external gas pipes

[coffeeman77]

hi there, newbie here, I hope someone can help

I have my gas meter mounted on an external wall about 5 foot above ground but inside a lean-to garage. The piping to the meter comes directly up from the ground, the piping into the house goes along the external wall and into the kitchen. This piping is about 5-6 metres in length mostly above door height.

I am intending to have the garage demolished and put a meter box around the meter, but this will leave this gas piping exposed on the outside wall of the house.

Is this acceptable and legal? The alternative would be to have the meter moved which will be expensive.

thanks in anticipation

Alan

 

[weargas]

Yes it is acceptable to have the gas pipe exposed to the elements. The only unacceptable part is having the pipe work touch any masonry. It should be clipped to the wall but not touching the wall.

 

[coffeeman77]

thanks for that weargas that has been very helpful

yes the piping is new and nicely clipped away from the wall

Alan

 

[Paul Barker]

Perfect, that is the way we like it because gas is explosive but if it doesn't attain the explosive mixture it is relatively harmles. Inside your house a leak could cause an explosion outside vertually impossible. Love it.

Customers fequently question me on this. The most notable recent example, after I had explained it to him still thought he new better saying he had never heard of that.

We do all this expensive training to keep you lovely people safe and sound in your houses and get it thrown back in our faces by knowitalls.

 

[Strachan]

I had this with a customer, 12ft of external gas pipe to feed his new boiler. He made me box it in, and stain it! Looked horrendous but he loved it.

 

[Paul Barker]

On which subject wouldn't it be fun to have a knowitall forum.

 

[doitall]

On which subject wouldn't it be fun to have a knowitall forum.

But if everyone knewitall who would ask the questions

on a safety note,

it is not advisable to install copper gas pipes externally without a slamshut valve as the *****'s keep pinching it, and guess who has to pay for the gas that escapes.

 

[urbangothix]

Hello. What is a slamshut?
British Gas fitted my new boiler last week and put all the new gas piping outside as they wouldnt pull up my wood flooring in my daughters bedroom.
The piping goes all around one side of my house across another and into the gas meter. My husband is not amused.
When we read our terms and conditions it states that they will pull it up if needed or for an extra charge they didn't tell us this at the time only that they were not pulling it up end of!!!.

 

[Alfredo]

We do most of our gas piping externally. Its not pretty, but it is safer,and causes considerably less disruption to the householder. We've not had much nicked, but i did go to do a gas safety check on a void property the other day and found the card meter had been nicked, but at least they had turned the gas off.

I also found a woman with £500 credit in her Quantum Meter. she said it made her feel more secure. I asked her if she would leave her purse outside, but she didn't think that was the same at all. Yes there are real loonies about

Everything installation includes a compromise of some kind

Alfredo

 

[nickso]

Hello. What is a slamshut?
British Gas fitted my new boiler last week and put all the new gas piping outside as they wouldnt pull up my wood flooring in my daughters bedroom.
The piping goes all around one side of my house across another and into the gas meter. My husband is not amused.
When we read our terms and conditions it states that they will pull it up if needed or for an extra charge they didn't tell us this at the time only that they were not pulling it up end of!!!.

then perhaps you should have pulled it up yourself.

i suspect the one of the reasons they didnt was they may have damaged it or not managed to get it down properly again. they are gas engineers not joiners.

i wouldnt have touched it either....especially if it looked expensive

 

[Paul Barker]

If you have your floors made inaccessible you have to live with the ensuing compromises or make access available yourself taking full risk for damage. Easy as.

 

[urbangothix]

Thankyou for all of your comments.
B.G didnt give me the opportunity in the first place about that i could have taken up the boards myself. They just said they wanted to know where the pipework led and if they can't access it and it runs in my daughters bedroom they will not pull it up. They never said at any point that i could have pulled it up myself thats the thing. Its only when i read the terms that i could have pulled them up myself and of course placed them back myself. I guess you learn as you go along. It would have been nice to know that we did have a choice, however B.G didn't verbally give us one.
Anyone tell me what a slamshut is please?
Thanks...

 

[doitall]

Its a gas solinoid valve that shut the supply off if you have a leak.

not generally used in domestic premises because of the cost.

 

[breezer]

google shows it as these take your pick, but they all do as doitall said

 

[doitall]

google shows it as these take your pick, but they all do as doitall said

Why bother with the search feature when breezer will doit for you.

The ones refered too are UPSO & OPSO, (cutoff) at low/high pressure, and some new digital meters will do the same job, ask your supplier for a new meter that locks out