Gas pipe safety at home: the two-year rule

Most domestic gas incidents trace back to a component that was visibly past its life. The parts are inexpensive and the checks take minutes, which makes this the highest-value few minutes you can spend on your kitchen.

The two-year rule

A rubber LPG hose should be replaced every two years, no matter how sound it looks. The manufacture date is stamped on it. Rubber hardens and cracks with heat and time, and the cracks that matter are usually on the underside where you do not look.

The five-minute check

• Squeeze the hose along its length — it should be supple, not hard or sticky
• Look at the ends where it meets the regulator and burner; cracks start there
• Mix a little dish soap in water and brush it on the joints with the cylinder on. Bubbles mean a leak
• Check the hose is not touching a hot surface or kinked behind the stove
• Confirm the regulator seats firmly and does not wobble

If you ever smell gas: do not touch a switch, either on or off. Turn the cylinder valve off, open windows and doors, and step outside before you call anyone.

Steel-braided hoses

They last longer than plain rubber and resist rodent damage, which is a real problem in ground-floor kitchens. They are not permanent. The inner tube still ages, so an annual check remains sensible.

PNG and concealed pipelines

Piped gas moves the risk from the hose to the joints and the isolation valve. Any new pipeline work should end with a pressure test and a soap test on every joint before it is handed over. If a fitter does not do that in front of you, that is the moment to ask why.

Converting an LPG stove to PNG

It is not just a connector. The jets are sized for a different gas pressure and must be changed, and the burners re-tuned afterwards. A stove running on the wrong jets gives you the orange flame problem permanently, along with wasted gas.