Tony Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 As said in another thread Elaine has saved for years to re-carpet her entire house, well yesterday is was all done albeit it seemed to take forever but in truth they did a great job and with a small bribe i even managed to get them to carpet the outside toilet..... Point is in preparation in the front room i lifted the old carpet and fount this monster? Carpet fitter said it was to turn off the gas fire feed...... But there isn't a gas fire or any external pipes that even suggest there was a fire..... All there is, is that stupid looking bolt sticking out of the floor Only good news is i only found the bolt at the last minute and didn't have time to do what i wanted to do and that's remove it .......... I was going to knock it down with a hammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Yes, it does look like it's the gas feed to a fire and someone has capped it off. Don't touch it yourself. The picture doesn't show the wall but is it a feature wall / fireplace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Well when i came to live here seemingly there was no fire and Elaine depended on the central heating. I put this electric fire in Just to be cosy, but there is a vent which suggests a flew < not sure about the spelling on that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Yes it's a gas pipe so don't hit it with a hammer!!! The old back boiler was probably behind there, the same as what's in my lounge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Photos confirm it Tony, there used to be a fireplace and fire and probably ( as Rich says ) a back boiler. Don't touch that gas pipe, if it can be felt when you walk on it then get a gas expert to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Bloody good job i didn't hit it then because i was going to knock it in so to speak..... The carpet fitters "cut it in", i think it's a conmen event for them so you wouldn't even know it was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 I just cut the laminate flooring around mine, it sticks out a little bit but doesn't get in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Elaine chose a really thick underlay so that and then the carpet the bolt is hardly visible ( as a dent, or hill? ) ...... I doubt this type of floor positioned valve would be allowed nowadays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 It's not a valve as such, it's the end of a gas pipe, and the plug screwed into the end is what you are calling a bolt. It's a legacy left over from (as said) an old gas fire. It could even have been disconnected at the meter or where it's taken off the gas carcase (pipework) through the building. If it's been disconnected and is now obsolete then it's still a legal requirement for it to be capped off at both ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 I didn't know that..... My how things have changed over the years in regard to safety code. You wouldn't think it was expectable to have a gas valve capped or not sticking out of the front room floor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 Take a look at this link. http://www.mybuilder.com/job/view/298993# There's a couple of pictures at the bottom showing what the original set up will have been. Unfortunately, in your case, someone took an easy option and just unscrewed the chrome elbow (which is actually the valve) and stuck a bung in the pipework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 The bit i don't get is it would be easy to trip/ kick the pipe and brake it.... Is it right that nowadays the valve has to be on the wall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I'm not sure Tony. I know I was always repairing gas leaks on these standalone pipes, specifically where the pipe comes out of the chrome valve, as it's a weak point. But point to note is that if something was already installed then there's no requirement to make it up to standard when the standards change. As long as it's gas tight or can be made gas tight if it does leak, then it's acceptable. Probably wouldn't be wise to install one like that now, as first time someone trips over it and hurts themselves, then the solicitors will start rubbing their hands together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I remember my parents old council house, it had a gas pipe coming out the floor at the side of the grate then a chrome pipe round to the fire and that had a valve as stated above where you could turn the gas off to the fire. That was built in the late '50s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2014 Viking i hear what you are saying regarding liability, soon i expect it will be unwise to cough in a bus without getting sued..... Still the main thing is the carpet fitters made the pipe almost invisible so i'm pleased about that..... Got me thinking though, in my parents house which was built in the 60's they had a gas burner that lit the coal fire but the attachment for the fire-lighter was on the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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