Gas safe, plumber, Boiler service, boiler repair, boiler replacement, bathroom fitting, installations
Gas safe, plumber, Boiler service, boiler repair, boiler replacement, bathroom fitting, installations
Chapman Plumbers and Heating Engineers, Boiler servicing Boiler repair and replacement, Powerflushing, Gas engineers
Chapman Plumbers and Heating Engineers, Boiler servicingBoiler repair and replacement, Powerflushing, Gas engineers

Commercial pipe installation / commercial testing and purging 

External commercial gas installation 

We regularly have requests from clients to install a new gas main, this may be due to a failure in the existing steel gas pipe or an upgrade to provide more gas after a renovation.  We install both MDPE gas pipe and TracPipe and hold stock for may sizes from 15mm to 180mm. 

 

Gas pipes are often run underground and we work closely with grounds teams who will use moling equipment and traditional trenches to best protect the environment they are working in.  We have replaced supplies for homes with ornate gardens, under drives and across car-parks and always leave the area with the least disruption possible. 

 

Many installations we undertake that are considered "commercial" are within domestic properties, the volume of gas contained in the pipe dictates the qualifications and experience required, more info on that below. 

 

Internal commercial gas installation 

Gas pipe installed in commercial properties often should be done with screwed steel pipe, this is to provide protection against damage from moving equipment etc.  We can calculate and install any size to suit any appliance or application and hold the relevant qualifications as detailed below. 

 

If the installation space is not high risk we may use copper pipe and press fittings to reduce installation time and cost to the client, these are rated for the application and we hold all the equipment and many of the fittings. 

 

Difference between domestic gas pipe and commercial gas pipe 

There is often some debate over the point at which a domestic engineer is not allowed to work on or install gas appliances and gas supply pipes, usually anything inside a normal house will be domestic and often anything inside a commercial property will not be domestic however there is a large grey line.  It is quite common to find a domestic appliance (one that is under 70kw and not deemed commercial by the manufacturer) and gas supply pipe below 35mm in a commercial building like an office.  There are strict rules to follow and if any are exceeded then a commercial company is required, they are: 

 

Any single appliance rated at greater than 70kw net input 

Any gas supply pipe greater then 35mm? 

Total installation volume exceeds 0.035m3? 

The combined total of gas appliance input greater than 70kw net input? * 

Any of the appliances sold as and considered by the manufacturer as Non-domestic? 

The gas meter capacity greater than 6m3/h? 

 

*They must share the same wall for flue outlet, if it is on another wall in a different part of the building it does not count. 

 

Commercial gas testing and purging 

So we know that if the volume exceeds 0.035m3 then a commercial gas engineer is required, this is because the standards that a domestic engineer is trained to IGE/UP/1B (BS6891) is limited to both size and volume but further to that if the volume exceeds 1m3 or any nominal bore exceeds 150mm then the standard IGE/UP/1A is now not adequate and instead IGE/UP/1 must be used.  The tolerances for LPG are lower with over 28mm pipe and 0.02m3 limit on volume. 

 

We hold all three qualifications so can undertake any size of pipe and meter works. 

Testing and purging may be required other than when performed at the end of a full new installation, if any part of the pipe and fittings has been altered and there is not a small section that can and has been isolated then it must be strength tested and tightness tested.  If it has been de-commissioned for any amount of time and gas is being re-introduced under pressure it must be tested prior to turning on the supply again. 

 

Some businesses are required by their insurer to strength test large pipe-work, this is far outside of normal operating pressure and designed to find any small leaks and weak points before they become a problem.  If any leak has been detected and rectified a full test must be undertaken. 

 

A purge must be performed when the pipework is being taken out of service, we do this with purge stacks and fans and can also use Nitrogen if necessary.  Purging to atmosphere is most common but in built up areas it may be necessary to purge with a flare stack to prevent combustible gasses from posing a safety risk. 

 

This is something we offer across Surrey, Hampshire and west London with a focus on our imediate local towns of Farnborough, Farnham, Aldershot and Camberley.

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