Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Cowboy plumbers - question about elderly neighbour
129 views
Skip to first unread message
Rod
Apr 19, 2013, 5:47:49 PM4/19/13
to
Hi,
My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
I don't know precisely who has commissioned the installers, but I have a
horrible feeling they have done a quick and rubbish job as they think
that she is an old lady who is not paying herself and won't complain. I
need to find out from her who the grant was from.
Does anyone know if there are any legal/building regulations that
prohibit this work, running the pipes on the outside of the house. I
want to do something to get this fixed before the winter for her, but I
need to work out a gameplan.
Cheers
Rod
My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
I don't know precisely who has commissioned the installers, but I have a
horrible feeling they have done a quick and rubbish job as they think
that she is an old lady who is not paying herself and won't complain. I
need to find out from her who the grant was from.
Does anyone know if there are any legal/building regulations that
prohibit this work, running the pipes on the outside of the house. I
want to do something to get this fixed before the winter for her, but I
need to work out a gameplan.
Cheers
Rod
Michael Kilpatrick
Apr 19, 2013, 6:25:38 PM4/19/13
to
to quote any particular regulation - it's blindingly obvious, surely?
Part of the heating system on the *outside* of the house!?
To help your neighbour, could you call Trading Standards? Even if it's
the wrong first port of call, surely they would help? Can you ask her if
she has handed out any money herself?
And your local city/district/county councillor?
Michael
tony sayer
Apr 19, 2013, 6:33:23 PM4/19/13
to
In article <9Yict.18768$Hx7....@fx11.fr7>, Rod <rod.zz...@nospam.nt
lworld.com> scribeth thus
done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
If they have run a water pipe outside then thats got to be worth a U
tube vid at least;!..
You might be best off contacting "Gas-safe" I think its called these
days or ask your local building control office at the city council if in
Cam city for their opinion.
Have you got the name of the installers as they should be gas safe
registered if working on domestic properties for gain..
I've posted this to uk.d-i-y for comment, some Gasman in there;)..
>
>I don't know precisely who has commissioned the installers, but I have a
>horrible feeling they have done a quick and rubbish job as they think
>that she is an old lady who is not paying herself and won't complain. I
>need to find out from her who the grant was from.
>
>Does anyone know if there are any legal/building regulations that
>prohibit this work, running the pipes on the outside of the house. I
>want to do something to get this fixed before the winter for her, but I
>need to work out a gameplan.
>
>Cheers
>Rod
--
Tony Sayer
lworld.com> scribeth thus
>Hi,
>
>My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
>grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
>have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
>run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
>back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
>This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
>the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
>
>My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
>grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
>have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
>run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
>back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
>This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
>the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
If they have run a water pipe outside then thats got to be worth a U
tube vid at least;!..
You might be best off contacting "Gas-safe" I think its called these
days or ask your local building control office at the city council if in
Cam city for their opinion.
Have you got the name of the installers as they should be gas safe
registered if working on domestic properties for gain..
I've posted this to uk.d-i-y for comment, some Gasman in there;)..
>
>I don't know precisely who has commissioned the installers, but I have a
>horrible feeling they have done a quick and rubbish job as they think
>that she is an old lady who is not paying herself and won't complain. I
>need to find out from her who the grant was from.
>
>Does anyone know if there are any legal/building regulations that
>prohibit this work, running the pipes on the outside of the house. I
>want to do something to get this fixed before the winter for her, but I
>need to work out a gameplan.
>
>Cheers
>Rod
Tony Sayer
Tim Ward
Apr 19, 2013, 6:44:02 PM4/19/13
to
On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>
> It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
> done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
>
> It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
> done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
it seems to be common practice now.
--
Tim Ward
www.brettward.co.uk
Andrew Gabriel
Apr 19, 2013, 7:07:51 PM4/19/13
to
In article <atdvli...@mid.individual.net>,
and it is also often mounted in a position where it is likely to
get damaged. I've often wondered if the regs should be changed to
require iron pipework outside unless the pipework is well out of
reach and out of danager of being damaged.
The other thing is that it should be sleeved where it passes through
the wall, and it very often isn't. The pipe should be sealed to the
sleeve on the inside only with a suitable flexible mastic, so that
any leak inside the wall will result in the gas being discharged only
to the outside, without any possibility of the gas leaking into the
inside of the wall construction or the inside of the building. The
sleeve also serves to prevent the copper being in contact with
certain building materials such as mortar and plaster, which can
corrode through it.
--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> writes:
> On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>>
>> It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
>> done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> it seems to be common practice now.
It's proved to be a fantastic opportunity for nicking copper pipe,
> On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>>
>> It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
>> done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> it seems to be common practice now.
and it is also often mounted in a position where it is likely to
get damaged. I've often wondered if the regs should be changed to
require iron pipework outside unless the pipework is well out of
reach and out of danager of being damaged.
The other thing is that it should be sleeved where it passes through
the wall, and it very often isn't. The pipe should be sealed to the
sleeve on the inside only with a suitable flexible mastic, so that
any leak inside the wall will result in the gas being discharged only
to the outside, without any possibility of the gas leaking into the
inside of the wall construction or the inside of the building. The
sleeve also serves to prevent the copper being in contact with
certain building materials such as mortar and plaster, which can
corrode through it.
--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
Duncan Wood
Apr 20, 2013, 2:59:53 AM4/20/13
to
On Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:44:02 +0100, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> wrote:
> On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>>
>> It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
>> done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> it seems to be common practice now.
>
given the explosion risk it's considered preferable to running them in
> On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>>
>> It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
>> done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> it seems to be common practice now.
>
voids.
harry
Apr 20, 2013, 4:36:25 AM4/20/13
to
On Apr 19, 11:44 pm, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> wrote:
> On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>
>
>
> > It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
> > done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> it seems to be common practice now.
The reason it's done is that if there's a leak, there can be no build
> On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>
>
>
> > It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
> > done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> it seems to be common practice now.
up of gas that could cause an explosion.
These gas explosions invariably occur when a cupboard/floor space/
cavity wall etc. fills with gas from maybe a very small leak.
However as someone else says, the pipe gets nicked if copper.
They should be installing screwed steel pipe but the NVQ plumbers we
get these days don't know how to do it or have the equipment.
CWatters
Apr 20, 2013, 6:04:40 AM4/20/13
to
On 19/04/2013 22:47, Rod wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
> grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
> have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
> run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
> back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
> This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
> the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
If it really is a water pipe then it's madness and should be stopped.
>
> My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
> grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
> have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
> run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
> back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
> This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
> the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
If it's a gas pipe it might be ok but I don't think it should be
anywhere where a car could easily hit it.
Roland Perry
Apr 20, 2013, 6:09:16 AM4/20/13
to
In message <Etedncclm7nW9e_M...@brightview.co.uk>, at
11:04:40 on Sat, 20 Apr 2013, CWatters
<colin....@NOturnersoakSPAM.plus.com> remarked:
it's hot and a gas pipe, then run!
--
Roland Perry
11:04:40 on Sat, 20 Apr 2013, CWatters
<colin....@NOturnersoakSPAM.plus.com> remarked:
>If it really is a water pipe then it's madness and should be stopped.
>
>If it's a gas pipe it might be ok but I don't think it should be
>anywhere where a car could easily hit it.
Is the pipe hot? If it's hot and a water pie it needs re-routing. If
>
>If it's a gas pipe it might be ok but I don't think it should be
>anywhere where a car could easily hit it.
it's hot and a gas pipe, then run!
--
Roland Perry
Alan
Apr 20, 2013, 6:30:17 AM4/20/13
to
On Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:47:49 +0100, Rod
<rod.zz...@nospam.ntlworld.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
> grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
> have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
> run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
> back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
> This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
> the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
>
Have you spoke with the neighbour, or seen what has actually been done?
<rod.zz...@nospam.ntlworld.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My elderly next-door neighbour lives on her own now, and she has had a
> grant to have a central heating system installed at last. The installers
> have been round the last few days, but today I noticed that they have
> run the pipework along the outside of the house, from the kitchen in the
> back (where the boiler is) to the front room.
> This can't be right, as the pipework is uninsulated and will freeze when
> the temperature drops, plus all the heat that will be lost.
>
If it's gas, and preferably in steel, it's probably alright.
If not, I think it's Citizens Advice these days. Trading Standards has
been greatly cut down as to what it does for consumers.
Also Help the Aged might be able to give the neighbour some advice and
support if necessary.
--
Alan
To Reply, use e-s.news AT ourmailbox.org.uk in a sensible manner....
Duncan Wood
Apr 20, 2013, 6:51:32 AM4/20/13
to
Tim Ward
Apr 20, 2013, 7:08:11 AM4/20/13
to
On 20/04/2013 11:51, Duncan Wood wrote:
>
> Surely it's building control?
Whichever, (he says, being responsible for building control in the
>
> Surely it's building control?
city), all these agencies have limited resources, and if it *does* turn
out to be a gas pipe correctly fitted according to regulations, whilst
any of these agencies would no doubt be happy to provide reassurance,
one suspects that they'd be even happier to be able to spend their time
on things that are actually dangerous or illegal or whatever.
--
Tim Ward
www.brettward.co.uk
tony sayer
Apr 20, 2013, 7:35:00 AM4/20/13
to
In article <op.wvt5r6tsloxewg@duncan-tosh>, Duncan Wood
<nnt...@dmx512.co.uk> scribeth thus
Would be worth a call..
Best bet if to see if he's on this list if not then he's or they are in
trouble;!...
http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/
--
Tony Sayer
<nnt...@dmx512.co.uk> scribeth thus
Best bet if to see if he's on this list if not then he's or they are in
trouble;!...
http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/
--
Tony Sayer
ARW
Apr 20, 2013, 8:36:50 AM4/20/13
to
--
Adam
Theo Markettos
Apr 20, 2013, 5:51:31 PM4/20/13
to
Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> Is the pipe hot? If it's hot and a water pie it needs re-routing. If
> it's hot and a gas pipe, then run!
Is it one pipe or two? If it's one, it could be gas to supply a fire in the
> Is the pipe hot? If it's hot and a water pie it needs re-routing. If
> it's hot and a gas pipe, then run!
living room. If it's two, that's more likely to be a water feed and return.
Theo
Tim Ward
Apr 20, 2013, 6:07:50 PM4/20/13
to
rosen...@cix.compulink.co.uk
Apr 20, 2013, 7:40:12 PM4/20/13
to
magwitch
Apr 21, 2013, 8:06:38 PM4/21/13
to
insurance policy he'd taken out just before a heart bypass operation
aged 79 15 years ago. It was to pay for his funeral expenses if the
worst happened.
He's been paying for it ever since as if he stops, the policy is voided.
They brought in a rule several years ago, that no more premiums were
necessary after the insured reached the age of 90, but as the policy was
started before this rule was in place, he still has to pay... he's paid
for at least 3 funerals by now after 15 years' contributions and can't
afford legal advice on the matter.
I contacted Age UK to see if they could offer any legal service and they
promised a solicitor would phone to advise him on the matter - he never
called and they did nothing about it.
All these charities are just money spinners for charity employees.
Al Grant
Apr 22, 2013, 2:36:29 PM4/22/13
to
On Apr 20, 1:36 pm, "ARW" <adamwadswo...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> Bollocks. It's run externally due to costs.
Also happens when replacing an old boiler with a combi that
> Bollocks. It's run externally due to costs.
needs a larger supply pipe - it can be a lot cheaper to route
the new pipe outside even if the original supply was inside.
Man at B&Q
Apr 23, 2013, 4:58:57 AM4/23/13
to
On Apr 20, 9:36 am, harry <harry130...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> On Apr 19, 11:44 pm, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>
> > > It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
> > > done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> > Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> > it seems to be common practice now.
>
> The reason it's done is that if there's a leak, there can be no build
> up of gas that could cause an explosion.
No. It's done because it's too difficult, disruptive or expensive to
> On Apr 19, 11:44 pm, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > On 19/04/2013 23:33, tony sayer wrote:
>
> > > It -might- be the gas pipe, that is sometimes done or at least it was
> > > done whether or not its OK practice now I don't know.
>
> > Gas pipes outside did seem very odd to me the first time I saw it, but
> > it seems to be common practice now.
>
> The reason it's done is that if there's a leak, there can be no build
> up of gas that could cause an explosion.
run it internalyl from wherever the existing supply is to wherever the
new boiler is sited, e.g. due to concrete floors.
MBQ
Man at B&Q
Apr 23, 2013, 5:00:40 AM4/23/13
to
remember the fitter had about a 12" high crawl space under the floor
when my parents had a new gas fire fitted in the front room.
Is that not done any more?
MBQ
rosen...@cix.compulink.co.uk
Apr 23, 2013, 5:27:06 AM4/23/13
to
In article
<e91f4ec9-ce4c-4738...@ot10g2000pbb.googlegroups.com>,
Our kitchen gas supply was encased in concrete when the floor was screeded
30 years ago. A leak was detected so running a new pipe above the floor and
round the outside of the back of the house to the boiler was the only
option. At least the risk of theft is low there.
Colin Rosenstiel
<e91f4ec9-ce4c-4738...@ot10g2000pbb.googlegroups.com>,
30 years ago. A leak was detected so running a new pipe above the floor and
round the outside of the back of the house to the boiler was the only
option. At least the risk of theft is low there.
Colin Rosenstiel
Duncan Wood
Apr 23, 2013, 9:53:01 AM4/23/13
to
On Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:40 +0100, Man at B&Q <manat...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
It depends on whether it's ventilated
" Where any installation pipework is not itself contained in a ventilated
duct, no person shall install any installation pipework in any shaft, duct
or void which is not adequately ventilated"
wrote:
" Where any installation pipework is not itself contained in a ventilated
duct, no person shall install any installation pipework in any shaft, duct
or void which is not adequately ventilated"
Dave Plowman (News)
Apr 23, 2013, 10:15:39 AM4/23/13
to
In article <op.wvzx6n18loxewg@duncan-tosh>,
it's not a gas leak is going to be the least of your likely problems.
--
*Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.
Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
Duncan Wood <nnt...@dmx512.co.uk> wrote:
> It depends on whether it's ventilated " Where any installation pipework
> is not itself contained in a ventilated duct, no person shall install
> any installation pipework in any shaft, duct or void which is not
> adequately ventilated"
I'd hope a crawl space under a suspended wood floor is ventilated - if
> It depends on whether it's ventilated " Where any installation pipework
> is not itself contained in a ventilated duct, no person shall install
> any installation pipework in any shaft, duct or void which is not
> adequately ventilated"
it's not a gas leak is going to be the least of your likely problems.
--
*Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.
Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
ARW
Apr 23, 2013, 12:09:13 PM4/23/13
to
laminate/tiled floor to get the pipe under the floorboards or running the
pipe work externally and you can guess what they choose.
--
Adam
0 new messages