On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 22:11:26 +0100, Richard Savage wrote:



Ed Sirett wrote:

Both the installation of a freestanding cooker and an inset hob whether by
flexible or rigid pipework are defined as 'gas work'. As such they may
only be performed by competant diyers or registered professionals.

The problem comes when the use of a flexible hose is within the competance
of a diyer but not the costruction of a rigid pipe supply.

In the Gas Fitting FAQ below you will still that the use of a flexible
hose is deprecated (and almost impossible to install in a compliant manner
for the supply of an inset hob).
As of 20th November the loop hole which permitted the use of flexibles is
closed with a revision to BS 6172.
Also required is minimum 300mm of worktop on each side.
Forbidden is fitting 700mm (5 burner) hobs under 600mm gaps in wall
cupboards.

I shall update the Gas Fitting FAQ to reflect these changes soon.




Ed,

Does the above mean that my new 900 mm hob which will be installed by a
CORGI gas bod cannot be connected by a flexible hose to a rigid gas pipe
to which (s)he attaches a bayonet socket after 20 November? And does
it really matter, by which I mean that in a greenfield installation a
CORGI bod would be capable of making a fully rigid connection?


Even if currently:
a) The manufacturers don't forbid the use of a flexible for a fixed inset hob.
&
b) The flexible would hang in a neat unstrained U.
&
c) Enter the bayonet connector from below.
&
d) Not come into contact with anything that could get over 70C
&
e) Will not come into anything that might damage it (including what ever
might be stored in the cupboard below)

After the 20th Nov you must use rigid pipework for a fixed appliance.

A new installation would of course use fixed pipework with an isolator.
There would be at least one screwed joint to ease removal of the hob as
needed.

The proper way to supply a fixed appliance is with fixed pipe work.
This discussion only arises because often when kitchens are refitted the
inset hob ends up near where the old gas cooker stood. The temptation to
reuse the flexible hose as short cut to supplying the hob arises. This
temptation is heightened because some people feel they are competent to
connect up an inset hob with a flexible hose. Whereas they do not feel
sufficiently experienced to make a supply connection with copper pipe.



--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html