UK Landlord Forum / Life

I have received a gas warning notice. My supply has not been turned off. Apparently the gas supply pipe is too small, 15mm instead of 22mm. This pipe has not been changed in any way in the last ten years. What am I advised to do?

Ask the engineer who issued the certificate? If it's just a not to current standards thing then it can wait. How old is the boiler and what sort is it - combi or system?

If this has arisen from a GSC I am at a loss as to how a small pipe - that would be said to not meet current standards, maybe (even though plenty of boilers, IDEAL Logic+ is one, are perfectly happy with a 15mm supply - it often depends on how many appliances you have running from it) - would result in a gas warning notice - which are supposed to be for safety issues, right? Should a small pipe result in a safety issue? I'm no gas expert, but I already know I have 1 property that has a 15mm run to the boiler (not just the last few metres either).

First port of call is the Engineer... wonder if it's a quiet time of year. No-one wants a sticker on their gear.

As I understand it, the theoretical risk arises if you've got a high-powered boiler, particularly something like a combi, and some other appliance like a hob or a gas fire. When the boiler fires up it's like somebody flushing the lav when you're in the shower - it drops the pressure in the system. If the pressure drops low enough for the hob/gas fire to go out completely, then it's bad news when the boiler cycles down again and the gas starts flowing out of an unlit appliance. It's a highly unlikely scenario but, given the potentially kaboomish consequences, they understandably err on the side of caution these days.

Regulations are that the feed pipe to your boiler must be 22mm. The  thinking is that if your boiler is at full belt supply will not keep up with demand. It's a fussy inspector that will fail a gas safety inspection because of it.
It's always a good policy to get it changed if you are having major work done or a new boiler fitted.