Odd looking gas fitting

[notsocool]

Just trying to set my mind at ease with all you experts out there...

I moved into this property last year. In the back lounge is an old open fireplace (seems unchanged from the original build c.1933). But what's odd about it is someone has placed a modern gas inset fire into the old iron fire basket. I have to say it looks pretty good and fits reasonably well but you can see some adjustments have been made to get the inset to fit the grate - the fireback stone has been grooved/chanelled horizontally so the inset slots into it and sits properly and the front left/right tips of the inset itself have been bent downwards to accommodate for the shape of the basket which is slightly rounded at the front.

My concern is more with the gas pipework. On the left of basket, in the corner of the fireplace WALL (not in the floor) is a 1 inch 8mm gas restrictor valve. The valve is sticking out of the wall towards you and is about 8-10mm from the base of the fireplace. There is a 1" to 1.5" visible 8mm pipe coming out of it that then goes to a lever arm ball valve (I've seen B&Q sell similar ones for about £7, they have a yellow stripe in the lever). The pipe then leaves this valve, goes into and under the firebasket and the gas inset and terminates at what appears to another gas restrictor valve - although this restrictor appears to be part of the inset !!

Is this acceptable/normal???

There are no leaks as far as I'm aware (no smell of gas) and I have carbon monoxide detector that does not trigger when the fire is on but it just appears odd. Maybe if the lever arm valve wasn't there I'd think, "Fine", but because it is there it just seems like an overkill.

Your thoughts, please?

 

[Terrywookfit]

Have it checked by a R G I !!

Next time you use it could be your last!!

 

[ChrisR]

Don't use it until it's checked by an rgi. Fires kill. Can you post a pic?

 

[notsocool]

Thanks for the advice.

I've been down to my local gas fitter's this afternon - they supply, fit and service all forms of fires, whether gas or coal/wood, and I described to them what I have. To my surprise they sell exactly the same sort of thing! I've discovered it's called a "taper inset" and the one I have is a 16" standard burner.

Having Googled it, I've found this to be a very close match,
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/skins/popups/scene7.jsp?skuId=9281912

As for the pipework, they said they couldn't explain the lever valve but everything else sounded as it should be and they themselves have fitted several gas taper insets to old open fires over the years! But they would come out and inspect the setup if I wanted to just to be sure. They even said, an "in the wall restrictor" wasn't unusual as long as it met the installation standards (is that true?)

Don't get me wrong, the work "looks" neat and professional. The taper gas fire has all its pipework under the burner shielded by a metal cover, like most fires do. It's just that I've never seen these "tapers" before or a restrictor fitted to a wall...

Will know soon enough when they've looked it over!