Half inch lead pipe in wall either side of fireplace?

[arambol]

I've been chasing out a wall to hide TV cables and hit what looks to be an old lead pipe. Theres an identical one on the other side both where the chase ends in the first picture.

Is this an old lead water pipe? There is gas in the building but there has never been gas supplied to the fire that we know of. There are no radiators nearby.

I've given it a fair whack as you can see but no leak or gas smell. Whats my next move?

Thanks

 

[Nige F]

Pipes for gas lights next move depends on whether the pipes are dead and can be seen to be so - start at the meter

 

[arambol]

Sorry, do you mean they are gas pipes?

 

[arambol]

Ahhh, you mean old victorian gas lighting pipes. Sorry my mistake.
So how can I test to see if they have gas flowing? How would the meter help?
The hot water and central heating is gas but I doubt they've connected the old pipes.

 

[TheVictorian]

Almost certainly old gas lighting pipes. If your meter has a copper pipe coming from it then they are almost certainly dead, however it would be wise to pop a floorboard up and try to follow them to their source.

 

[OwainDIYer]

You start at the meter and visually inspect every inch of pipe to ensure there are no unexpected tees off which could supply those or any other pipes.

 

[arambol]

I have a 3cm wide large copper pipe coming into the flat for the gas mains from the communal meters in the basement. I'm first floor.
I can't look under the floor as it all glued down parquet flooring.
Not ideal I know ....but if I switch off the mains gas at the copper pipe and saw through the lead pipes fingers crossed i should be ok I guess.

 

[TheVictorian]

Given that information I would not cut it, turning off the gas at your meter may have no effect on this pipe, especially if the building has been converted into flats (the seperate meters for each flat would obviously had been put in after the lead pipes).

It is unlikely that the pipes are live, but not certain. Gas requires certainty in my mind before you cut anything.

 

[arambol]

I could call a plumber but he still won't be able to see the route of the piping as we can't take up the floor. No choice but to leave it as is it would seem.

 

[Tipper]

I could call a plumber but he still won't be able to see the route of the piping as we can't take up the floor. No choice but to leave it as is it would seem.

Get a registered gas technician in to test it out. He'll know what to do and how to test if it is still live.

 

[Madrab]

Now you have unsettled it, mashed it with a hammer, I would recommend getting someone in just to make sure it is safe.

Never take a chance with anything that can possibly be gas.

Get a Gas Safe engineer in, he will be able to confirm that damage is safe.

 

[gas112]

Love it and what special tool do us gas engineers have to prove a pipe in a wall is live or dead ?

 

[endecotp]

See if you can find the end of that pipe, where the gas light would have been. If it is just a sawn-off open end, you know there is no gas.

 

[Madrab]

Love it and what special tool do us gas engineers have to prove a pipe in a wall is live or dead ?

It's not about a special tool IMO, though that damaged area could be checked with a analyser-sniffer/LDF in case it's leaking.
It's about being properly assessed by a trained professional. Checked for tightness at the meter, checking for branches that seem to run nowhere, to me it's about minimising risk. Couldn't 100% guarantee anything in this case I agree but better checking all that can be checked than not knowing, carrying on regardless and possibly hiding something that could be a potential risk.

 

[OwainDIYer]

Love it and what special tool do us gas engineers have to prove a pipe in a wall is live or dead ?

It's knowing what to do with a lead pipe that's got gas gushing out of it when they do find it's live and there's no obvious place to disconnect it.