Gas safety taken too lightly

[KREW2]

A recent thread about gas safety spurred me on to install a bubble leak tester, mainly because the copper pipe, where visible looked tired. After installation it showed a leak in the system, in order to narrow it down, I checked the isolating gas tap beneath the cooker for leaks, all seemed good so I isolated the cooker. The tester was still showing a leak, so I checked the connection down side of the tester, all good.
Bugger! this meant the leak was in the copper tube which runs into the bowels of the boat. I decided to take the plunge and rip it out, this involved cutting a huge hole in the back cabin, removing the water pump from under the cooker well, and pulling the old pipe out with a mousing line attached. Not an easy job it took nearly 2 hours, but here is what I found.

 

[VicS]

A recent thread about gas safety spurred me on to install a bubble leak tester, mainly because the copper pipe, where visible looked tired. After installation it showed a leak in the system, in order to narrow it down, I checked the isolating gas tap beneath the cooker for leaks, all seemed good so I isolated the cooker. The tester was still showing a leak, so I checked the connection down side of the tester, all good.
Bugger! this meant the leak was in the copper tube which runs into the bowels of the boat. I decided to take the plunge and rip it out, this involved cutting a huge hole in the back cabin, removing the water pump from under the cooker well, and pulling the old pipe out with a mousing line attached. Not an easy job it took nearly 2 hours, but here is what I found.

That's bad.

Blue is the colour code for water. Yellow tape should have been used on gas pipe!

 

[Norman_E]

It almost beggers belief that anyone would tape over a hole in a gas pipe.

 

[KREW2]

To be fair they had put a bit of plastic metal, or some other gunk on it as well

 

[pvb]

To be fair they had put a bit of plastic metal, or some other gunk on it as well

But from what you've said about the difficulty of getting the pipe out, it sounds as if the installer must have patched the pipe before installing it!

 

[Sandyman]

That's bad.

Blue is the colour code for water. Yellow tape should have been used on gas pipe!

Thats right. Even to cover a hole !!!!!

To be fair they had put a bit of plastic metal, or some other gunk on it as well

Be fair my arse, its just total incompetence who ever did it.

 

[DanTribe]

Horrendous, but if you hadn't found it you you may not have known anything about it! Just another unexplained explosion.
That's a few hours very well spent.

 

[rob2]

Glad you've got that sorted. The thing that worries me about gas is the number of people who have bought an item of safety equipment and then don't give the issue another thought.

Rob

 

[KREW2]

But from what you've said about the difficulty of getting the pipe out, it sounds as if the installer must have patched the pipe before installing it!

No, I'm pretty sure the pipe was the original installed by Westerly, the boat was built around it, hence the difficulty getting it out. So, pulling through the new pipe is going to be a challenge, but we'll see.
The tape in the picture was about 18 inches back from where it was connected to the cooker gas cut off tap, I only noticed it when I shone a torch up between the cooker well and the hull. It was only accessible, through the hole that the water pump fits into, so, although doable it would have been a tricky job to get the tape on with one hand.

 

[KREW2]

Be fair my arse, its just total incompetence who ever did it.

Do you not do irony?

 

[Talulah]

Do you not do irony?

So where can he get yellow tape from so he can repair it?

 

[VicS]

So where can he get yellow tape from so he can repair it?

He can't it is only available to Corgi registered gas fitters.

 

[Talulah]

He can't it is only available to Corgi registered gas fitters.

That will explain the blue tape then.

 

[DavidGrieves]

Maybe it's a Westerly thing... I replaced the gas pipe on my GK29, the old one was just lying in the bilges not clipped or fastened anywhere. I re-routed a new pipe and fastened it down so it can't move.

Many years ago whilst working for a council maintenance contractor I pulled up a floor board in a kitchen and realised I'd pulled a nail out of a gas pipe which caused a leak. The nail had probably been in there about 30+ years. I bet there are loads of gas explosions waiting to happen...

 

[Hoolie]

He can't it is only available to Corgi registered gas fitters.

But now Corgi has been replaced by Gas Safe then NOBODY can get yellow tape

 

[VicS]

But now Corgi has been replaced by Gas Safe then NOBODY can get yellow tape

Electricians can get it... used to identify the yellow phase on three phase systems.

Now someone will come along and tell me they have changed the colours on three phase systems !

 

[fisherman]

As in that thread (I think) here is the gas alarm I got from e bay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-Dual-...ervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item1c20f4f3a5

Would flexible pipe be more or less robust? I would be inclined to shove a piece of alkathene through, then the gas pipe inside it.

 

[Searush]

Electricians can get it... used to identify the yellow phase on three phase systems.

(snip)!

But would electrical yellow tape be up to the requisite gas safety standards?

Please don't anyone take this as a serious post!!!!

 

[Sandyman]

Please don't anyone take this as a serious post!!!!

No I wont. Dont understand Irony.

A Leckys yellow tape aint got GAS written on it, hence no use at fixing gas leaks.

 

[PCUK]

How about electricians tape and indelible ink?
While on the subject of gas safety no one has yet mentioned the importance of using safety matches when checking for leaks! (Boom Boom!)