If you smell gas on the Isle of Man, ring the gas emergency service on 0808 162 4444 as soon as it is safe to do so. The number is listed for Isle of Man Energy, covering gas escapes, fumes and other gas emergencies, and it is answered 24 hours a day. An emergency engineer will be sent to check your property, and the Island's official guidance is explicit that they do not charge for this service (gov.im gas safety advice). The Island has its own emergency line, so the national number on most British gas-safety pages will not reach the people who attend here. While you wait, open doors and windows where you can, turn the gas off at the emergency control valve if it is safe to reach, and do not touch an electrical switch, light a flame or smoke. Oil, solid fuel and electricity each have a different number here, and a chimney fire is a 999 call.
What to do in the first few minutes
The official advice is short, and worth following exactly. Ring 0808 162 4444 first, then, where you can do so safely:
- open any doors and windows to ventilate the property, where possible
- turn off the gas supply at the emergency control valve, which is usually located near your gas meter, gas tank or gas cylinders
The things not to do matter just as much, because each is a potential source of ignition:
- do not operate any electrical appliances or switches, either turning them on or turning them off
- do not light any sort of flame or gas appliances
- do not smoke
The rule about switches catches people out: the small spark inside a switch is exactly what you are avoiding.
The engineer will require entry to your house in order to make it safe for you, and all engineers carry an ID, so ask to see it. Wait for the all-clear before returning to your property. The same number covers outdoors: if you smell gas outside of your home, call the gas emergency service provider on 0808 162 4444 at any time of the day or night (gov.im gas safety advice).
One point of accuracy: the free attendance is Isle of Man Energy's, not Fenshaw's, and no trades firm on the Island runs that line.
Which number to ring, by fuel
Gas is only one of the ways a Manx home can fill with fumes, and the right call differs for each. Keep this list on the fridge; it all comes from the same gov.im page.
| What has happened | Who to ring | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Gas escape, gas fumes or any gas emergency, indoors or in the street | Isle of Man Energy, 24 hours | 0808 162 4444 |
| Smell of heating oil, or fumes from an oil appliance | Your oil delivery company, or your service engineer or installer | Manx Petroleum 01624 691691 · EVF 01624 844000 |
| Fumes from a stove or open fire, or a CO alarm sounding | A competent HETAS installer — but 999 first if smoke is entering the property or the chimney may be alight | HETAS 01684 278170 · Fire 999 |
| Electricity supply emergency | Manx Utilities, 24 hours | 01624 687687 |
| Oil spill or pollution | Environmental Protection Unit | 01624 697327 |
A burst pipe is a different kind of urgent, with no ignition risk; our guide to calling out an emergency plumber on the Isle of Man covers that. If an appliance is condemned and you are left without heating, that is the point to ring a trade.
What to do if you smell heating oil
Roughly half the Island heats with oil, so this call is at least as common here as a gas escape, and the response differs. If you can smell fuel oil, contact your oil delivery company first, or your appliance service engineer or installer. Where the smell indoors is strong, ventilate and turn off the oil supply before contacting your supplier or service engineer.
If you smell fumes coming from an oil appliance, or your carbon monoxide alarm activates, treat it as the more serious case: turn off the appliance, open doors and windows, switch off the oil supply and leave the building as soon as possible. Do not use the appliance again until it has been checked and confirmed as being safe to use by a competent oil technician. Oil work sits with OFTEC rather than Gas Safe, and OFTEC's oil safety line is 01473 626298. Oil escaping onto the ground or towards a watercourse goes to the Environmental Protection Unit on 01624 697327.
Fumes from a stove, and what to do about a chimney fire
Solid fuel follows the same shape as oil, with one hard exception. Fumes from a solid-fuel appliance, or a carbon monoxide alarm going off, mean ventilate the room, switch the appliance off if you can do it safely, and leave the building. Then contact a competent HETAS installer (01684 278170) as soon as possible, and do not use the appliance again until it has been checked by a competent person.
The exception is fire. If you see smoke entering your property or you believe that your chimney is on fire, call 999 straight away — not a heating engineer.
The symptoms that look like something else
Carbon monoxide has no smell, which is why the physical signs are part of the emergency advice. Watch for dizziness, fatigue, nausea and headaches, and note the telling detail: these symptoms might ease when you leave the property. If you have them but cannot smell any gas, it could be a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. Visit a GP or hospital as a precaution, and mention the appliance.
The Island's advice is to install a carbon monoxide detector wherever you have a gas appliance, in the same room as an oil-fired appliance, and in rooms with a solid-fuel appliance. Where each alarm should go, and what the EN 50291 mark means, is in our guide to carbon monoxide and smoke alarms on the Isle of Man.
After the all-clear
The emergency engineer's job is to make the property safe, not to repair it. Further work on pipework or appliances needs a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you can check a card with the Gas Safe Register on 0800 408 5500. For oil, ask for OFTEC registration; for a stove or flue, HETAS. Ask to see the card before work starts, whoever you use.
Servicing is what stops it happening twice. Gas appliances should be serviced every year by a competent Gas Safe registered engineer. Oil appliances should be serviced at least once a year, and where you have an oil-fired appliance you should have a carbon monoxide detector fitted in the same room. Flues and chimneys should be swept at least annually and up to four times per year. Landlords carry a firmer deadline on gas, set out in our landlord gas safety certificate guide.
Once the property is safe, the repair or service is ordinary trade work, and our heating and property services page sets out what we take on. A small pool of engineers and ferry lead-times on parts are good reasons to book a service in autumn.
Save 0808 162 4444 in your phone now, because the moment you need it is not the moment to be searching for it.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most about gas and fume emergencies.
What is the gas emergency number on the Isle of Man?
It is 0808 162 4444, listed for Isle of Man Energy and answered 24 hours a day for gas escapes, fumes and other gas emergencies, indoors or in the street. The national number quoted on most British gas-safety pages is not the Island's line.
Does it cost anything to have an emergency gas engineer attend?
No. An emergency engineer is dispatched to check your property, and the gov.im guidance states plainly that they do not charge for this service. The engineer needs entry to make the property safe, and all engineers carry ID, so ask to see it.
Who do I call if I smell heating oil rather than gas?
Contact your oil delivery company, or your appliance service engineer or installer. If the smell indoors is strong, ventilate and turn off the oil supply first. Oil concerns can also go to Manx Petroleum on 01624 691691 or EVF on 01624 844000; oil spills to the Environmental Protection Unit on 01624 697327.
What should I do if my carbon monoxide alarm goes off?
Treat it as real. Turn the appliance off if you can do so safely, open doors and windows, switch off the fuel supply and leave the building. Do not use it again until it has been checked and confirmed safe by a competent technician: OFTEC registered for oil, HETAS for solid fuel, Gas Safe registered for gas.
Do I ring 999 for a chimney fire on the Isle of Man?
Yes. If you see smoke entering your property or you believe that your chimney is on fire, call 999 straight away rather than ringing an installer. Afterwards, a competent HETAS installer should check the appliance and flue before you use them again.