Maintenance Advice

If you suspect you have a gas leak, switch off the gas at the meter, contact Scottish Gas Network on (0800 912 1700) and call us on 03451 77 22 44.

Signs of a gas leak in the home can include:

• The smell of sulphur/rotten eggs
• A hissing or whistling sound near gas line
• A white cloud or dust cloud near gas line
• Visibly damaged gas pipe

Solutions:-

• Do not operate electrical switches!
• Turn off gas supply at the meter
• You might have an additional emergency control valve if you stay in a flat – turn valve so the handle is across pipe
• Phone engineer
• Open all windows
• Extinguish any naked flames

What to do if you smell gas

• Locate the Emergency Control Valve:-

Usually positioned within 2m of the gas meters or within visual sight of the meter. Controls the flow of gas where it should be switched off in the event of an emergency/gas escape.

Mysterious puddles or damp patches appearing on a floor, wall or ceiling. Contact the Association. Ignoring a leak can lead to more damage to your property.

Leaking/burst pipe in your home – turn off water supply immediately by turning the stopcock. After this, run taps to rid your system of all water.

How to locate stopcock in property:

In most houses the stopcock is located under the kitchen sink, or just after the water pipe enters the house. Simply turn the valve clockwise to turn off the water supply.

If there is no obvious signs of a leak, but you suspect there is one, it is still wise to do something about it. For example, mould may develop within 24-48 hours of water exposure if water leak is behind the wall.

What Can Cause Damp in Your Home?

There are 3 types of damp – Rising, Penetrating and Condensation

The 4 main causes of damp are –

• lack of heating
• lack of insulation
• lack of ventilation
• too much moisture in the air.

On the exterior of the building – check that the gutters are not blocked, check for cracks in brickwork, make sure there

are no gaps between window and wall and check for missing or broken tiles.

If you do have mould present in your home please get in touch with the Maintenance Team on: 0345 177 22 44 to allow them to investigate the cause of mould.

Condensation

The most common form of damp is condensation. Condensation forms when warm moist air touches a cold internal wall or surface. If left this can develop into black mould which looks and smells bad, potentially leading to health issues, as well as damage to clothes, furniture, books shoes and decorations.

What Causes Condensation?           

The main causes of condensation in your home are:

• Steam from cooking and boiling the kettle
• Baths and showers
• Drying clothing inside
• Unsuitable venting of tumble dryers

Areas Prone to Condensation?

• Cold surfaces such as mirrors, windows and window frames.
• Kitchens and bathrooms where a lot of steam is created.
• External walls, wall of unheated rooms and cold corners of rooms
• Wardrobes/cupboards and behind furniture against an external wall and lack of ventilation

During colder periods when people are struggling to heat their homes, condensation can easily build up and result in black mould that can be potentially harmful to your lungs.

For more information on how to prevent mould in your home, please click on the link to our damp & mould guide below.

Damp & Mould Guide