Gas pipe beneath plasterboard - depth etc?

I'll be having a new 22mm gas pipe installed soon, between meter and boiler. Unfortunately due to the awkward geography (meter in cupboard under stairs; solid ground floor, the pipe will have to travel up the underside of the staircase. Currently the plasterboard has been ripped down from that area - which is in effect a sloped ceiling - as there will be electric cables going up there as well.

Now, once the rewiring is complete I will be putting up new plasterboard there, maintaining the requisite 50mm space between the surface and the cables. Question is, can I hide the gas pipe under there too? I know it can't be boxed in forming a sealed compartmemt - no problem, the bottom end of the plasterboarded boxing will open directly into the meter cupboard, so this would be no different to running it under the folorboards - but is it OK otherwise? Is there a minimum depth for the pipe or anything, or should it be otherwise protected from nail damage etc?

Thanks David

Reply to
Lobster
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The full details of domestic gas pipe routing is in BS 6891.

Crude summary: Keep electrics 25mm+ from gas. Don't box in gas pipes into a duct more than 100cm² in area.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

In article , Ed Sirett writes

Does the ducting rule include running gas pipework in a first floor suspended floor void ie between ceiling and floor? In essence the framework formed by ceiling joists and floor is a duct and of course it's greater than 100cm2. This was done when my mum's CH was installed and although I thought it looked a bit dodge I assumed they knew what they were doing. I'm sure it's done in loads of flats too.

Reply to
fred

Whilst this was done in the past there are now two problems.

Firstly there is Part A building regs which mean you shouldn't notch the joists. This means feeding the pipe through from outside (usually very impractical or using a special flexible gas pipe which has costs.

The second problem about the build up of gas in an enclosed space is mitigated by the natural ventilation (usually adventitious) that such a space has.

In general gas pipes should be run elsewhere.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

I live in a Glasgow Victorian flat ....as many people here do ...and the Gas Meter is near the outside door and the CH boiler is at the other end of the flat and the LR with gas Fire is in the opposite direction .The gas pipe feeding CH,Fire and Oven goes under the floor ,joists being notched as necessary ( the joists are about 10"plus deep) . This will almost certainly be the format in every flat of this age /type. I wouldn't like to see where the pipe would go if it wasn't under the floor . Stuart .

Reply to
Stuart B

I had expected them to route the gas feed round the outside of the house and it probably could have been done quite neatly at just above the dpc but they decided to go through the house. I'll watch where I put my fixings to fix loose floorboards and I'm the only one likely to carry out any maintenance but I worry for the next owner coming in without 'the knowledge'.

As Stuart says there's very little that can be done to avoid the underfloor solution in older traditional flats but I suppose people are aware of the risk, watch where they are putting nails and the draughts in the older properties will dissipate any leaks without risk ;-)

Reply to
fred

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