Working Safely with Gas Installations

Before you begin any building work on your property, it's absolutely critical to understand the precise location of the gas service pipes and your gas meter. These essential pipes transport gas from the main supply line directly to your home. If your construction plans might bring you close to any existing gas infrastructure, you must immediately contact your Gas Transporter or an approved Utility Infrastructure Provider.

Understanding Your Gas Supply

Let's clarify how gas typically reaches your property. If your home was constructed before the 1970s, your gas meter was likely installed inside, with metallic service pipes often integrated within the building's structure. Over time, Gas Transporters have been replacing these older pipes with modern polyethylene material. This upgrade often requires moving the meter to a new position, usually on an outside wall, to comply with contemporary safety and installation standards.

For newly built properties, the service pipe will almost certainly be made of polyethylene and will lead directly to a preferred external location for your meter. However, in some instances, a gas service pipe still enters a property with the meter located indoors. You can usually identify this by a distinctive grey pipe running vertically and then through an external wall.

Crucial Rules for Building Work Near Gas

When you undertake any construction project – whether you're erecting a new structure, adding an extension, or underpinning an existing building – you have a critical responsibility. Your work must never negatively impact the gas service pipe, its emergency control valve, or the gas meter.

Specifically, your building activities must actively avoid the following scenarios:

• Installing a gas meter designed for medium-pressure or higher supply within a domestic property.

• Moving any part of the gas infrastructure – including the service pipe, emergency control, or the meter – from its existing outdoor location to inside your building.

• Placing a gas service pipe underneath the foundations of any structure.

• Allowing the service pipe to compromise the structural integrity of your building or diminish the fire resistance of any part of its construction.

• Creating any obstruction that restricts easy access to the emergency control valve.

• Positioning the gas meter in an area that:

  • Adversely affects your ability to escape from the premises during a fire.

  • Presents a risk of damage from nearby electrical apparatus.

  • Is not readily accessible for routine inspections and necessary maintenance.

Why These Rules Matter: Potential Risks to Avoid

Carrying out building work directly over or around gas equipment without proper care can lead to several serious risks. Here’s why it’s so important to follow the guidelines:

• Inability to Isolate Leaks: If access to the emergency control valve is blocked, you won't be able to quickly shut off the gas supply in the event of a gas leak further down the line.

• Pipe Strain and Damage: Gas service pipes were not designed to operate under the stress of being beneath or integrated within a building's foundation. This can cause undue strain and potential damage to the pipe.

• Unsuitable Material for Internal Use: While polyethylene pipework is ideal for transporting gas externally, its material properties and performance in a fire make it unsuitable for unprotected use inside your property.

• Undetected Gas Build-up: There is a significant danger of gas leaking without being immediately noticed. This could lead to hazardous concentrations of gas accumulating within hidden voids or confined spaces, posing a serious safety threat.

For more detailed information and guidance, you can consult these valuable resources:

1. Discover your local gas network operator

2. The Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (IGEM)

3. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998