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Gas pipe maintenance

I have recently bought a property. I am looking at installing gas central heating and there is a gas pipe under the stairs which is capped off with no tap on it.

We have contact national grid who have sent out an engineer to do a live or dead check and he says he cannot complete this check as it would mean removing the cap and if it is live it would let gas into the property.

I have been advised that I need to pay for a new gas connection which will cost £480!!!!

Who's responsibility is it to pay for this, there is already a pipe there but they say they need to replace the pipe.

Comments

  • penrhyn
    penrhyn Posts: 15,215 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Your responsibility.
    That gum you like is coming back in style.
  • ollski
    ollski Posts: 943 Forumite
    Get an installer out to quote for your boiler, it will be up to him to check your supply.
  • newbie1980
    newbie1980 Posts: 2,016 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    ollski wrote: »
    Get an installer out to quote for your boiler, it will be up to him to check your supply.

    thats all well and good but the installer will just add £480 for the gas install ontop as it has to be done
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,668 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    It is almost a certainty that the pipe is dead otherwise if it were live, it would likely have a capped valve on it.

    Having said that there is a remote possibility that it is live but capped with no valve.

    The attending Engineer will not take the cap off simply becuase if it were live,there would be an uncontrolled escape of gas into the premises. He cannot do that for safety and procedural reasons.

    It therefore falls upon the householder/property owner to pay for a new (plastic) service to be installed which will run from the main in the road right up to the property.

    An installer would be acting outside of scope if he were to remove the cap from a blank service pipe which had no valve on it.

    Further,no gas supplier will authorise the fitting of a meter to a service which is dead.

    Can the previous property owner say when gas was last used?

    If more than a year, then Public Gas transporters are obliged under legislation ,to disconnect the unused service pipe as close to the main as possible.
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
  • ollski
    ollski Posts: 943 Forumite
    newbie1980 wrote: »
    thats all well and good but the installer will just add £480 for the gas install ontop as it has to be done

    Yep, if it transpires you have no supply.
  • chanz4
    chanz4 Posts: 11,057 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Xmas Saver!
    £480 is cheap, normal cost is £1k +
    Don't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,668 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    A team will be sent. They will excavate in the public highway,install a new service and the highway will be repaired to the specification required of the local authority. Thats probably two men,half a days work,vehicles,fuel,materials etc. None of it is free.
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
  • lemontart
    lemontart Posts: 6,037 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    A team will be sent. They will excavate in the public highway,install a new service and the highway will be repaired to the specification required of the local authority. Thats probably two men,half a days work,vehicles,fuel,materials etc. None of it is free.

    And the costs of the license from the council to dig, staff to process payments, etc added in.
    I am responsible me, myself and I alone I am not the keeper others thoughts and words.
  • spiro
    spiro Posts: 6,405 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    A new supply will also mean the meter is fitted to the outside of the property at the front (nearest mains) and not under the stairs as it was previously.
    IT Consultant in the utilities industry specialising in the retail electricity market.

    4 Credit Card and 1 Loan PPI claims settled for £26k, 1 rejected (Opus).
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,668 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    #10 Services are normally renewed to the existing position unless the customer wishes to pay additional costs.
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
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