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Replace gas hoses and stoves when they expire, don't alter the pipes yourself, and feel free to turn away gas-company salespeople who come to your door

  • High value
  • Evidence C
  • Buys life
  • Costs a little
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In plain words

A compliant hose costs a few dozen CNY. Replacing it on time is a duty of the user under the Regulations on Urban Gas Management (《城镇燃气管理条例》). The same regulations expressly forbid altering pipes or removing the gas meter yourself. They also say a gas company may not require you to buy products or services it designates. If someone comes to your door saying you “must replace” something, you can simply refuse.

Cost

A compliant gas hose costs a few dozen CNY. A stove is replaced every few years. When you replace one, take a look at whether anything has expired.

What you get

The regulations make it a user's duty to promptly replace gas appliances and connecting hoses that the state has ordered phased out or whose service life has run out. They also list as prohibited the unauthorized installation, modification or removal of indoor gas facilities and gas metering devices, which covers changing the pipes or taking out the meter yourself. They also state that a gas operator may not require users to buy products it designates or to accept services it provides.

Notes

The wording of the regulations can be checked word for word, but it only establishes that replacing hoses on time is your duty, not how many accidents replacing them prevents. No official statistic was found on how much replacing hoses by their service life reduces gas accidents, so this is only grade C. Some people come to the door in the name of a “safety inspection” and then sell shut-off valves and alarms after the check. Article 20, item 6 of the regulations bars a gas company from requiring you to buy products it designates; you can refuse, and you can also file a complaint. If you smell gas, first close the main gas valve (or the cylinder valve for bottled gas). Then open doors and windows to ventilate, and don't turn on an exhaust fan. Don't switch any electrical device on or off, lights and range hoods included, and don't touch a lighter. Then get out, and call the gas company's emergency number only after you have left the scene. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a different matter; see §13.

Evidence grade
C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.
Sources
  1. 国务院 (2010). 城镇燃气管理条例（国务院令第 583 号）第二十七条：「燃气用户应当遵守安全用气规则，使用合格的燃气燃烧器具和气瓶，及时更换国家明令淘汰或者使用年限已届满的燃气燃烧器具、连接管等」
  2. 第二十八条禁止行为含「（一）擅自操作公用燃气阀门」「（二）将燃气管道作为负重支架或者接地引线」「（四）擅自安装、改装、拆除户内燃气设施和燃气计量装置」
  3. 第二十条燃气经营者不得「（六）要求燃气用户购买其指定的产品或者接受其提供的服务」
  4. 第二十九条用户可就收费、服务向燃气管理等部门投诉，「有关部门应当自收到投诉之日起15个工作日内予以处理」. http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2010/content_1758214.htm
  5. 深圳市住房和建设局 (2024). 安全用气小知识（二）：「立即关闭家里的燃气总阀门」「迅速开门、开窗进行通风」「一定不要开、关家里的电灯、抽油烟机等电器」「人员应该迅速撤离，转移到安全的地方，并且及时拨打燃气公司的报警电话」. https://zjj.sz.gov.cn/zcjzts/content/post_11882410.html
  6. 张家港市应急管理局 (2024). 燃气安全使用知识：「不要情急之下打开排气扇进行通风」「应远离现场之后才能打电话求助」. https://www.zjg.gov.cn/zjgszwz/yjaqzs/202411/72b4fad7399c48378302460c6ce2d55b.shtml

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 1, tip 4. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer