Restrictor Elbow

[megawatt]

Someone asked me yesterday what the purpose of the restrictor elbow on a gas fire was.

I was tempted to state the bleedin' obvious "to restrict the gasflow" but I restrained myself and said I don't know but I'd ask someone who does

So ... "What is the purpose of the restrictor elbow on a gas fire?"

MW

 

[nickso]

its main purpose is to look really dated and be a bit of a pain in the arse to carpet fitters.

its secondary purpose is for morons and apprentices to use their pump pliers on the nut when removing it thereby completely ****ing it so no one else can use the proper spanner on it.

 

[megawatt]

Oh, thanks Nickso I'll look REALLY intelligent telling them that

MW

 

[megawatt]

Anyone?

Does this thing really serve any useful purpose?

MW

 

[Corgigrouch]

Errrm is this a silly post or are you really asking?

 

[megawatt]

No, I'm REALLY asking ... I have nothing to do with gas fires so have never seen one ... Other than in installations where it's all connected up.

Okay, so the name may give the game away but I thought I'd ask someone who knows rather than attempting to make something up

I really would like to know please chaps/chapesses.

MW

 

[namsag]

Well its not to restict the gas flow as such . It has another screw inside which is to isolate gas supply to the fire so it can be removed for servicing.

 

[megawatt]

So it's a decorative isolation valve. Why don't they call it an isolation elbow then to make things simple

Thanks

MW

 

[namsag]

Its actually called a kit 32 which makes it even clearer what its for

 

[kirkgas]

i call it a pedestal but i don't want him trying to fit a whb on top of it!!

 

[spacethegas]

kit 32 it may be.
I've never heard or it.
its an r/e which is to say it is an isolation valve.
I've only been doing this coming on 30 years.
don't quite undstd al th acronyms & abrations.

whb ?

 

[namsag]

Used to be a big book with all the numbers of all the fittings it issued by the manufactures .
All the gas regions had there own variations on certain things and if you look in the bes catalogue some are still refered to as North Thames pattern.
The chrome pipe that came with it was a em57.
Sockets where number 1, elbows number 12`s ,tees where 24`s.
Number 2 was iron to copper as was a number 14.
It actual made it quite easy to identify some obscure fittings