Bord Gais responsibility on my property?

pippip · 23-09-2014 8:59pm #1

Hi all,

Just wondering can anyone advise on where Bord Gais are responsible to on my property?

The meter is located on the border wall at the front of our house. The piping then goes under the driveway and reappears out of the ground at the corner of the house (length of a car). Here it divides off to the cooker and boiler. It had a housing on this but this has since broke off last year.

This connection where it comes out of the ground is badly corroded and appears to have a very slight leak. So slight it didn't appear on the RGI pressure meter but enough that I can smell it on occasion and when I spray fluid on it I can see small bubbling. I checked meter readings one day and the red digits did appear to move but when I said this to Bord Gais he said it was so minimal it was probably the pipes just pressuring and wouldn't be effecting my bills.

Now a previous RGI installer I had out last year told me Bord Gais are only responsible to the meter and anything past this is my responsibility. I had another RGI installer out tonight quoting on other work and he told me that Bord Gais would be responsible for this connection and no RGI installer would have to correct size crimper, only Bord Gais would.

Can anyone advise before I get on the phone tomorrow?

Cheers.

Egass13 · 23-09-2014 9:10pm

pippip wrote: »

Hi all,

Just wondering can anyone advise on where Bord Gais are responsible to on my property?

The meter is located on the border wall at the front of our house. The piping then goes under the driveway and reappears out of the ground at the corner of the house (length of a car). Here it divides off to the cooker and boiler. It had a housing on this but this has since broke off last year.

This connection where it comes out of the ground is badly corroded and appears to have a very slight leak. So slight it didn't appear on the RGI pressure meter but enough that I can smell it on occasion and when I spray fluid on it I can see small bubbling. I checked meter readings one day and the red digits did appear to move but when I said this to Bord Gais he said it was so minimal it was probably the pipes just pressuring and wouldn't be effecting my bills.

Now a previous RGI installer I had out last year told me Bord Gais are only responsible to the meter and anything past this is my responsibility. I had another RGI installer out tonight quoting on other work and he told me that Bord Gais would be responsible for this connection and no RGI installer would have to correct size crimper, only Bord Gais would.

Can anyone advise before I get on the phone tomorrow?

Cheers.

BG are responsible up to and including the meter .
Mores to the point , no leak is "slight" enough not to show on a meter . Turn off your as and get it tested , properly , ASAP

pippip · 23-09-2014 9:48pm

I have had it off for a few days now.

Going to get it sorted tomorrow.....hopefully.

Just amazed the discrepancies between RGI registered installers on issues i've had over the last year. I expected a much higher standard from the few i have dealt with.

Egass13 · 23-09-2014 9:53pm

pippip wrote: »

I have had it off for a few days now.

Going to get it sorted tomorrow.....hopefully.

Just amazed the discrepancies between RGI registered installers on issues i've had over the last year. I expected a much higher standard from the few i have dealt with.

The skill / care / actually give a **** , levels vary between rgis , a good Rgi will adopt the issue as it's his own , address it , and rectify it . The lesser sort will collect their call out fee and leave.
Unfortunately you got the lesser type. Maybe post your area and we can see if anyone here can help you

corkgsxr · 23-09-2014 10:05pm

Cheap meters won't show the small leaks.

Mines 100 odd Euro and shows minute leaks.

Bord gas is pipe and meter. After meter is yours.

Egass13 · 23-09-2014 10:23pm

corkgsxr wrote: »

Cheap meters won't show the small leaks.

Mines 100 odd Euro and shows minute leaks.

Bord gas is pipe and meter. After meter is yours.

Which cheap meter would that be ? Out of interest I'd like to know who is selling a meter for the purpose of soundness testing gas pipe work, but also not guaranteeing that it can find a leak in gas pipe work ? Are you talking about digital meters?
Also the term "small leak" dsnt exist , a leak is a leak ! It's not a case of the smaller the leak, the smaller the bang!

corkgsxr · 23-09-2014 11:20pm

A lot of the cheaper U gauges it's very hard to see a 2/3 mbar drops.

The grey boxed one is the only job.

By rights if you had a leak the bird gas guy should have cut you off.
It's negligent not to

Egass13 · 23-09-2014 11:24pm

corkgsxr wrote: »

A lot of the cheaper U gauges it's very hard to see a 2/3 mbar drops.

The grey boxed one is the only job.

By rights if you had a leak the bird gas guy should have cut you off.
It's negligent not to

How can a u-gauge not see a drop , regardless of how much it cost ?
The "grey boxed one" has an actual name by the way , and would not be my choice when it comes to soundness testing.

corkgsxr · 23-09-2014 11:37pm

Egass13 wrote: »

How can a u-gauge not see a drop , regardless of how much it cost ?
The "grey boxed one" has an actual name by the way , and would not be my choice when it comes to soundness testing.

Couldn't recall the name. Much dearer than the rest.

Used properly imo it's be best.

What's your issue with it

corkgsxr · 23-09-2014 11:38pm

Cheaper ones show a drop but it's ruddy hard to see

23-09-2014 11:40pm

corkgsxr wrote: »

A lot of the cheaper U gauges it's very hard to see a 2/3 mbar drops.

The grey boxed one is the only job.

By rights if you had a leak the bird gas guy should have cut you off.
It's negligent not to

A U guage never lies, a J guage is for those who want all the gear but tend to have no idea.

slavetothegrind · 23-09-2014 11:40pm

theres a much longer scale on the yellow 120 mbar water gauge, easier to see small drops surely? not dissing the grey one at all btw.

Egass13 · 23-09-2014 11:46pm

corkgsxr wrote: »

Couldn't recall the name. Much dearer than the rest.

Used properly imo it's be best.

What's your issue with it

I've no issue with it , I'm more interested in how a ugauge can , in your opinion , not show up a 2/3 Mbar drop during a soundness test. I'm not getting at you or trying to put you down in anyway , I'm just baffled how you can suggest the most accurate and most commonly used piece of equipment for measuring gas soundness can not show up a drop in pressure by the guts of 20% drop in a test using standing pressure?

Dtp1979 · 24-09-2014 7:04am

gary71 wrote: »

A U guage never lies, a J guage is for those who want all the gear but tend to have no idea.

The only reason I have a j gauge is because I couldn't find a U gauge that goes up to 150mbar

pippip · 24-09-2014 9:21am

Cheers lads, as I expected, to the meter and no further, not sure what the last guy was on about then.

pippip · 26-09-2014 6:25pm

UPDATE -

Well turns out my house must be an exception to the rule.

Rang Bord Gais and the first thing they said was to the meter, as expected. But as I went on to describe the pipe (images below) they agreed that sounded like their pipe alright.

30mins later engineer out to confirm the leak and shut off supply etc. etc.
He confirmed it was their pipe but couldn't explain why it was the setup as it was, we only have the house a year so we're none the wiser either.

Anyway second crew arrived today and repaired everything so back up and running. Seemed to dig up the ground a bit so must have replaced a fair bit of the piping. Covered up now so cant really see anything.

Thanks all.

K.Flyer · 26-09-2014 6:30pm

Ahh the old saying, "..a picture is worth a thousand words".

Glad you got it sorted.

yipeeeee · 26-09-2014 6:34pm

pippip wrote: »

I have had it off for a few days now.

Going to get it sorted tomorrow.....hopefully.

Just amazed the discrepancies between RGI registered installers on issues i've had over the last year. I expected a much higher standard from the few i have dealt with.

When its a 12 day course anyone can do, you will get people arriving on horses.

scudo2 · 26-09-2014 8:49pm

You got lucky, and fair play to Board Gas.
Legaly, up to and including the meter is their responsibility. And there it stoped.

But years ago they also fitted the gas pipe at no extra charge to the wall of the house.
Nice to see that they sorted you out.

I'm not fan, but credit due where credit is due. IMHO.

pippip · 27-09-2014 8:23am

Have to say I was impressed with Bord Gais.

The missus was in yesterday when they called around 3:30 to repair it. Your man inquired as to how long we had been cut off and when she told him a day and a half he wasn't too impressed as he had only been called about it an hour before he arrived. He apologised and said that unfortunately he could dismantle it all but didnt carry pipes to repair it. Said he'd make a call as they had clearly sent the wrong crew and being so late on a Friday he wasn't too happy about it.

He left the door ajar and the missus could hear him on the phone giving them s&!t over it. She said it was actually comical, he was calling them a bunch of wa*&ers and fu£$ing idiots! Saying how my missus had two young kids and was without gas for so long.

Came back in cool as anything an said come hell or high water the correct crew would be there before the day was out. I returned home at 5:15 and they had all been and gone and everything back running. They just have to return next week to lay a small area of concrete where they dug up.

JohnnieK · 28-09-2014 8:58pm

Apart from one sub contractor they use I have had no issues with BGN. I know some of the emergency responders too.

Looking at the pic the wrong transition joint was used for the job.

Glad your sorted now.

Bord Gais responsibility on my property?

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