Removal of redundant gas pipe

[Russmossy]

Hi Guys, I am not a gas engineer but would like advice on a job I have been quoted. There is a high level gas heater that has to be taken out of service, around 5mtrs up. There is a chance we will want to re-instate it in a year or two so the unit will stay in situ. The room is used for storage and no one goes in there so the heater is never used but I understand that if the unit stays live it must be serviced every 6 months which means emptying the room then putting everything back. The final gas connection is from an isolation valve to the unit via a flexible hose and I thought it was merely a case of isolating the valve, removing the flexible connection and capping off the pipe at the isolation point? The guy pricing the work has allowed to strip back the steel pipe, around 8mtrs to a second isolation point in the same room, where the gas supply enters, again, around 5mtrs up. Please be aware this is a room within a warehouse type building and the gas pipe in question then runs around 70mtrs back to the main pipework with no branches off.

I asked why we cant just cap off at the local valve and was told "regulations" and something to do with being unable to leave a live pipe in place but when I asked what the difference was between the 8mtrs he intends to strip out and the other 70mtrs of the same run I could not get a satisfactory answer.

Is the guy genuine and this is a regulation, if so why can the other 70mtrs be left in situ or are my pants being pulled down?

TIA

 

[centralheatking]

As you have taken the advice of a GSR engineer why doubt ...these engineers are highly experienced and heavily regulated just suck it up. Why mess with your home safety for maybe a few £
Centralheatking

 

[Russmossy]

As you have taken the advice of a 'Registered Professional Gas Engineer' engineer why doubt ...these engineers are highly experienced and heavily regulated just suck it up. Why mess with your home safety for maybe a few £
Centralheatking

Thanks for the response. My query lies in why only some of the pipework needs removing but the rest is OK? If anyone knows of the regulation being referred to I would be most grateful, then I can read it and
satisfy myself.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Are they a commercial gas safe engy ?

fine to leave the line in just Decom from the lever valve in the gas meter room / at the start of the run to the heater lever valve

then cap off the high level line

 

[bacon_sandwich]

All joints, valves need to be accessible, pipes will need to be purged of air. The area containing gas pipes need to be adequately ventilated. These are a few regs off the top of my head but the IGEM regs are very long and detailed.
Just from a common sense POV, having a live gas pipe which has screw joints and valves in a room that is used for storage would get me quite interested in the buildings overall safety.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

having a live gas pipe which has screw joints and valves in a room that is used for storage would get me quite interested in the buildings overall safety.

may I ask why it would ?

 

[bacon_sandwich]

Sure, lets say its steel threaded pipe and lets say there are say 6 joints in the pipe within the room. Lets also say that the room is used for storage and getting access to the pipe work is typical of clients who dont understand a gas guy needs to be able to inspect each joint (at some time) . The room is kept shut (perhaps with no ventilation) .
Lets also say one of the joints is leaking slightly (not unusual from my experience with large steel pipe) - there is no one who is going to smell gas as the room is not used , a drop test could be a year away and in that time the room is filling slowly with gas. Then someone many months later needs to go into the room and switches the light on..... Boom

Its not a fantasy scenario.... I would want it capped outside the room.

 

[snowhead]

There's no difference capping at the heater iso valve and capping within same area, there is still live pipework in the unoccupied area and it will still need any screwed joints testing annually as per guidance.

The simplest way is as per Shaun cut it off 70mtrs back, fit and iso valve on the main pipework, if there isn't one already, and cap the outgoing pipe to the heater.
Of course that'll mean purging is involved, but there would have been in the proposed plan.

 

[Last Plumber]

Is this 70 m run going back into a commercial gas installation which is to be kept in use apart from this one room, or is the whole gas installation to be taken out of use including the primary meter?

Each job must be taken on its own merits and if an experienced commercial gas installer has seen it, then he may be aware if things that we are not. Can you give more detail of the whole installation and what it supplies?