacturer’s instructions and the engineer’s relevant competencies.
The duty applies to the appliance that has been worked on. An engineer may also need to make a visual risk assessment of other appliances encountered at the property, but a visual assessment alone should not be described as confirmation that an appliance is safe to use. A complete Regulation 26(9) examination is required before that conclusion can be reached for an appliance on which gas work has been performed.
What do the four Regulation 26.9 checks mean?
1. Effectiveness of the flue
The engineer must establish whether any flue or chimney associated with the appliance is effective. The appropriate examination depends on the appliance and flue type.
It may include assessing the flue’s condition, route, joints, termination and ability to remove combustion products safely. The engineer must use the appliance manufacturer’s instructions and the applicable current standards when deciding which examinations and tests are needed.
A flue terminal that appears clear from outside does not, by itself, confirm the integrity or effectiveness of the complete flue system. For a practical example of checks associated with room-sealed appliances, see the guide to carrying out a flue integrity test during a gas boiler service.
2. Supply of combustion air
A gas appliance needs an adequate supply of air to support safe combustion. The engineer must check that the appliance’s combustion-air requirements are being met.
Depending on the appliance, this can involve purpose-provided ventilation, the air supply to a room-sealed appliance or other air paths specified by the manufacturer. Air vents must be correctly sized, appropriately positioned and free from obstruction where they are required.
Changes to a property can affect the available air supply. Replacement windows, extract fans, blocked vents and alterations around an appliance may all need to be considered as part of the assessment.
3. Operating pressure, heat input or combustion performance
The engineer must examine the appliance’s operating pressure or heat input or, where necessary, both. These checks help establish whether the appliance is receiving and burning the expected quantity of gas.
Where it is not reasonably practicable to examine pressure or heat input, Regulation 26(9)(ca) requires the appliance’s combustion performance to be examined.
This alternative does not override the appliance manufacturer’s instructions. Combustion analysis may still be required as part of commissioning, servicing, fault diagnosis or confirmation of safe operation, depending on the appliance.
Results must be assessed against the relevant manufacturer’s data and current industry requirements. A reading should not be treated in isolation without considering appliance condition, flue performance, ventilation and safe operation.
4. Operation to ensure safe functioning
The final part of the examination is confirmation that the appliance operates safely. This includes checking the controls and safety devices relevant to that appliance and to the work completed.
The necessary checks may include ignition, flame supervision, burner operation, shut-down functions and other appliance-specific controls. The engineer should follow the manufacturer’s prescribed sequence rather than relying on a generic test that may not be suitable for that model.
For more detail on one important boiler safety function, see the training guide to testing gas boiler safety devices and flame rectification.
Is Regulation 26.9 the same as an annual gas safety check?
No. Regulation 26(9) creates a duty to examine an appliance immediately after work has been performed on it.
A landlord’s annual gas safety duties are primarily set out in Regulation 36. However, the annual safety check required by Regulation 36 includes an examination of the matters listed in Regulation 26(9).
This is why the same core checks may appear on a Landlord Gas Safety Record, sometimes informally called a CP12. The legal trigger is different, even though the examination covers the flue, combustion air, operating pressure or heat input and safe operation.
A landlord gas safety check is also not automatically the same as a complete appliance service. A service normally includes additional inspection, cleaning and testing specified by the appliance manufacturer.
Gas engineers and landlords can see the related walkthrough on how to complete a Landlord Gas Safety Record and document the Regulation 26.9 checks.
What happens when a defect is found?
Regulation 26(9) requires the person carrying out the examination to take all reasonably practicable steps to notify the responsible person of any defect. Where the property owner is someone different, the owner must also be notified.
A Gas Safe registered engineer should then follow the current Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure. Depending on the circumstances, an unsafe appliance or installation may be classified as:
- Immediately Dangerous: an appliance or installation that presents an immediate danger to life or property.
- At Risk: an appliance or installation where one or more recognised faults could constitute a danger.
The engineer should explain the defect, record the action taken and provide the appropriate warning notice where required. An appliance that has been identified as dangerous must not continue to be used.
Can a homeowner perform the Regulation 26.9 checks?
Homeowners can understand what the checks cover and ask an engineer to explain the results, but they should not remove appliance covers, adjust gas components or attempt combustion, pressure or flue testing themselves.
Before gas work begins, check that the engineer is listed on the Gas Safe Register and that the back of their ID card includes the correct appliance category for the work.
A non-registered person cannot carry out the gas work and then ask a registered engineer to sign it off. HSE guidance states that a Gas Safe registered engineer must both carry out and check the gas appliance work.
What should you do if you suspect an appliance is unsafe?
Turn the appliance off and do not use it until it has been examined by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
If you smell gas or suspect a gas escape:
- Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
- Open doors and windows to ventilate the property.
- Turn off the gas supply at the meter control valve if you know how to do so and it is safe.
- Do not attempt to repair or investigate the appliance yourself.
Regulation 26.9 checklist summary
- Confirm the effectiveness of any flue.
- Confirm that the combustion-air supply is adequate.
- Examine the operating pressure or heat input or, where necessary, both.
- Check combustion performance when pressure or heat input cannot reasonably be examined.
- Confirm that the appliance operates safely.
- Notify the responsible person and property owner of any defects.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and current industry procedures.
- Record the checks and results appropriately.
Related Allen Hart gas training guides
- How to fill out a Landlord Gas Safety Record
- Flue integrity testing during a gas boiler service
- Testing boiler safety devices and flame rectification
- Electrical safe isolation when working on gas boilers
Frequently asked questions
What does Regulation 26.9 mean?
It means that immediately after carrying out work on a gas appliance, the person who performed the work must examine the flue, combustion-air supply, operating pressure or heat input and the appliance’s safe operation. Combustion performance must be checked where pressure or heat input cannot reasonably be examined.
Does Regulation 26.9 apply after a boiler service?
Yes. Where servicing involves work on the gas appliance, the Regulation 26(9) examinations must be completed immediately afterwards.
Does every Regulation 26.9 check require a flue gas analyser?
Not solely because of Regulation 26(9). Combustion performance must be examined where operating pressure or heat input cannot reasonably be checked. A combustion analyser may also be required by the appliance manufacturer’s instructions or as part of the checks needed to confirm safe operation.
What does FAGS stand for in gas training?
FAGS is a memory aid for Flue, Air, Gas and Safe operation. It summarises the four main areas but does not replace the full wording of the regulations or the appliance manufacturer’s instructions.
Is Regulation 26.9 the same as a CP12?
No. Regulation 26(9) is the post-work examination requirement. A landlord’s annual gas safety check is required under Regulation 36, although that check must examine the matters listed in Regulation 26(9).
Can a Gas Safe engineer sign off work completed by someone else?
A Gas Safe registered engineer should not knowingly sign off gas appliance work carried out by an unregistered person. The appropriately registered engineer must carry out and check the gas work.