Gas Pipe Removal, Gas Safe Engineer

PoGee

How much should it cost to remove a defunct gas pipe? There's one that supplied an open gas fire in the lounge that the previous owners used. The fire is no longer in the fireplace but the pipe is. I want to get rid of it so that I can use a log burner there instead. The pipe is capped at the moment.
The engineer would need to lift floor board (there's a hatch near the gas meter) and remove the 'sleeve' and then cap off. I called one, and he said he'd 'cut off at the T', and re-solder the supply from the main pipe to supply to boiler. We have an electric cooker. Wouldn't it be better to just cut the pipe where it turns towards the lounge and cap off there? Charge is £150.

nofoollikeold

1. I agree with the engineer.  Better to remove the pipe completely and replace the tee with a straight coupler to the boiler pipework.  More professional approach with less to go wrong in future.  
2. Don't know where you are in the country or how difficult access is.  For London suburbs price sounds slightly high / just about right.  

PoGee

Thanks nofoollikeold. We're in West Scotland. He's doing the service at £90. All in, including VAT will be £240, although it may be that he doesn't charge VAT.

grumbler

With current energy prices you may want to switch to a gas hob at some point. I'd keep the pipe to the kitchen if there is one - just in case.

PoGee

grumbler said:

With current energy prices you may want to switch to a gas hob at some point. I'd keep the pipe to the kitchen if there is one - just in case.

There's never been a gas cooker here. I'm happy with the electric one because the smell gas cookers give off, puts me off. The cooker is expensive to run but I got a combi over/micro/grill and noticed that the bill came down, when I started using that. I have an electric pressure cooker, which has a frying option so use that when need a hob, which also uses less electric than cooker.