Disconnecting a Gas Fireplace

[freshy]

Hi,

I have a Gas Fireplace which i need to remove asap as I am getting my chimney swept. However it has a gas connection which I can not figure out how to remove.

Here is a picture

It looks like a T junction with a screw on one end and the pipe to the fireplace on the other end.

Does anyone know how I can disconnect and remove the pipe to the fireplace safetly? The screw just seems to control the gas flow to the fire but does not entirely cut off the gas...

Thanks for your advice.

Freshy

 

[clink]

We have one very similar on our fire at the mo. It is a valve. Underneath the screw we have another one that when turned shuts off the gas.

Hope this helps

 

[freshy]

Hi Clink,

Sorry for the slow reply the house is upside down at the moment!

You were correct, there is another screw underneath the first one that turns the gas off. I was a little worried opening the first one as it gas coming out.

Thanks

Freshy

 

[The Baker]

Hi freshy it would be advisable to open the doors and windows to that room if/when you attempt to disconect your fire incase the job goes toes up and you are presented with an "uncontrolled gas escape!

OR

you could ask a local gas bloke how much they would charge to do it for you.

OR

get a Sweep who does gas as well as soot.

Tim

 

[chrishutt]

Freshy, the law (Gas Safety Regs) says that only competent people can work on gas supplies. In this case competence would include understanding how this gas valve works, which you don't. Therefore you are not competent.

Even if you knew how the valve works, would you know how test for gas tightness after the fire was disconnected? Or what to do if the valve failed to operate properly or broke and you had a gas leak? And would you know how the gas fire and closure plate should be arranged when replaced? Most importantly would you know how to test the flue after it was swept, or to check the gas fire for spillage? These are also issues of competence in relation to this job.

 

[KrisNimetty]

Hi I have the same question I have a simillar t junction on my fire as the picture the only difference to my question is I have had a gas safe engineer out and he has isolated the gas at the junction in the picture and also tested to see if it was leaking now what I need to know is can I now disconnected the fire and remove it as its an old 1970 fire and as we have radiators now we just don't need it and it so unsightly and do I Unscrew the pipe from the t junction and once unscrewed do I need to put a seal in where I have take pipe out of

 

[muggles]

No, you can't, the valve needs to be correctly plugged off using an approved fitting, and tested for gas tightness, it is not sufficient to simply turn it off. Why didn't you get your Gas Safe Engineer to disconnect it for you when he visited to turn it off?

 

[KrisNimetty]

Because its a council house he would not remove the fire without there permission first.He came out for are annual gas saftey check but he isolated the gas to the fire because we have a wooden surround around the fire

 

[muggles]

Well surely if he can't remove it without their permission then you can't either, even if it was legal for you to do so, which it isn't. You'll need a Gas Safe Engineer to do it, and by the sounds of it permission from the Council as well. As it's been isolated from the gas, you could always find something to stand in front of it if you don't like the look of it (what were you intending to put in the hole once you'd taken it out??)

 

[KrisNimetty]

No we have permission to take it out but he didn't as he was only here to do a gas safety check I could call in any gas safe engineer to take it out i have permission for that but was just wondering if I could do it myself we are having the hole bricked up As the fire sticks out from the wall by about 5 and half inches sticking something infront of it ain't going to work as it a small room and what ever we stick infront of it take more room up