Services into building

[Cavester]

Hi,

Been having soon building work done (extension and renovation) and things seem to have gone fairly well up to now.

Anyway, I had an existing suspended timber floor taken out and filled with concrete to convert to solid.

Under the previous suspended floor was a 400mm void and the gas, electric and water came in at the front door and laid across the concreted sub-floor to their respective points of presence up through the suspended timber. For gas and electric this is under the stairs.

However when the builder potted the concrete they have only encased the electric it seems in conduit and not the gas. A new blue water pipe has also need installed but again no sleeving of any kind.

I asked the building inspector about it and he said building control are not responsible for services entering the building, which I don't l find crazy, especially where just a h&s risk such as gas is concerned.

Anyway, I've attached some pictures for comment. Any advice as to what I should do here? I've notified the builder but not had a response as yet.



Thanks.

 

[KenGMac]

Cavester, good evening.

The one that is giving me concern is the Gas pipe

As I understand things, the gas pipe and its installation is the responsibility of the supplier, up to the meter, and this work must be undertaken by a supplier who has the "Authority" of some body like "British gas"

The Meter is as I recall the "Property of" the Gas Board, not you.

After the meter, the gas pipework is your responsibility and your Chosen Gas Safe fitter, as an aside does your builder have access to such a person??

If you go on to any of the utility providers web sites you will find loads of information [OK Buried in the small print] as to what the utility provider in your area is asking for as regards incoming services.

Ken

 

[Cavester]

The builder (at least the company) is Gas Safe registered with 2 listed engineers.

 

[John D v2.0]

I'm not sure that method of supporting the meter is the one taught on the ACS course.
Did they bend the pipe up and concrete under it?
Conduit for electric should really be identified with black colour.
I think your best bet is to get the gas and electric services moved outside, unfortunately that would be a couple of grand, but short of leaving it as it is there's not much else ii ca think of.

 

[Cavester]

Thanks, yes I'm a bit annoyed by this given that now the concrete is poured there is no easy asy out. On the electrics, assuming they have put conduit along the whole cable then I'm fairly comfortable with this, yet I'll never know! Ok it's the wrong colour but I'm not concerned about that. The incoming supply to my house then routes through the party wall to next door so no way I'm I going to recable.

The gas is the most concern to me. I don't understand why they would put conduit along the leccy but not the gas!? If that pipe fractures then it's going to be A: dangerous and B: an expensive nightmare to put right.

However, looking through pictures on the net I do see a lot of pipes just coming through concrete without conduit. Is this how it used to be done before h&s regulations etc. were brought in?

 

[KenGMac]

OK I am not up to speed with Gas regs, all i do know is it is possibly the most dangerous supply into the property.

I have assumed that the idea was to have the shortest possible length of gas pipe between any external wall and the meter, remember the meter is the demarcation point between supplier and you.

Also there are a load of Gas Regs regarding the venting of any concealed gas pipework

The way i see it is that an Electrical fire is a [relatively] slow burn -- having seen a few of them including as you site a supply coming into your property then being split to pass into the neighbours property as his supply, as above the gas should it leak and build up will explode and at times there is not much left, certainly escape from a gas blast is problematic

Ken

 

[endecotp]

The people who know about gas regs are in the plumbing forum.

 

[noseall]

What exactly is the problem?
Water - looks ok?

Electric - looks ok?

Gas - usually the builder leaves the gas where it is, builds up the external walls and builds-in an external gas meter box on the line where the gas enters the building. The gas company then dig down and locate the service and install the meter into the new box. This is usually done once the joists etc are in place so that the domestic supply can be re-routed and hidden if needs be.

Typical progress of a building site at this stage.

 

[noseall]

I'm not sure that method of supporting the meter is the one taught on the ACS course.

What else could the builder do whilst excavating, prepping and pouring a concrete floor beneath?

 

[noseall]

oops.

 

[John D v2.0]

What else could the builder do whilst excavating, prepping and pouring a concrete floor beneath?

Cap off in place of the anaconda? Or leave itit fixed it to the wall. I suspect it's like that because they have levered up the old service pipe from the sub floor

 

[noseall]

Cap off in place of the anaconda?

Eh? How would you get the gas into the house?

I suspect that suspending it on some string is the best practical temporary solution.

 

[John D v2.0]

Given itsi already capped off after the meter the anaconda isn't conveying any gas anyway

 

[Cavester]

So is the method of installation acceptable? I've spoke to the builder and he said they will cut it out as sleeve it if I want, yet didn't seem to feel it was an issue the way it had been embedded in the concrete because it was lagged.

 

[Cavester]

This is what it looked like previously so it hasn't been moved, just endeden in concrete...