capped-off 8mm gas pipe

[Bongo Bongo]

I'm wondering what most people would consider safe in respect of a length o f gas pipe left projecting into a decommissioned fire place. At the moment, I have about 12 inches of pipe, unsecured, capped-off at the point where i t attached the (now removed) gas fire. It occurs to me that it would be qui te possible for a numpty (or child visitor) to mess about with the pipe. Si nce it is 12 inches long, the leverage means that it wouldn't take much eff ort at all to bend and perhaps break it. Should I: i) cut the pipe back at cap it at a shorter length from the fireplace side wall, where it emerges ii) fix it down, somehow iii) do i and ii

Advice appreciated.

Len

[mogga]

Is it going to be used ever again? Can you remove the full pipe to the meter?

[Brian Gaff]

Can you turn gass off at the meter?

Brian

[Bob Minchin]

I'd cut it back as short as practical and use a compression cap to seal it. That way if you or anyone else needs to recommission the service, a compression coupler can be fitted instead of the cap.

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 18 December 2013 11:48 Bob Minchin wrote in uk.d-i-y:

As long as the compression joint is accessible (gas regs).

[Andrew Gabriel]

The gas fire tube usually runs back to what's known as a restrictor valve, which is a brass fitting which comes up out of the hearth or floor with a screw on the top, and the 8mm tube running from the side. The top screw is removed (don't lose the washer) to reveal an isolation screw inside. You screw this all the way in to seal the valve inlet, and then replace the top cover screw. You can now remove the length of gas fire tube from the restrictor valve. Recover the matching compression fitting nut from the tube and screw it back on to the restrictor so it doesn't get lost, in case you might want to use it again in the future. (Ideally you would also fit a sealing disk under the compression nut, but AFAIK they don't exist for 8mm compression fittings.) You need to test the restrictor for leaks.

The restrictor itself may be vulnerable to being kicked or knocked, but less so than when it has a length of tube attached at one end only.

[Tim+]

Um, did you miss the "the fireplace side wall, where it emerges". Doesn't sound like he's got one of these "restrictor/stop-valves".

Tim