Hi,

just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
maintenance company for a few weeks.

When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter to
recommision it.

What exactly is this 'capping off'?

There is no obvious external sign.

Has a barrier of some sort been inserted into the pipework on the output
side of the meter?

I have turned the gas fire part of the Baxi Bermuda boiler on briefly, but
there doesn't seem to be any flow of gas.

TIA

Dave R

Have you tried the main gas cock? Have they removed the handle? Is
there a blank plate put in the connection to  the meter - easy to
remove. If they complain later just say you know nowt about it it was
already done etc.

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
> maintenance company for a few weeks.
> 
> When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
> that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter to
> recommision it.
> 
> What exactly is this 'capping off'?
> 
> There is no obvious external sign.
> 
> Has a barrier of some sort been inserted into the pipework on the output
> side of the meter?
> 
> I have turned the gas fire part of the Baxi Bermuda boiler on briefly, but
> there doesn't seem to be any flow of gas.
> 
> TIA
> 
> Dave R


Ours was just a split pin to stop the main stopcock being opened IIRC. 
Corgi fitter just said "don't watch this" when he "uncapped" by pulling 
the pin and turning the lever.

HTH

Alex.

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 10:17:53 -0700, jacob wrote:


> Have you tried the main gas cock? Have they removed the handle? Is
> there a blank plate put in the connection to  the meter - easy to
> remove. If they complain later just say you know nowt about it it was
> already done etc.


The main gas tap (handle on the supply side of the meter) turns on and off
fine. First time on there was a slight hiss (probably the diaphragm thing
taking up pressure?).

There is no obvious sign of a blockage - that is why I was wondering if
there could be a blanking plate inside somewhere.

I was looking for information on how 'blanking off' was normally done
(thanks to other posters as well).

I think we ought to have the boiler checked and serviced anyway so a Corgi
guy will no doubt be round in time.

Now struggling with the temptation to unscrew the meter and have a look :-)

Cheers

Dave R

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:12:39 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
 wrote:


>Hi,
>
>just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
>maintenance company for a few weeks.
>
>When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
>that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter to
>recommision it.
>
>What exactly is this 'capping off'?
>
>There is no obvious external sign.
>
>Has a barrier of some sort been inserted into the pipework on the output
>side of the meter?
>
>I have turned the gas fire part of the Baxi Bermuda boiler on briefly, but
>there doesn't seem to be any flow of gas.
>
>TIA
>


Normally when meterwork is done,if the engineer finds that the supply
has been sealed,then he does the meterwork and then refits the seal.
He may also seal the supply if he finds that there is part of the gas
installation that requires further attention eg a new appliance which
requires commissioning.

The reason for this is that the Gas transporter (probably National
Grid-formally national grid transco) responisbility ends at the
emergency control valve and therefore they do not commision
appliances.

The normal practice is to fit a blanking disc in the meter outlet
union or other connection.

The idea then is that the person who has removed this disc ( i.e a
competent person) has permitted gas to flow within the meaning of the
GSIUR and therefore must also commision all connected appliances,test
for soundness and otherwise ensure that all appliances are working
correctly.

Presumably the property maintenance co had previously blanked the
supply and maybe you need to reconct them to do a test and turn on
installation/commision appliances?

HTH

jo

>Dave R





Remove antispam and add 670 after bra to email

Be a good Global citizen-CONSUME>CONFORM>OBEY

Circumcision- A crime and an abuse.
http://www.sexuallymutilatedchild.org/

"David W.E. Roberts"  wrote in
news:pan.2005.09.07.17.12.38.194000@talk21.com: 


> Hi,
> 
> just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
> maintenance company for a few weeks.
> 
> When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
> that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter
> to recommision it.
> 
> What exactly is this 'capping off'?
> 
> There is no obvious external sign.
> 

My hovel was alleged to have gas; after moving in I found there was none.

I'd been "capped off".

Then there was an utter nightmare with British Gas; (it was great to 
dance on their grave as Barnet sank...)

The pipe was disconnected at the streen main, and a plug screwed in the 
hole in the big pipe.

Should have been simple to reverse.... but this is BG.

It cost big bucks to get a pothylene liner put through the existing cast 
iron pipe, and took nearly a month in the depth of winter while I had flu 
and pleurisy

If it hadn't been for one bloke (Steve Thacker), who gave me his office 
number, and industriously chasing the useless morons and workexperience 
clowns who anwered the phone (always promptly, and then put it down again 
and went back to sleep without even realising they'd been conscious) I'd 
be still trying 8 years on. I'm glad to say Steve survived the shakeout, 
he must be the only guy that deserved to.

I would have thought that the police had recruited all BG's staff, but I 
don't think they had the criminal aptitude required for a copper, though 
they are brilliant on wasteofspaceness.

I hope you have better luck on connection, but that's what capping off 
meant to me

mike

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:38:07 +0100, David W.E. Roberts wrote:


> On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 10:17:53 -0700, jacob wrote:
> 
>> Have you tried the main gas cock? Have they removed the handle? Is
>> there a blank plate put in the connection to  the meter - easy to
>> remove. If they complain later just say you know nowt about it it was
>> already done etc.
> 
> The main gas tap (handle on the supply side of the meter) turns on and off
> fine. First time on there was a slight hiss (probably the diaphragm thing
> taking up pressure?).
> 
> There is no obvious sign of a blockage - that is why I was wondering if
> there could be a blanking plate inside somewhere.
> 
> I was looking for information on how 'blanking off' was normally done
> (thanks to other posters as well).
> 
> I think we ought to have the boiler checked and serviced anyway so a Corgi
> guy will no doubt be round in time.
> 
> Now struggling with the temptation to unscrew the meter and have a look :-)
> 

If you remove the blanking plate (a metal disc positioned in the
outlet of the meter) then the responsibility rests with you to ensure that
the rest of the gas installation is up to scratch. 

That means the same as commissioning each and every appliance and
also checking the pipework, then testing for gas tightness. Purging the
air/gas from the pipes.
For each and every appliance you will  be checking that it gas supply,
combustion air, ventilation requirements, flue, safety and normal controls
are in order, plus anything else the manufacturers specify as part of
their commissioning schedule.  


-- 
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk 
Gas fitting FAQ  http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 23:17:45 +0100, Ed Sirett wrote:


> On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:38:07 +0100, David W.E. Roberts wrote:
> 
>> On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 10:17:53 -0700, jacob wrote:
>> 
<snip>
> If you remove the blanking plate (a metal disc positioned in the
> outlet of the meter) then the responsibility rests with you to ensure that
> the rest of the gas installation is up to scratch. 
> 
> That means the same as commissioning each and every appliance and
> also checking the pipework, then testing for gas tightness. Purging the
> air/gas from the pipes.
> For each and every appliance you will  be checking that it gas supply,
> combustion air, ventilation requirements, flue, safety and normal controls
> are in order, plus anything else the manufacturers specify as part of
> their commissioning schedule.


Well put; I understand that the correct thing to do is engage a Corgi
registered engineer to check everything out.

My main interest was in establishing what the 'capping off' was and how it
was done.

Thanks to you and Tarquin for the clear explanations.

Dave R

<snip>

> If you remove the blanking plate (a metal disc positioned in the
> outlet of the meter) then the responsibility rests with you to ensure that
> the rest of the gas installation is up to scratch.
>
> That means the same as commissioning each and every appliance and
> also checking the pipework, then testing for gas tightness. Purging the
> air/gas from the pipes.
> For each and every appliance you will  be checking that it gas supply,
> combustion air, ventilation requirements, flue, safety and normal controls
> are in order, plus anything else the manufacturers specify as part of
> their commissioning schedule.
>
>
> -- 
> Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
> The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
> Gas fitting FAQ  http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
> Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
>
>


Nothing is simple, it seems.

Having read various threads/postings/comments here and elsewhere it seemed
sensible to get a Baxi engineer out to the Baxi boiler/fire.

However (after struggling with a tele op who seemed unable to think) I
established that:

(a) HeatTeam cannot come and service a boiler unless it is already working.
(b) They only do fixed price quotes for repairs.
(c) They can't commision the gas supply (see above).

So I would have to get a local Corgi engineer to commision the gas supply,
which only supplies the boiler (presumably during all the testing etc. doing
most of the work of an annual service) and then get Baxi to come out and
service.

Looks like the local Corgi guy/gal can get to do the lot then.

If I can find one.

I presume all Gas Heating Engineers who advertise in Yellow Pages have to be
Corgi certified?

Cheers
Dave R

David W.E. Roberts  wrote:

> 
> <snip>
>> If you remove the blanking plate (a metal disc positioned in the
>> outlet of the meter) then the responsibility rests with you to ensure that
>> the rest of the gas installation is up to scratch.
>>
<snip>
> I presume all Gas Heating Engineers who advertise in Yellow Pages have to be
> Corgi certified?


I would be very surprised if the yellow pages check at all.
However, to be able to work on gas for money, you need Corgi certification,
or are there any other certifying authorities - what's the situation with
foreign gas fitters?

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:12:39 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
 wrote:


>Hi,
>
>just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
>maintenance company for a few weeks.
>
>When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
>that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter to
>recommision it.
>
>What exactly is this 'capping off'?
>
>There is no obvious external sign.
>
>Has a barrier of some sort been inserted into the pipework on the output
>side of the meter?
>
>I have turned the gas fire part of the Baxi Bermuda boiler on briefly, but
>there doesn't seem to be any flow of gas.
>
>TIA
>


Normally when meterwork is done,if the engineer finds that the supply
has been sealed,then he does the meterwork and then refits the seal.
He may also seal the supply if he finds that there is part of the gas
installation that requires further attention eg a new appliance which
requires commissioning.

The reason for this is that the Gas transporter (probably National
Grid-formally national grid transco) responisbility ends at the
emergency control valve and therefore they do not commision
appliances.

The normal practice is to fit a blanking disc in the meter outlet
union or other connection.

The idea then is that the person who has removed this disc ( i.e a
competent person) has permitted gas to flow within the meaning of the
GSIUR and therefore must also commision all connected appliances,test
for soundness and otherwise ensure that all appliances are working
correctly.

Presumably the property maintenance co had previously blanked the
supply and maybe you need to reconct them to do a test and turn on
installation/commision appliances?

HTH

jo

>Dave R





Remove antispam and add 670 after bra to email

Be a good Global citizen-CONSUME>CONFORM>OBEY

Circumcision- A crime and an abuse.
http://www.sexuallymutilatedchild.org/

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 12:13:53 +0000, Ian Stirling wrote:


> David W.E. Roberts  wrote:
>> 
>> <snip>
>>> If you remove the blanking plate (a metal disc positioned in the
>>> outlet of the meter) then the responsibility rests with you to ensure that
>>> the rest of the gas installation is up to scratch.
>>>
> <snip>
>> I presume all Gas Heating Engineers who advertise in Yellow Pages have to be
>> Corgi certified?
> 
> I would be very surprised if the yellow pages check at all.
> However, to be able to work on gas for money, you need Corgi certification,
> or are there any other certifying authorities - what's the situation with
> foreign gas fitters.


If they aren't registered but they claim to be that's fraud and there are
penalities for it, (if caught). 

AFAIK and from what I've seen the colleges are telling the would be
Gas Fitters from (say) Eastern Europe. "You need to work under super
vision of a registered fitter and complete 'n' job sheets and have
them countersigned. 'n' varies from college to college. 

This together with the the effective need to be quite proficient in
English will keep them from being registered for a little while longer. 
[You need to be able to answer a few hundred multiple choice questions
about the gas regs etc.]


-- 
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk 
Gas fitting FAQ  http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

On 7 Sep 2005 19:56:02 GMT, mike ring
 wrote:


>"David W.E. Roberts"  wrote in
>news:pan.2005.09.07.17.12.38.194000@talk21.com: 
>
>> Hi,
>> 
>> just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
>> maintenance company for a few weeks.
>> 
>> When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
>> that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter
>> to recommision it.
>> 
>> What exactly is this 'capping off'?
>> 
>> There is no obvious external sign.
>> 
>My hovel was alleged to have gas; after moving in I found there was none.
>
>I'd been "capped off".
>


In a house I rented the meter was in the cupboard under the stairs and
the incoming gas main had been detached from the meter and the end
sealed with a very conspicuous cap. 




>Then there was an utter nightmare with British Gas; (it was great to 
>dance on their grave as Barnet sank...)
>
>The pipe was disconnected at the streen main, and a plug screwed in the 
>hole in the big pipe.
>
>Should have been simple to reverse.... but this is BG.
>
>It cost big bucks to get a pothylene liner put through the existing cast 
>iron pipe, and took nearly a month in the depth of winter while I had flu 
>and pleurisy


We wanted our gas meter moving so as to be readable from outside. BG
said they would do it but warned us they would test the incoming gas
main for leaks (it was plastic and only 14 years old), and were there
any they would disconnect the service there and then.

We had just had a brand new concrete block drive laid and they said if
it needed a new pipe they'd have to rip it up over about 30 feet out
to the road. Naturally we didn't want to get blown up in a gas
explosion, but we didn't want our newly laid drive wrecked either.

OTOH BG were quite prepared to cancel the meter job, not do the test,
and walk away, no matter what the condition of the gas pipe.

DG

"David W.E. Roberts"  wrote in message
news:pan.2005.09.07.17.12.38.194000@talk21.com...

> Hi,
>
> just moved into our new home which was 'mothballed' by a property
> maintenance company for a few weeks.
>
> When we had the gas meter changed from key to normal, the gas man said
> that the supply had been 'capped off' and we would need a Corgi fitter to
> recommision it.
>
> What exactly is this 'capping off'?
>
> There is no obvious external sign.
>
> Has a barrier of some sort been inserted into the pipework on the output
> side of the meter?
>
> I have turned the gas fire part of the Baxi Bermuda boiler on briefly, but
> there doesn't seem to be any flow of gas.


There was a 'cap' like the one in the mouth of an old style oil can - just a
thin piece of tin - on the output side of the meter.

All Corgied up and working now.
I have a certificate to prove it.

Cost me 110 plus a new piezo igniter to have it all done, which isn't bad
for the amount of time the bloke spent checking for pressure drops and
cleaning all the sh*t out of the boiler and fire.

He also checked all the header tanks and stuff, and gave what seems like
good advice generally.

I have my first contender to quote for the new system when it goes in.

Cheers

Dave R