DIY Gas installation

sarabande

sarabande

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I have to replace old gas piping (hidden behing panelling) from a gas bottle to the cooker. I've never done this before, and want to make sure the installation will pass the BSS inspection.

How easy/difficult is it ? And where can I buy piping, unions, bubbler, clips, all in one friendly place near Staines please ?

Or can you recommend a coded installer pls ?

I have the BBS leaflet and have read it ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
This is them (grammar!)
Uxbridge Boat Centre -

Address: Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, Middx UB8 2QX Tel: (0)1895 252019 ...

Down a narrow alley, but signed, off Waterloo Road. How they crane NBs onto lorries must be a tribute to the drivers' skills.

likely to be cheaper than Calor anyway...
 
Calor do a good idiots guide. It's of more use that the BS frankly but I needed the BS when my insurance company got arsey about my DIY gas installation. I bit the bullet and called in a Corgi guy for the certificate (I begrudged the money but not the service, he was excellent).

1. Use continuous pipe runs inside the boat. This will be from the bulkhead fitting through to the in-line stopcock just before the cooker.

2.Use pipe clips every 0.5m (Yes I know it's ovekill, just do it).

3. I sleeved my pipe with clear plastic tubing, where it passed through non-watertight bulkheads. It's cheaper than using bulkhead penetrations and just as effective at protecting the pipe. Fairy Liqued allows it to slip on easily.

4. Throw away the brass olives and replace them with copper. The fittings come with brass olives as standard. I know it's a rip off but you'll need to swap them to meet the regs anyway.

5. Change the regulator and the flexi hoses when you do the installation (even if the old ones have a few "hours" left).

6. I HAD A COPY OF THE BS HANDY AT THE INSPECTION. It's usefull when the inspector quoted from custom and practise when there is no "requirement" in the BS. (A "corgi" fitter quoted for a lot of "unnecessary work" to bring my boat to current standards, when the boat preceeded the regulations (they aren't retrospective)).
 
I've just replaced all of mine and included a bubbler and alarm with remote solenoid. I had good advice from the Southampton Calor Gas Centre who helped match up all the different sizes of fittings. You can get all these mail order.

I found the most difficult bit was threading the new copper pipe through to near the hob. The previous pipe wasn't clamped anywhere so I had to glass in a number of wooden blocks to secure the pipe to and also enlarge holes through various bulkheads so the pipe didn't rub. I bought a pipe bending tool which I needed for one 90° turn but it was worth doing the job properly.

If you are reasonably good at DIY it shouldn't be a problem. There are some useful hints and tips on the Southampton web site to help you. It would be a good idea to have a marine Corgi engineer to check it out afterwards.

I haven't quite finished the locker but if you want to see a picture of my set-up, I included one in a previous post .
 
[ QUOTE ]
4. Throw away the brass olives and replace them with copper. The fittings come with brass olives as standard. I know it's a rip off but you'll need to swap them to meet the regs anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed use copper olives but I did not think it was in the "regs". What "regs" and where? Brass ones are supposed to be suitable for water, gas and lpg but Calor do recommend copper ones. Presumably fittings bought from Calor will have copper olives anyway. Other sources should offer fittings with copper olives as well.
[ QUOTE ]
2.Use pipe clips every 0.5m (Yes I know it's ovekill, just do it).

[/ QUOTE ] That appears in the BSS as a "best practice" There is aso a reqirement for pipes to be supported within 150mm (6") of all fittings

Regarding bulk heads IIRC it is only when passing through steel bulkheads that any protection is needed. Its in part 7 of the BSS.

If it is necessary to maintain a watertight bulk head or to achieve a gas tight exit from the gas locker the land in the centre of a bulk head fitting can be drilled out and a continuous length of pipe threaded through. That way not only can you get the gas (or water) tight passage through the locker wall (or bulkhead) but you avoid two joints which are potential leakage points and get a continuous pipe run from the regulator, solenoid valve or bubble tester to the stopcock by the cooker.
 
This is better than having a magic lamp and a genie ! Thanks for all the answers and contact points.

I'll reciprocate if anyone wants a good disaster recovery plan or crisis management policy !

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]

6. I HAD A COPY OF THE BS HANDY AT THE INSPECTION. It's useful when the inspector quoted from custom and practise when there is no "requirement" in the BS. (A "corgi" fitter quoted for a lot of "unnecessary work" to bring my boat to current standards, when the boat preceded the regulations (they aren't retrospective)).

[/ QUOTE ]

[Rant]
Off topic - but it really {expletives] me off when "best practice" is passed off as a mandatory requirement. It's happening in all sectors where regulation is the norm. I'm having a new boiler installed at home and the rubbish quoted by "engineers" as required is horrific. Lovely for the Gov't pushing the control - get hold of a trade association (no responsibility to the public), dress them up as the only authorised body, and walk away. Nice little earner for the installer who gets away with often sharp practice.

The truly sad thing is that many installers believe what they are proposing is mandatory - because the training course says it is so....
[/rant]
 
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Let me assure you an engineer will not talk rubbish. Gas fitters and other tradesmen might.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very true. The titanic was designed by two gas fitters and a painter and decorator.

If it had been it would still have hit the iceberg and sunk but as they wouldnt have been so arrogant as to claim their ship unsinkable there would have been more lifeboats.....
 
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