Question for Gas Safers?

[tim00]

Given a house say, with the gas meter removed by utility and their side labelled and capped off. All apps are disconnected.

The house owner requests a non-Gas Safe plumber to locate a gas leak in the installation pipework.

What would you Gas Safers consider the legal position to be?

 

[Tibbot]

As you can't use the disconnected pipework for anything else, presumably (as you wish to locate a leak) you intended it to convey gas in future. If so, any work done to it by a non-registered operative would be illegal gas work.

 

[jabuzzard]

As you can't use the disconnected pipework for anything else, presumably (as you wish to locate a leak) you intended it to convey gas in future. If so, any work done to it by a non-registered operative would be illegal gas work.

What if there was no work done other than pressurizing it with air above atmospheric and locating the leak? You could then get in a gas safe person and say look leak here please fix.

 

[Tibbot]

You can do what you like to it disconnected. It's when you go to reconnect it that any DIY or non-registered work may become an issue. Many RGI's may not want to repair pipes intended to convey gas unless they're able to connect and test it to the gas supply.

 

[MeterMonkey]

When a meter is re-installed at the property, it will be installed with a sealing disc.

You would then need an RGI to remove the disc and carry out commisioning tests on any connected pipework and appliances.

 

[simond]

When the supply is reconnected, the registered operative would be required to inspect the carcass and conduct a tightness test before handing it over.

If the registered operative was me, and was aware that a non-registered and non-competent person had worked on it, I would walk away.

In non domestic situations, you should also bear in mind that to be safe, old gas pipework must be purged in order to be considered safe to work on. A significant number of gas industry personnel have died as a result of not purging disused pipework prior to commencing work. On larger pipe sizes, the job can go up like a mortar bomb.

 

[libby lou lou]

.

If the registered operative was me, and was aware that a non-registered and non-competent person had worked on it, I would walk away.

Why walk away and lose money, do your test as required then walk away.
Either pass it or fail it.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Is that your expert opinion?

 

[bell824]

oh yes love my three minute test has proved ok and your gas pipe is good to to go, that will be £20 please,

oh what's that plastic pipe over there, your gas to your cooker you say???

don't think so libby lou, as above the scenario above is not uncommon and any respectful gas engineer would want to inspect a carcass a little more for these reason's!!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Bag of frogs mate... a big bulging bag of frogs.

 

[tim00]

The question was only theoretical, it wasn't a real job in the real world.

The answer according to Gas Regs: 3.1, and General Installation Practice, is, as some of you were correct in saying, that any work on any part of a gas installation by a non-RGI is not allowed - including stand alone pipework.