Burying a gas pipe - any plumbers/gas engineers on here?

[DanX5]

We've had to move the location of our boiler and the plumbers have put the copper gas pipe (from our gas supply box) along front of house and under the front door which looks very unsightly (complete with white plastic clips, etc). I've now asked them to bury it in a 10cm wide/20cm deep trench I have dug along front of house which I was going to cover with sand, some soil and then top layer with decorative gravel.

Plumber says it needs to be 50cm deep which will be nigh on impossible due to restrictions on access to dig trench.

Question is, what is the minimum depth and is there a legal requirement on a private house? And should the copper pipe be buried inside anything (steel tube??) to protect it? My thinking was that it will actually be safer under the ground rather than along the face of the wall.......

[Spudler]

Should be a min of 375.

Eta: Worth noting, never assume that the gas supply will be at least that depth.
A few time I've come across moled gas pipes at 10-12 inches depth.

Edited by Spudler on Monday 25th November 20:04

[cold thursday]

DanX5 said:

I've now asked them to bury it in a 10cm wide/20cm deep trench

4" wide x 8" deep !!!!!! It's hardly a trench is it.

I went a a lot further last week just to bury a guinea pig

[Rickyy]

I had to do similar for a customer. LPG changeover valve was sited across the driveway from the house.

Gas Safe Technical told me the specs were:

600mm deep trench, backfilled with "soft materials" around the pipe and factory sheeted pipe to be used. Pretty sure you are not allowed any fittings underground too.

I used this... http://www.tracpipe.co.uk/

Not cheap, but works out cheaper than coated, soft copper.

[DanX5]

cold thursday said:

4" wide x 8" deep !!!!!! It's hardly a trench is it.

I went a a lot further last week just to bury a guinea pig

I know, I know.....but in my defence it is a gap between a wall and existing patio which I could only dig out with hand trowel and pick axe dragging dirt out.

[eliot]

Funny how the rules get trotted out - yet when I dug through my gas main which was about 200mm down, the gas board turned up and as soon as he saw how shallow 'their' pipe, he goes back to his van and brings out this very well worn piece of paper stating there is no minimum depth and it was my problem (to the tune of £500).

[DanX5]

Can anyone confirm whether the 375mm a legal requirement or is just an industry standard / recommendation?

We are talking about only a 3m run of buried pipe in a position where it is unlikely to be disturbed due to being underneath door trim, etc so I am keen not to have to undertake larger scale excavation unless it is a legal requirement.

[cold thursday]

Accountants eh

You almost ran that by me, until I looked at the detail of of what you had said.

You shouldn't cheapskate on the job. 8" won't cut it, even if you call it 200mm.

[Rickyy]

There is definitely a requirement. There is some confusion between the gas suppliers pipe feeding your meter and your gas pipe, after the meter.

As I said, I had to bury the pipe 600mm below ground with a factory sheathed pipe. That was LPG though. I'll dig out my onsite guide tomorrow and find the regs.

[cold thursday]

Quoted from another place :-

"Whilst digging out the back yard we hit a gas pipe today unbeleivebly the mucking forons has installed it 8 1/2" deep and although the pipe was encased in the usual yellow plastic protection the joint was stuck up with a black cap with fookall protection even after we hit it gently with the shovel we couldn't see the thing... how stupid is that..."

Minimum depth requirements

Gas mains and service pipes should be designed and installed in accordance with the requirements of the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 (PSR). PSR does not specify how deep mains and services should be laid.

However, the Regulations are supported by HSE guidance 'A guide to the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996' and there is also a Health & Safety Commission [HSC] Approved Code of Practice and Guidance 'Design, construction and installation of gas service pipes'.

These publications refer to the Institution of Gas Engineers' guidance 'IGE/TD/3 Distribution Mains' and 'IGE/TD/4: Gas services' which specify the minimum depth of cover which gas mains and services should be laid in order to minimise the risk of accidental third party damage.

HSE expects mains and services to be laid at the depths specified in these publications unless other effective precautions are taken to minimise the risk of third party damage.

A gas main should normally be laid with a minimum depth of cover of 750 mm in a road or verge and 600 mm in a footpath.
A gas service pipe should normally be laid with a minimum depth of cover of 375 mm in private ground and 450 mm in footpaths and highways.

However, these depths are only a guide and should not be relied on when carrying out work near gas services or mains. For example, road levelling, landscaping and other changes to ground conditions after a gas main or service has been laid (often decades before) can result in the depth of the ground cover changing over time. Also, gas pipes may have projections coming from them, such as valves, which are not shown on plans and may have less depth of cover than the pipe.
Service pipes should have a minimum depth of cover of 375 mm in private ground and 450 mm in footpaths and highways.

[Rickyy]

Seems you could get away with as little as 40mm if its to go under concrete!

[DanX5]

Cheers chaps, both of the above replies are really helpful and I'll show the guidance to the plumber when he is on site. From that last post above, am I correct in thinking that a regular copper pipe could be buried directly in concrete? I thought that you couldn't do this with copper or is this burying within plaster walls rather than concrete that is not allowed?

My trouble is, even to get 375mm deep will mean taking up the path at the front of the house, digging out and re-laying so perhaps concrete is the option.

I might suggest that as he was happy to fix the pipe to the wall 2 inches above ground level, that if he just lowers to actually sit at previous ground level, I will then 'just' cover in gravel after he has left site.....

[Snake the Sniper]

No installation pipework can be buried IN concrete. Any of it can be buried under it though. And whilst I'm going to assume your plumber is doing his job right, no compression fittings in non-accessible places.