Gas installation

[LoneEcho]

After much thought on whether to have gas on board or not, I decided to go down the gas road and have it professionally installed by a gas safe /lpg / boat plumber. The gas pipe, which runs through a cupboard that houses the inverter and the 12v wiring and switches, has a 90 degree compression joint. Reading through the BSS guide I found this:

 

LPG pipes run through petrol engine spaces or electrical

equipment spaces:

n must be jointless and in gas-proof conduit; which also,

n must be jointless with its ends outside the affected space; and,

n the conduit must be complete and free of signs of damage

or deterioration.

 

Now I, a complete novice, would call said cupboard an "electrical

equipment space".

 

I have not spoken to the person in case I have read the BSS wrong (have I ?), but should I contact them and ask for the pipe to be re-run without a joint ?

[WotEver]

should I contact them and ask for the pipe to be re-run without a joint ?

Absolutely.

 

Your understanding of the BSS is correct, and the 'professional' should have known better.

 

Tony

[LoneEcho]

Absolutely.

 

Your understanding of the BSS is correct, and the 'professional' should have known better.

 

Tony

 

Thanks. I thought so, but just could not see how a basic safety requirement had been overlooked. I could understand it if maybe a clip was missing or not spaced correctly. Will give the person a call and hopefully get it put right.

[WotEver]

Thanks. I thought so, but just could not see how a basic safety requirement had been overlooked. I could understand it if maybe a clip was missing or not spaced correctly. Will give the person a call and hopefully get it put right.

Don't forget to ensure that he also encloses it in conduit - basically another (larger) pipe surrounding the gas pipe - as per the second and third points.

 

Tony

[MoominPapa]

I'm not sure it's that simple: is "a cupboard that houses the inverter and the 12v wiring and switches" the same is an "electrical equipment space"? Remove the inverter and you've just described the kitchen cupboards: good luck getting the gas supply and electrical supply to the hob without running them both in the same cupboard. I'm inclined to think that an electrical equipment space would be a gas-tight compartment, and not just a cupboard.

 

MP.

[WotEver]

I'm not sure it's that simple: is "a cupboard that houses the inverter and the 12v wiring and switches" the same is an "electrical equipment space"? Remove the inverter and you've just described the kitchen cupboards: good luck getting the gas supply and electrical supply to the hob without running them both in the same cupboard. I'm inclined to think that an electrical equipment space would be a gas-tight compartment, and not just a cupboard.

 

MP.

Well, I'm not sure because I didn't draft the ruling, but I would have thought that the intent of the rule was to eliminate any chance of gas being inside a box which is subject to sparks (as created by switches). If that is the case, then a cupboard containing fuses and switches (forgetting the inverter for now) would seem like a very dangerous place to have a gas joint.

 

Tony

[steve hayes]

I think MP is right.

No problems with BSS (two different examiners) with the feed, tap, test point in the cupboard next to our cooker. The cupboard also has a fuse for the ignitor for the cooker and a switched fluorescent light to allow us to see in the cupboard.

[MoominPapa]

Well, I'm not sure because I didn't draft the ruling, but I would have thought that the intent of the rule was to eliminate any chance of gas being inside a box which is subject to sparks (as created by switches). If that is the case, then a cupboard containing fuses and switches (forgetting the inverter for now) would seem like a very dangerous place to have a gas joint.

"a box which is subject to sparks" pretty much describes a boat with an electrical installation. Unless the enclosure is pretty much gas tight, a leak will fill the whole boat, from the bottom up, anyway, so why bother? It's worth keeping leaked gas out of gas-tight electrical enclosure, but not a cupboard which is full of holes. Maybe?

 

 

MP.

[PaulJ]

Should not have an elbow fitted- thats what pipe benders are for. Less joints-less chance of leaks. But its BSS -so whereas any of the examiners I have used would fail it (along with running the pipe without conduit through a cupboard containing electrics) your examiner may not together with the examiners I would never use.