concern, is this legal

[marcus3]

I wonder if you could help me with a problem I have, my next door neighbour looks like he is having central heating installed and they put the gas meter on the outside of the wall under his window. Now some guys have come to installed the plumbing of the heating and they have ran a copper pipe from the gas meter on the outside of the wall over to my front door and up the wall what runs along side my front door (2ft away)and then through the wall over my front door, it runs on the outside of the wall for around 20ft and its exposed, it its clipped to the wall but isnt enclosed in anything.

Please could you tell me if this is legal because it doesnt look safe, anything could hit this exposed pipe and spark an explosion and its right next to my door.n Thankyou

 

[sonray ltd]

yes you can run a gas pipe on the outside wall and just clip it.
it doesn't need to be insulated etc as gas doesn't freeze.

 

[NickH]

anything could hit this exposed pipe and spark an explosion

What, like an exocet missile or an RPG, mate you need to worry less.

 

[Deleted member 2053]

Strictly speaking they should occasionally put some yellow tape clearly marked GAS on it but that is all. Unless of course the pipe is tresspassing on property that you own.

 

[CharterGAS]

it just be protected form mechanical damage!!! ie is your lawn mower going to hit or your car going to knock it as you park it!!

 

[Deleted member 2053]

it just be protected form mechanical damage!!! ie is your lawn mower going to hit or your car going to knock it as you park it!!

I would be very happy for you to be proved right on this as it seems common sense to me, probably as it does to you. But I raised this very issue in lectures when I first did my gas training and was told that protection from mechanical damage was not a requirement if it was clipped to a house wall.

The rules for LPG are somewhat different....

 

[a-d-s]

If you live near the coast it is always good practice to protect the copper from the atmosphere.
Simply due to the salt content in the air picked up from the sea.
Its also good practice to identify the pipe run as being gas.
Other than that there is no regulation (as far as im aware) on the exposure of copper outside.

 

[aceone]

Normal practice and safe as houses....so to speak

 

[CharterGAS]

I would be very happy for you to be proved right on this as it seems common sense to me, probably as it does to you. But I raised this very issue in lectures when I first did my gas training and was told that protection from mechanical damage was not a requirement if it was clipped to a house wall.

The rules for LPG are somewhat different....

Well i wouldn't go back to that collage then!!!!

 

[Deleted member 2053]

No I didn't. Found somewhere else much better. But if you think they were wrong I would like some gas regs reference 'cos I've never seen anything written down about this for natural gas. And I find there is quite a lot of unsubstantiated opinion on this site.

 

[Soapy]

It's ok to run a gas pipe like that as long as they use stand-off type clips as you can't have copper coming into contact with the wall as cement is corrosive.

 

[fuzzy]

Strictly speaking they should occasionally put some yellow tape clearly marked GAS on it but that is all. Unless of course the pipe is tresspassing on property that you own.

thaats only if it is commercial or over 28mm

No I didn't. Found somewhere else much better. But if you think they were wrong I would like some gas regs reference 'cos I've never seen anything written down about this for natural gas. And I find there is quite a lot of unsubstantiated opinion on this site.

i have never seen any literature that say copper pipe outside isnt allowed for gas? as far as i am aware it is perfectly fine. the rules may be slightly different for commercial but domestic its fine

 

[BrianL]

Copper pipe is fine outside but not the prefered method. Because of its mechanical properties Low Carbon Steel would be more apropriate.

 

[fatoftheland]

Gas tape should be used outside and within internal garages on domestic installations. Regardless of pipe size. Gas tape (or gas paint) needs to used on all commercial pipework

 

[JmacPlumbing]

Like others have said.... Its good practice to stick some yellow Gas Tape on it and as long as its on stand-off clips, Its fine!

No protection from mechanical damage is required !!!!!!!!

 

[Bagsy]

Just a point, the meter box in on the outside wall and the service pipe feeding it is Plastic, although it is in a plastic sleeve? Wouldn't worry about the copper unless it is exposed to a chemical atmosphere that will degrade the properties of copper, then it would only need to be protected against that.

 

[feltham]

isnt gas only explosive when its betwen 5 and 15% mixed with air. any more or less shouldnt ignite.
also i saw someone mention about gas tape on a demestic propperty . i was told you dont have to have gas tape on pipework if its demestic .

 

[davetheplumber]

No problem using the copper externally if it is suitably identified as a pipe conveying gas( id tape) and that it is adequately supported. Maximun clipping distances:-

Vertical run Horizontal run
15mm 2mtrs 1.5mtrs
22mm 2.5mtrs 2 mtrs
28mm 2.5mtrs 2 mtrs

Pipes in a non-domestic premises should be colour coded (yellow ochre) OR be identified as conveying gas (id tape)

 

[jonathanb]

Sounds a bit lazy - should have got the banjo out and done it in galvanised steel to help make it vandal proof also- especially in these economical challenged times as some people will do anything for scrap copper!

 

[bobpape]

I would postulate that the requirements for the protection of externally run gas pipes
stem from the time when gas was run in barrel which needed no extra protection,
I would further postulate that the need to protect externally run gas pipes would fall
foul of the rquirement that surface gas pipes if run in ducting the said ducting must be
ventilated, and I further postulate that any protective ducting would look worse than
the gas pipe itself,
Does it not remind one of the old adage that the difference between a gas fitter and
a plumber is one will run the pipe across the window whilst the other will run it around,
I leave you to figure out which is which.