Commercial Gas Safety Testing and Pipework Services in Liverpool

What Is Commercial Gas Safety Testing?

Gas safety testing is a set of checks that show an installation is sound and safe to use. For pipework, that means a tightness test, which proves gas is not escaping. For appliances, it means checking operating pressure, combustion, flues, ventilation and safety devices.

The results go on a gas safety record. Landlords, insurers and licensing officers often ask to see it. We carry out the testing across Liverpool and issue the record. See commercial gas certificates.

We also test after any repair or alteration, because a system that was sound last year may not be sound once work has been done on it.

Old Buildings, New Uses

Few cities have reused their buildings as thoroughly as Liverpool. Dock warehouses are now hotels and apartments. Former works in the Baltic Triangle are bars, studios and food halls. Georgian terraces around Hope Street hold restaurants.

Conversions bring two gas jobs. First, the old installation has to be made safe. We trace redundant pipework, purge it, cap it and label it. Then the new supply has to be sized, installed, tested and purged for its new use.

Many of these buildings are listed, so pipe routes and flue positions may need listed building consent from the council. We can plan routes that keep external changes to a minimum.

Commercial Gas Services We Provide in Liverpool

Pipework installation and repair

Steel, copper and polyethylene pipework for kitchens, plant rooms and process equipment. See commercial gas installation.

Tightness testing and purging

Testing to IGEM/UP/1 and IGEM/UP/1A, followed by purging so the system can go live. See gas testing and purging.

Commissioning

Bringing new boilers, water heaters and catering equipment into service, with the settings recorded.

Catering inspections

Annual checks on kitchen appliances, pipework and the extraction interlock. See commercial catering.

Decommissioning Gas Pipework Safely

Taking a gas system out of use is a job in its own right. Old pipework left live behind new walls is one of the more common hazards found in refurbished buildings.

1. Identify every branch and appliance fed from the section.
2. Isolate the supply and lock off the valve.
3. Purge the gas out of the pipework to a safe point outdoors, using nitrogen on larger volumes.
4. Cut back and cap the pipe with a proper fitting, then label it.
5. Tightness test whatever remains live, and record the work.

If the building no longer needs gas at all, the meter and service pipe are removed by the supplier and the network. We can explain how to request that.

Catering Kitchens and the Extraction Interlock

Hospitality is a large part of the local economy, so kitchen work is a large part of what we do in Liverpool.

BS 6173 requires the gas supply to a commercial kitchen to be interlocked with its extraction. If the fans are not running, the gas will not flow. Many older kitchens were fitted before this became standard practice, and an inspection will flag it.

We fit and test interlock systems, replace worn appliance hoses, check flame failure devices and measure ventilation. After the visit you receive a catering inspection record, often called a CP42, that you can show to your landlord, insurer or environmental health officer.

You can read more about our full range of commercial gas services, including commercial gas certificates and commercial catering, or see the other areas we cover, such as Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent. Commercial Gas Certificate works nationwide.

Which Sectors Do We Work With?

Our work in Liverpool falls into five broad groups.

• Hospitality: hotels and restaurants around the Albert Dock, Ropewalks, Castle Street and Lark Lane.
• Health and research: the hospitals, universities and laboratories of the Knowledge Quarter.
• Manufacturing: pharmaceutical, automotive and food plants around Speke, Garston and Halewood.
• Port and logistics: warehousing and processing along the dock road to Bootle and Seaforth.
• Sport and leisure: stadium kitchens, arenas and leisure centres.

Does a Large Site Need Nitrogen Purging?

It depends on the volume of the pipework. A small kitchen supply can be purged directly with gas. A factory main or a long run to a boiler house holds far more, and letting gas into a large volume of air creates a flammable mixture inside the pipe.

Nitrogen purging avoids that. The air is pushed out with nitrogen, then the nitrogen is pushed out with gas. We calculate the volume, plan the vent point and record the purge. The same approach is used when large pipework is taken out of service.

Networks, Councils and Permissions

Cadent runs the gas distribution network across Merseyside and owns the pipework up to the emergency control valve. We work on everything downstream of it. For a new or larger supply, the first call is to the network or your gas supplier. Once the meter is in, we take over from its outlet.

Liverpool City Council is the highway authority within the city. Sefton, Knowsley and Wirral councils cover the neighbouring boroughs. Digging in a public road or footway needs a permit from the relevant council, and work close to the dock estate may also need the agreement of the port operator.

Beyond the City Boundary

We cover every Liverpool L postcode, from the city centre to Aintree, Kirkby, Huyton, Crosby and Ormskirk. Across the river we work in Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bromborough and the rest of the CH postcodes on Wirral.

We also travel to St Helens, Widnes, Runcorn, Warrington and Southport, and we take on work across the North West and the rest of the UK.

How Quickly Can Gas Be Restored After a Leak?

That depends on where the leak is and how easy it is to reach. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. They make the supply safe but do not repair your pipework.

Our emergency gas repairs team covers Liverpool and Merseyside 24/7. We find the fault, repair it, carry out a tightness test and purge the system before relighting the appliances.