Gas regulations and pipe height?

[Steve North]

I want to run a gas pipe on a horizontal run just above skirting level, say 10cm above floor level in a utility room. Is this legal within the regs and do I have to cover it in any way to protect it?

[BigWallop]

As long as the pipe can be easily seen then you don't need to cover it with anything as it's taken that people aren't daft enough to bash or kink an exposed pipe of any kind. The problems start when you hide them in or behind things and people bang nails and things through them because they don't know they're there.

[Ed Sirett]

And in particular, there are a _stack_ of regs once gas pipes are in 'ducts' (becasue a small gas leak could build up in a duct). See FAQ.

[Lobster]

As it happens I have a newly-fitted 22mm gas pipe which I want to make a bit less obtrusive. It currently runs all the way up the side of a chimmney breast, at the back, before entering the ceiling. I had considered either (a) just putting it inside some white PVC trunking, or (b) in effect extending the chimmney breast width-ways by about an inch, by battening it out deep enough for the gas pipe, and dry-lining the whole side of the chimmney breast.

Would either or both of these measures fall foul of the regs?

Thanks David

[Ed Sirett]

No explicit venting of a vertical duct is required if it is within one dwelling and has a X-section of less than 0.01m^2 (100cm^2). The drylining method might fall foul. Also the pipes must pipe protected from corrosion (denso tape/tar) if they are inside plaster board.

[John Stumbles]

...

Hmmm, my copy of BS6891 doesn't say that :-)

- at least not for plasterboard, only for buried pipework: "9.2 Buried pipework

9.2.1 Internal environment 9.2.1.1 Pipework that is buried in a solid floor or wall shall be factory sheathed, or protected on site by wrapping or with suitable bituminous paint protection."

It also says "8.5.3 Dry lined walls Installation pipes installed behind dry lining shall be encased by building material. COMMENTARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON 8.5.3. For typical examples see figure 5 b) and c)."

and shows examples e.g. for dotted+dabbed run continuous beads of adhesive either side of the pipe, for battened have a batten either side of the pipe like ....

(plan view cross section)

/ / / / block wall / / / / /

-------------------------------- |XX|o|XX| |XX| ================================

where |XX| is batten o is pipe ===== is plasterboard

Basically AIUI the idea is as Ed indicates that a leak from the pipe shouldn't be able to build up inside any void.

[Ed Sirett]

Your copy of the standard is better than one of my gas fitting text books. I suspect the intention is to keep the enclosed volume around any gas pipe small.