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hammers4spanner

Esteemed
Plumber
Gas Engineer
Subscribed
Mar 21, 2012
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Just had an email that has made my heart skip a beat saying I have a gas leak of .75mbar on an install that has been in for 8 months. I guess the engineer has used an electronic meter as its a national company so if I recall that is .25 tolerance for the electronic gauge which brings it down to .5 drop.they state as new install its allowed no drop however when I installed 8 months ago it had no drop on day of commission which imho is then classed as new install.

Would you guys still class this as new install ?

Also the sub meter and pipework is in a cleaning cupboard so God knows what has been flattered into it over last few.months.

Their is an appliance as well on pipework

Their is also no smell of gas

Also do you think the engineer should have just used common sense here?
 
What are they looking for here? You to go back and trace leak or rerun gas free of charge?
 
got to ask why someone else was testing the system, could they have smelt gas? I'd pop round and look myself if it were me. I have had a soldered joint crack in the past and end up swivelling round! does scare you what custards can do!!!
 
I'd re test my gauge has a funny five minutes every now and again. Also they are really sensitive if you hold your hand on the anaconda you can cancel out a 1 mbar drop always worth testing.
 
That's a bit anal for sure, If it bothers you I'd go and re test it to see for yourself, large companies guys can talk a lot of shyte.
I don't 100% know when new becomes existing but 6 months + is plenty of time for pipes to be bash in the meter cupboard or stuff like that.
 
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I would go and test again myself.
went to a job 2 months ago where mains gas had been upgraded and on testing this particular house it had failed so they had capped him of, when I attended it didn't drop atall.
think it could have been his manometer or him just wanting to get on and into the next property having to test 100's of houses so with the slightest movement was easier for him to just cap of and say you'll need to get this looked at.


As for the new/existing thing if I now attended that job I would class it as an existing as it is not a new install to me.
 
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Thats the only thing about machines . At least water never lies. Id defo return and test yourself. Just incase it was a heeder what checked it. And was probably the same heeder he probably nudged the meter on being rawch causing a slight leak. Excuse the slang
 
Thing is the company say it's relatively new , well it's either New or existing imo

But they say I have to go and repair leak
 
new m.o.t only valid for a day of testing but lasts for 1 year!!

cant be responsible for what happens after that..

go and cap your own istall then check first, if its ok give them a price to find the leak elsewhere..
 
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Just had clarfication from gas safe over this and it becomes existing immediately o completion of commission
 
A national company! It’s nice of them to send you the e-mail. But what’s it got to do with you!? You were there 8 month ago and had a PASS. They need to crack on with it! It’s not a new install anymore and as you are saying, there’s an appliance on the carcass. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Let them get on with it!
 
Im with Kris..water never lies. When testing low pressure domestic and small commercial installations, there is no requirement to use an electronic guage and for good reason..so why do it? As an example,the other day i visited a commercial premise that had 2 U16 meters supplying diferent parts of the building. An allegedly I&C certificated GSR was there looking for an imaginary leak and had been there for two days. He said that both ECVc were passing. There were a pair of brand new 2" ECVs on the set, one for each meter inlet. He was using a digital guage. The both installations had good runs of stell pipe, in particular both sections ran through a cold cellar and at least one ran outside for a fair length to feed a commercial kitchen. Seen the weather lately? Its been quite warm..even hot lately..
 
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Over in Ireland Bord Gais won't let you use a electronic meter for testing a new installation. A 100 mbar u tube gauge must be used.
 
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