GAS Supply to garden

[tomomac33]

Hello.

Please can someone help.

Before we start - Im not Gas Registered, Im not looking to do ANY DIY Gas, Im just looking for some background knowledge before I pay a Gas Engineer. I am an Electrician with 3 Gas Registered friends, all of them wishy washy with different answers and that doesn't fill me with confidence. So , before I get anymore round and hand over the cash - i need to know what to expect.

So, I have 3 bed house with a Combi, gas hob, and two gas fires. All gas engineers agree that im on my limit for the current Gas meter.

I want to build a pool house in the back garden. The pool house will have another typical medium sized combi installed. The run to the pool house from the Gas meter is 40 Metres.

- Gas meter will need up-sizing by supplier = check
- Making both ends of the pipe off and testing = check

Pipe from the Gas Meter to the pool house. This is the problem. I want to use the Yellow stuff because its £50 for 50 Metres. None of my mates have a clue - they fit boilers every day. One says I cant use yellow after the meter - only before the meter, copper must be used!

The other is happy with yellow, but seemed clueless

Neither of them know depths etc.

Any Advice?

 

[Dan Robinson]

I was corrected recently by @gas112 , you can use the stuff, but it is not regular pipe fittings.

But this sounds like a typical case of champagne ideas and beer money.

 

[gas112]

yellow PE can be used after meter but it cannot be exposed to sunlight and cannot enter a building , proper transition fittings must be used which can be quite pricey. Also you say meter being upgraded i would get prices in first as this can be very expensive and be an absolute pain in arris to arrange

 

[ianmcd]

when you say yellow gas pipe ,are you sure that you mean yellow PE gas pipe, or do you mean Trac pipe ?both are yellow but Trac pipe is metal with a yellow sleeve. as @gas112 says meter and service upgrades are not cheap.

 

[Dan Robinson]

when you say yellow gas pipe ,are you sure that you mean yellow PE gas pipe, or do you mean Trac pipe ?both are yellow but Trac pipe is metal with a yellow sleeve. as @gas112 says meter and service upgrades are not cheap.

Trac is a bit more than £1/m .

 

[ianmcd]

Trac is a bit more than £1/m .

Depends where it comes from Dan

 

[Dan Robinson]

Let know

 

[tomomac33]

Guys!

Thanks for your help - I wasn’t expecting such a good response. I’m grateful for it.

“champagne ideas and beer money.” - you couldn’t be more correct! However I have shed loads of beer money and an 8 Metre endless pool so it’s happening

This is all about me having an understanding of what I’m paying for and being confident it’s correct. Just like NIC/IEE Electrical Registrations, Gas Safe doesn’t guarantee it correct unfortunately and most Gas Engineers won’t be doing this every day.

I just couldn’t see how you wouldn’t be allowed to run Yellow Gas pipe underground - and that it has to be copper - 28mm/35mm copper over 40Meters in the ground just doesn’t make efficient sense?

Re meter upgrade - I think I’ll have to stomache that one, all my chums seen to think it’s a must. I’m guessing circa £1k for this?

Thanks again for the help
Tom

 

[shambolic]

Stop drinking start saving

 

[gas112]

well circa 1000 for this i have heard people paying 7k for this as its not always just a meter upgrade but also service uprade

 

[FiremanT]

I have no real idea about this, but could it be better to have an additional separate service and seperate primary meter to serve the pool house?

 

[gas112]

not allowed unless the pool house had its own address , one service per property

 

[dilalio]

Get your prices from grid before even thinking any further about this.

If you're that keen and determined, consider losing the gas fires in the house, converting the hob to induction and swapping the house combi to a system or regular boiler with an unvented cylinder, if calcs show that this will free up enough supply for the pool house and enable you to relocate your existing combi there, or another regular boiler that will not overstretch the remaining supply.

Or buy a set of wetsuits

 

[Dan Robinson]

I have no real idea about this, but could it be better to have an additional separate service and seperate primary meter to serve the pool house?

not allowed unless the pool house had its own address , one service per property

Did this a few years back. It wasn't a separate address, but it was a corner plot with gas main running along both corners. There was no way of getting a gas supply of correct size to the pool shed as it was nearly 150 metres with the house boundary to boundary in the way. (Made fluing fun too that did).

Can't remember the cost exactly but I think it was a couple of grand including the digging of the trench (around 20 metres iirc).

 

[gas112]

Thinking about it dan your prob right its two services to one standard
house thats not allowed , with it being completely detached it could prob be done