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23rd August 2007
Meet the team

Our sales team have over 50 year’s collective experience within the leisure and gas industry.

Charles is our BBQ and Outdoor living specialist,

Peter is our Marine & Leisure, at Work and Hardware specialist.

Ian and Jemma deal the day to day order and dispatch management.

If you have any questions or queries please call or email us. We are able to take phone inquiries 10am – 4pm Monday to Saturday. Alternatively you can email us at any time, our aim to reply the same or next working day.

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19th July 2007
The Socal Environmental Policy

Socal is a family run business and we recognise that whilst our operations and the nature of the products we sell have an effect on the local, regional and global environment, they also provide comfort and enjoyment to our customers.


Currently we

* Supply our main product in reusable packaging
* Minimize delivery vehicle miles through load scheduling and routing
* Recycle or re use as much of the paper and cardboard we would normally discard
* Use low energy electrical appliances where ever possible


We also where ever possible source

* business services locally
* products either locally, nationally or within Europe
* products from sustainable sources


While we realize this is only a start, both the management and staff are committed to continuous improvements in environmental performance and the prevention of pollution and waste.

Staff involvement in environmental matters is encouraged at all levels and will be promoted through Staff training, meetings, communications and a constant review of working methods and techniques.


Our goals are to;

* To continue to promote recycling and the use of recycled or bio-degradable materials, while reducing consumption of materials wherever possible
* Minimise waste in all operations
* Continue to source products that are manufactured locally, nationally or within Europe
* Source products that are both innovative and environmentally sustainable
* Include environmental issues in Staff training and encourage the implementation by all staff of sound environmental practices
* Regard Environmental regulations, laws and codes of practice as setting the minimum standards of environmental performance

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18th July 2007
Has your cooker been serviced?

Your boat was built, and the gas appliances installed, in accordance with the safety requirements of British or international Standards. It is essential to maintain your boats gas system to prevent any risk to you, your family and your crew.

Annual Servicing

All Gas appliances in your boat should be serviced annually to keep them in a safe and efficient condition (this is a legal requirement in certain circumstances, see chartering below). Properly maintained appliances are safe in use and should be no cause for concern.

The service should include:
• Ventilation check (air inlets are clear and adequate)
• Flue check (smoke spillage test)
• Appliance safety devices are working correctly
• Appliances are safe for further use
• A check for gas leaks and condition of pipework and hoses

This work should only be carried out by a gas installer who is CORGI (the Council for Registered Gas Installers) registered and carries an I.D. card covering their competence. Always ask for a Gas Safety Inspection Record form to be provided for the work carried out.

Don't Do It Yourself with Gas

By tampering with the gas installation/appliance you may put yourself, your family and your crew's life at risk. Gas is very safe in the hands of an expert.

The message is clear:
ALWAYS USE A CORGI REGISTERED INSTALLER

If you, charter or hire out your boat then you have a legal obligation under the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations.

The Regulations place a legal duty on boat owners to ensure all gas installations, including the appliances and their flues are maintained in a safe condition. In order to achieve this, the appliances and their flues must be safety checked at intervals of not more than 12 months.

In addition to keeping records of their checks for 2 years, boat owners are also legally required to prominently display the gas safety inspection record within the vessel.

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5th July 2007
Using alfresco appliances safely

People have always enjoyed being able to spend time outside, and modern LPG appliances such as barbecues and patio heaters contribute to this alfresco lifestyle.

Whilst they are far safer and more environmentally sensitive than their solid fuel alternatives, it is still up to all of us to use our energy products in a responsible and efficient manner. The following are some simple guidelines to help you enjoy your patio heater while at the same time taking care of the wider environment.

Turn your interior heating systems down whilst you are outside using your patio heater.

Always position your seating close to the appliance, and wear sensible outdoor clothing so that the heater doesn't have to
work any harder than it needs to. If the weather warms up, or you head indoors, remember to turn your patio heater off.

Like barbecues, patio heaters should only be used on full power during the initial minutes of use. Half power or less will usually be sufficient for the rest of the time.

Consider investing in a specially designed, flame retardant gazebo - never use a gazebo with a patio heater if it has not been specifically designed for that purpose.

Position your patio heater away from strong winds.

Do not move a patio heater when it is alight.

Ensure that children are kept away from accessible parts that may become hot during use.

Ensure that the products of combustion do not adversely affect people or property at burner level.

Patio heaters should be assembled and regularly serviced by a competent person in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.

Check the condition of the flexible hose connecting the regulator to the patio heater inlet every time the cylinder is replaced.

Do not use your patio heater if a persistent gas smell is present, and ensure that the cause of the leak is investigated and rectified.

Adhering to the above rules when using your patio heater will help to minimise your carbon emissions, and therefore your impact on the environment. But Calor now offers you the chance to go one step further - and completely offset your patio heater's carbon emissions.

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5th July 2007
Barbecue food safety tips

Barbecue food safety tips
As a barbecue chef, you are not only responsible for your guests’ enjoyment – you also have the pressure of being responsible for their health!
Here BBQ.co.uk presents its top tips to help keep your food safe and your guests healthy.

Avoid cross-contamination
Most people buy everything they need for a barbecue in one quick dash round the supermarket – and if that sounds like you then the packing of your purchases is key. If you have bought raw meat, make sure you pack it in a separate bag to your vegetables and sundries. If you don’t, juices from the meat can drip onto the other items and cause contamination.

As soon as you’re home from the shops, refrigerate the goods – again keeping raw meat and vegetables away from each other. If you don’t plan to use the meat for a couple of days, get it in the freezer as soon as you have the chance.

Cross-contamination can take place on the grill itself, so always keep raw meat away from partially, or fully, cooked meat.

Defrost frozen goods thoroughly
Make sure you thoroughly defrost frozen meat in the fridge 24 hours in advance of your barbecue. Don’t simply let it defrost on a work surface at room temperature.

If you don’t have time to defrost in the fridge, most microwaves have a “defrost” feature which helps to thaw food in a matter of minutes. Be certain the food isn’t still frozen in the middle before putting it on the grill.

Get a head start
Microwaves are also very useful for starting off the cooking process, thus reducing grill time. You can even finish one dish on the barbecue while you start another in the microwave.

If you do adopt this approach, be warned that you need very good timing! You can’t allow the food to cool down after pre-cooking in a microwave, it needs to go straight onto the preheated grill to finish off – so you’ll have to make certain the barbecue is clear and ready for use.

Cook it through
The one golden rule of safe barbecuing is to cook your food right the way through. Exposed to a very high heat, food will brown – even blacken - very quickly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the centre is cooked.

One way to find out is to simply cut to the centre and check it's colour - if your chicken, pork, sausages, burgers or kebabs are at all pink in the middle, leave them grilling. If you don’t want to spoil the presentation of your food by making a large incision, there are meat thermometers available which help you determine when your food is fully cooked.

Use clean equipment
Before handling food, cooked or otherwise, wash your hands and any utensils you plan to use. Also, use a separate set of utensils and plates for any raw meat, so that bacteria won’t be transferred onto safely cooked food.

The list of rules may seem lengthy, but in practice it does nothing to hinder the alfresco experience. As the old adage claims, “If something’s worth doing then it’s worth doing properly” – and we all know a barbecue is definitely worth doing!

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5th July 2007
Just how environmentally friendly is your gas barbecue?

Just how environmentally friendly is your gas barbecue?
The energy used by a gas barbecue is actually no more than that used by a domestic cooker, so dining al fresco costs no more energy than your usual evening meal.

The flame on a gas barbecue is instantaneous and completely controllable, so you only use heat when you actually need it – making sure that no extra energy is wasted before or after cooking. This is in contrast to charcoal barbecues, which expel extra energy in the extensive heating up and cooling down processes.

What's more, LPG is known to be extremely clean-burning - unlike charcoal which directly affects the air quality around it.

However, we are all conscious of the world around us, and there are extra steps we can take when barbecuing to further minimise our impact on the environment:

After an initial warm up period of around 3 to 4 minutes, turn your barbecue down to a lower setting.

Grilling a solitary sausage on a family sized barbecue isn't the most energy efficient way to cook - spread food across the whole grate.

If your barbecue has a lid, keep it closed during cooking to preserve heat. This is a requirement of many recipes anyway.

When you have finished cooking, remember to turn the appliance off straight away.

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20th June 2007
Nereus WG1000 - Waterproof Gas Alarm

The Poole based Nereus Alarms Systems combine over 10 years' gas detection experience with modern digital electronics to provide advanced and reliable protection. Their comprehensive range of gas alarms are available which feature cabin-mounted LPG and carbon monoxide sensors as well as the recently developed waterproof Bilge Sensor for LPG. Unlike most sensors on the market which are destroyed by water, the bilge sensor from Nereus Alarms will survive total immersion.

The Nereus WG1000 can be supplied with relay outputs to drive ancillary equipment or connect to security systems. It is also available with remotely controlled gas valves which will automatically shut-off the gas in the event of an alarm.

Each Nereus WG1000 alarm system is made up of a separate electronic control unit, display panel and sensor(s). This gives a very flexible and easy to install system. The control unit can be sited anywhere convenient and can be mounted in a position where cable runs are simple. The separate display panel is small, slim and styled to fit neatly in the cabin or instrument area. Sensors are supplied as either flush-fitting cabin sensors or waterproof bilge sensors.

Lamps and an audible buzzer clearly indicate all warning and alarm states. Separate alarm signals are given for LPG alarms, low voltage warning and fault warning. A single button is used to test the unit and to hush the buzzer when in alarm. All systems are factory calibrated and require no maintenance or adjustment.

The latest technology sensors combine high performance with very low power consumption. Every second the electronic control unit automatically checks for broken or damaged sensor connections and system faults. A separate fault lamp indicates any problems to the user. All electronics are encapsulated in solid epoxy to provide mechanically robust systems that are not affected by vibration or moisture.

Click here for more info

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