How often does a natural gas installation need checking in Greece?

The short answer

A home on piped natural gas has two checks, not one. According to the gas distribution company enaon EDA, gas appliances must be serviced at least once a year, with a combustion sheet (φύλλο καύσης) issued, and the pipework and fittings of a domestic installation must be re-checked at least every four years, with a re-inspection certificate issued. Both documents go to you, the consumer, and the company calls them prerequisites for safe use of the installation.

This guide covers the installation as a whole. For what a boiler service itself involves, see our guide on how often to service a gas boiler.

The two checks side by side

• Appliances, every year. Boilers, water heaters and other gas appliances need servicing at least annually, unless the manufacturer sets a shorter interval. The result is the combustion sheet.
• Pipework and fittings, at least every four years. This is the indoor piping from the supply point to the appliances, plus its fittings. The result is a re-inspection certificate (πιστοποιητικό επανελέγχου).

These are different jobs for different qualified people, which is why one visit does not always cover both.

Who is allowed to do them

Per the same enaon EDA page:

• The appliance service and combustion sheet must come from a combustion-installation installer (Εγκαταστάτης Εγκαταστάσεων Καύσης) or an engineer of the appropriate specialty, as set out in Π.Δ. 114/2012.
• The pipework re-check must come from a plumbing foreman (Εργοδηγός Υδραυλικός) or an engineer of the appropriate specialty, as set out in Π.Δ. 112/2012.

The company also says maintenance must be left to licensed technicians, and that the consumer is responsible for the condition and upkeep of the indoor installation.

Why the paperwork matters

enaon EDA states that, for your installation's operating permit (Άδεια Χρήσης) to stay valid, nothing in the installation or its surrounding rooms may have changed and the maintenance documents above must be current. The company also reserves the right to check that maintenance requirements are being followed, and says it may run sampling checks on installations more than four years past their first activation.

It also expects you to keep a file on the installation: the technical report and drawings, any later changes, and the inspection and maintenance certificates, available to the company on request.

Other things the operator asks of owners

• Never block or alter ventilation openings in the room with the gas appliances.
• Check the flue regularly for nests or other obstructions, and for structural damage or leaks. Worn flues need replacing.

Before you rely on this

Everything above is taken from enaon EDA's own customer pages, not from the text of the regulations, which we did not read directly. Other gas distribution companies in Greece may publish their own guidance, and we have not checked theirs. Confirm the current requirement for your address with your distributor or a licensed technician.

Track it in Epimeleia

Add your gas boiler as an item with a 12-month service interval, and add the gas installation itself as a second item with a 48-month interval. Attach the combustion sheet and the re-inspection certificate to the matching record, so the date of the last check is the date the next one is counted from. Epimeleia will remind you before each one falls due.