Any gas engineers here?

Kerr · 12-30-2011, 08:55 AM

Got a bit of a problem here, either my imagination is playing tricks on me or something is not quite right.

I went home for a few days and when I returned to my flat in Aberdeen I instantly could smell gas when I opened the door in the hallway. The boiler and gas meter are in a cupboard in the hallway.

I opened all the windows and got the smell away. If you are active in the flat using the heating and the cooker etc there is no smell. However go out for a few hours or switch things off overnight there is a smell of gas present.

The girlfriend was around last night and she could smell it too and more so in the morning.

I called the gas company out as I am concerned. They told me to turn off the gas at the mains and within minutes the smell of gas disappeared.

The guy who came around tested the pressure and had his box to detect gas and could find nothing wrong.

He did change the regulator on the meter but said he doubted there was actually any issue with it. He left saying he was happy there was no problem.

I went out and returning to the flat less than 2 hours later the smell is there again.

The gas engineer said to me that the gas pressure to the flat is much higher than the pressure required in the flat. He said that the regulator will occasionally release a very small amount of gas if the pressure is too high.

What I was thinking is I'm on the top floor(4th) and if seems pretty much all of my neighbours have gone away over the christmas period. From my block of 8 flats I don't see any lights on or any neighbours cars.

Would it be possible that the pressure is higher than normal as nobody else here to use gas and my regulator is indeed letting off enough gas that it is noticable to smell and more importantly still safe?

Sir_Pigley · 12-30-2011, 09:48 AM

we had an intermittent gas leak recently. The rubber hose to the cooker had perished and developed a crack, which leaked intermittently.

ALPANDY · 12-30-2011, 02:13 PM

If you are at all concerned and think that the leak is on your meter just call transco it is up to them to make sure your meter is safe and if not they will rectify it foc. Be warned though if the leak is on anything of yours ie cooker,boiler they will turn you off and it will be up to you to get a heating engineer to sort it.

rich1068 · 12-30-2011, 02:22 PM

Could it be coming from outside? If you have a combi boiler they can let out a little unburned gas when they fire up. To the external flue iirc. We get a slight gas smell occasionally and it lingers in the passage/back yard (we live in a terrace). This can follow you into the house. We had it checked out and everything was normal.

chris330D · 12-30-2011, 02:47 PM

By the sounds of it you have had transco out and they have checked the meter? If so then you need to get a Gas Safe registered plumber out to do a pressure test. What they do is put a gauge on your side of the meter and then turn off the supply. I there is a leak the pressure will drop. You find the leak by spraying the joints on the pipes with soapy water as any leaks make the soap bubble. Hope this helps.

Kerr · 12-30-2011, 02:54 PM

It was the Scottish equivelent of Transco that came out today after calling the 0800 hotline.

He did the pressure check and had his monitor for measuring gas in the air.

He could not detect anything but in the time he was here there was no smell at all. I was told to turn off the meter before he came and that allowed the gas smell to disappear.

There is no smell outside in the stairwell. The smell is clearly inside my flat.

JLR1969 · 12-30-2011, 04:28 PM

Good excuse to stop smoking for the New Year

chris330D · 12-30-2011, 05:10 PM

The pressure on your side of the meter should be 21mB so if you turned off the supply before he arrived, he should have still done what is called a drop test. This is where you turn off the supply and then see if the pressure drops over a period of time. Not sure he has done this from what you say? The other thing is that you can smell gas from a very small concentration. We are talking parts per million of air. Either get a Gas Safe plumber round to do a drop test or turn off all your gas appliances and then bring them back one by one till you smell gas and that will give you the culprit.

Kerr · 12-30-2011, 06:29 PM

The smell of gas is in the hallway. The only gas appliances in the hallway are the boiler, plumbing and the meter.

I don't smoke or cook but I sometimes turn a light on.

We will see if I can smell it in the morning and I will call the gas company again.

Kerr · 12-30-2011, 06:32 PM

He did do a pressure test but he only plumbed in before the meter.

Is that the correct procedure?

chris330D · 12-31-2011, 02:44 AM

There will be a valve next to the meter and a 'nipple' on the pipe feeding the meter. He should have put his meter on your side of the valve on this nipple and then shut the valve. What he is supposed to do is see if there is any drop in pressure after time. It is not fail safe as your nose will smell very small concentrations of gas. You can call the ga company out again to check but if the fault is your side of the meter they will tell you to get in a ga safe registered plumber.

12-30-2011, 08:55 AM	#1
Kerr Brigadier General 112 Rep 4,021 Posts Drives: BMW M235I Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Aberdeen iTrader: (0)	Any gas engineers here? Got a bit of a problem here, either my imagination is playing tricks on me or something is not quite right. I went home for a few days and when I returned to my flat in Aberdeen I instantly could smell gas when I opened the door in the hallway. The boiler and gas meter are in a cupboard in the hallway. I opened all the windows and got the smell away. If you are active in the flat using the heating and the cooker etc there is no smell. However go out for a few hours or switch things off overnight there is a smell of gas present. The girlfriend was around last night and she could smell it too and more so in the morning. I called the gas company out as I am concerned. They told me to turn off the gas at the mains and within minutes the smell of gas disappeared. The guy who came around tested the pressure and had his box to detect gas and could find nothing wrong. He did change the regulator on the meter but said he doubted there was actually any issue with it. He left saying he was happy there was no problem. I went out and returning to the flat less than 2 hours later the smell is there again. The gas engineer said to me that the gas pressure to the flat is much higher than the pressure required in the flat. He said that the regulator will occasionally release a very small amount of gas if the pressure is too high. What I was thinking is I'm on the top floor(4th) and if seems pretty much all of my neighbours have gone away over the christmas period. From my block of 8 flats I don't see any lights on or any neighbours cars. Would it be possible that the pressure is higher than normal as nobody else here to use gas and my regulator is indeed letting off enough gas that it is noticable to smell and more importantly still safe?
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12-30-2011, 09:48 AM	#2
Sir_Pigley Captain 32 Rep 848 Posts Drives: 640d GC / 420i XDrive Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Banbury iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 BMW 420i XDrive [0.00] 2015 BMW 640d Gran ... [0.00]	we had an intermittent gas leak recently. The rubber hose to the cooker had perished and developed a crack, which leaked intermittently.
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12-30-2011, 02:13 PM	#3
ALPANDY Second Lieutenant 23 Rep 245 Posts Drives: E90 LCI 330d M-Sport Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: UK iTrader: (1)	If you are at all concerned and think that the leak is on your meter just call transco it is up to them to make sure your meter is safe and if not they will rectify it foc. Be warned though if the leak is on anything of yours ie cooker,boiler they will turn you off and it will be up to you to get a heating engineer to sort it.
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12-30-2011, 02:22 PM	#4
rich1068 has left the building 90 Rep 3,359 Posts Drives: F30 330d M Sport Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Could it be coming from outside? If you have a combi boiler they can let out a little unburned gas when they fire up. To the external flue iirc. We get a slight gas smell occasionally and it lingers in the passage/back yard (we live in a terrace). This can follow you into the house. We had it checked out and everything was normal.
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12-30-2011, 02:47 PM	#5
chris330D Major 36 Rep 1,135 Posts Drives: F31 335d Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sussex, UK iTrader: (0)	By the sounds of it you have had transco out and they have checked the meter? If so then you need to get a Gas Safe registered plumber out to do a pressure test. What they do is put a gauge on your side of the meter and then turn off the supply. I there is a leak the pressure will drop. You find the leak by spraying the joints on the pipes with soapy water as any leaks make the soap bubble. Hope this helps.
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12-30-2011, 02:54 PM	#6
Kerr Brigadier General 112 Rep 4,021 Posts Drives: BMW M235I Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Aberdeen iTrader: (0)	It was the Scottish equivelent of Transco that came out today after calling the 0800 hotline. He did the pressure check and had his monitor for measuring gas in the air. He could not detect anything but in the time he was here there was no smell at all. I was told to turn off the meter before he came and that allowed the gas smell to disappear. There is no smell outside in the stairwell. The smell is clearly inside my flat.
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12-30-2011, 04:28 PM	#7
JLR1969 Major General 1882 Rep 7,000 Posts Drives: Kubota GR1600 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: England iTrader: (1)	Good excuse to stop smoking for the New Year
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12-30-2011, 05:10 PM	#8
chris330D Major 36 Rep 1,135 Posts Drives: F31 335d Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sussex, UK iTrader: (0)	The pressure on your side of the meter should be 21mB so if you turned off the supply before he arrived, he should have still done what is called a drop test. This is where you turn off the supply and then see if the pressure drops over a period of time. Not sure he has done this from what you say? The other thing is that you can smell gas from a very small concentration. We are talking parts per million of air. Either get a Gas Safe plumber round to do a drop test or turn off all your gas appliances and then bring them back one by one till you smell gas and that will give you the culprit.
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12-30-2011, 06:29 PM	#9
Kerr Brigadier General 112 Rep 4,021 Posts Drives: BMW M235I Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Aberdeen iTrader: (0)	The smell of gas is in the hallway. The only gas appliances in the hallway are the boiler, plumbing and the meter. I don't smoke or cook but I sometimes turn a light on. We will see if I can smell it in the morning and I will call the gas company again.
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12-30-2011, 06:32 PM	#10
Kerr Brigadier General 112 Rep 4,021 Posts Drives: BMW M235I Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Aberdeen iTrader: (0)	He did do a pressure test but he only plumbed in before the meter. Is that the correct procedure?
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12-31-2011, 02:44 AM	#11
chris330D Major 36 Rep 1,135 Posts Drives: F31 335d Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sussex, UK iTrader: (0)	There will be a valve next to the meter and a 'nipple' on the pipe feeding the meter. He should have put his meter on your side of the valve on this nipple and then shut the valve. What he is supposed to do is see if there is any drop in pressure after time. It is not fail safe as your nose will smell very small concentrations of gas. You can call the ga company out again to check but if the fault is your side of the meter they will tell you to get in a ga safe registered plumber.
	Appreciate 0 Quote