Gas question

According to my Gas Safe mate the answer is no. The bayonet should be capped off.

On 01 May 2016, Pat grunted:

If the supply isn't being used, then yes it should be capped off.

Not sure what has changed They are considered suitable permanent fittings. The open end should face downwards to prevent ingress of debris.

As others have posted you could put the pipe work in and finish with a

AFAIK there is no restriction on dead legs in domestic gas pipework other than they should not leak and be properly capped/plugged not just a closed valve.

What's changed?

Given that all compression / non soldered connections should be accessible, I would agree with the other posters here, that it should be capped properly. Fascinating that removing a gas appliance doesn't require a "competent person".

It may be good practice, but it is not required, from GSIUR Note 65 ...

"When an appliance is disconnected and open-ended pipework is left, the pipework should always be left sealed with an appropriate fitting. A self-sealing coupling, e.g. on a cooker connection, does not need to be capped-off, except where there is a significant risk of interference (such as by a child).

From Gas Safe Register technical bulletin 025 ...

"Where a gas cooker is installed for the first time or repositioned permanently, it is considered 'gas work' and must therefore be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer who holds the appropriate proof of competence. The disconnection/reconnection (at the same location) of a self-sealing appliance connector following installation is not deemed 'gas work' and therefore may be carried out by non-registered person(s)"

And is this the law of the land - or merely what a commercial organization would like it to be?

There was a hint of sarcasm in my post!

I'm sure Bulletin will be shortly be deprecated for some stringent requirements.

It's good to see these bulletins are published by the HSE and not just privately to Gas Safe members.

Well it's unlike corgi/gsr to underplay the requirement for being registered, the document was taken from

in relation to a gas fitting includes any of the following activities carried out by any person [snip] but the expression does not include the connection or disconnection of a bayonet fitting or other self-sealing connector.

Happy?

Not really. You snipped this bit:-

Which obviously is the contentious bit as regards DIY.

Brill. But if that leaves a compression fitting behind an electric oven, does that not breach the requirement of the joint being accessible?

Doesn't accessible simply mean that you can get to it without breaking anything apart? It's still accessible behind a cooker that can be removed or even under a suspended floor, but not plastered into a wall or behind plasterboard.

If I knew it was never going to be needed again, then personally I would remove the fitting and cap it. However its common practice for bayonet fittings to be left disconnected for years and bad stuff does not happen. Many houses have both a gas supply and electrical feed to the cooker location to allow the end user to select the appropriate one.

I saw an upward facing one once. As noted elsewhere, the recommendation is that they should be downward facing to reduce debris ingress.

I'm with John, I would *personally* remove it if I was *sure* it would not be used in the forseeable future. But equally, I would not lose any sleep over it being left unplugged. It is not likely to fail suddenly giving a large leak. A developing small leak is very unlikely, but this is why gas is given a smell!