Commercial Gas Testing, Purging and Certification in London

Gas Testing and Certification for Commercial Premises in London

Commercial Gas Certificate works on commercial and industrial gas systems only. In London that usually means restaurant and hotel kitchens, office plant rooms, hospitals, campuses, food factories and warehouses.

Most enquiries start with paperwork. A landlord wants a tightness test certificate before a tenant opens. An insurer asks for a current gas safety record. A contractor needs pipework tested and purged before handover.

We carry out the work, record the results and issue the documents, so you have evidence that the system is safe to use.

When Does a London Business Need Tightness Testing or Purging?

Commercial gas pipework should be tested whenever its integrity may have changed. Common triggers are:

• New pipework, or an extension to an existing system.
• A meter exchange or a change of gas supplier equipment.
• A repair, a replaced valve or a new appliance connection.
• A unit that has stood empty and is being brought back into use.
• A reported smell of gas, once the leak has been found and repaired.

Purging follows testing. It replaces the air in the pipework with gas so that appliances light safely. It is also used the other way round, to clear gas from pipework that is being altered or removed.

What We Do on Site

Fit Outs, Strip Outs and Changes of Tenant

Commercial space in London changes hands often. A shop becomes a restaurant. An office floor is stripped back to shell for the next tenant. Each change affects the gas installation.

On a strip out, we decommission the old system. The supply is isolated, the pipework is purged to a safe point outdoors, open ends are capped and the remaining live sections are labelled. The landlord is left with a record of what was done.

On a fit out, we work the other way. New pipework is installed and strength tested, then tightness tested. Once the appliances are in, we purge the system, commission each appliance and record the settings. Principal contractors usually want these records in the handover file, so we issue them promptly.

Working in Basements, Risers and Shared Buildings

Gas work here rarely happens in an open, easy space. Meters sit in basement vaults. Pipework climbs through risers in buildings that have been refitted many times, often with several tenants on one supply.

Before we start, we trace the pipe route, find the isolation points and agree where a purge can be vented. A purge must discharge outdoors, away from windows, air intakes and anything that could ignite the gas. On a crowded street, that takes planning.

Loading restrictions, building management rules and out of hours access also shape the job, so we agree these with you early.

You can read more about our full range of commercial gas services, including gas testing & gas purging and commercial gas certificates, or see the other areas we cover, such as Brighton and Hove and Milton Keynes. Commercial Gas Certificate works nationwide.

Who Do We Work For?

Restaurants, hotels and bars

Kitchens in Soho, Covent Garden, Shoreditch and Mayfair trade long hours. We fit testing and repairs around service.

Offices and mixed use blocks

Buildings in the City, Canary Wharf, Stratford and King's Cross have basement or rooftop plant rooms and shared supplies that need careful shutdown planning.

Hospitals, universities and schools

Central boiler plant, laboratories and large kitchens, where work is phased so supply is maintained.

Food production and logistics

Process and heating pipework for units in Park Royal, Brimsdown, Charlton and Dagenham, and the freight sheds around Heathrow.

Landlords and managing agents

Property portfolios across London need annual gas safety records for landlord plant, and tightness tests when units change hands.

Gas Networks, Boroughs and Street Works

Two gas distribution networks serve the capital. Cadent covers the north and SGN covers most areas south of the Thames. They own the pipework up to the emergency control valve, so new supplies, larger meters and disconnections are arranged with them or through your gas supplier.

Each of the 32 boroughs, and the City of London Corporation, is the highway authority for its own streets. TfL manages the red routes. Street works are controlled through the London Permit Scheme, which matters if a buried pipe run has to cross or come close to the public highway.

What Paperwork Will You Receive?

After testing and purging you receive a signed and dated record of the test pressures, the results and the purge. After an inspection you receive a gas safety record for the appliances and pipework checked. See commercial gas certificates.

Records are issued digitally, so they are easy to pass to a landlord, insurer or principal contractor.

Which Postcodes and Nearby Towns Do You Cover?

We cover every central London postal district: E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC. We also work across the outer boroughs in the BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW and UB postcode areas.

Coverage does not stop at the M25. We take on work in Watford, Slough, Staines, Dartford, Epsom and Brentwood, and across the rest of the UK. If your site is nearby but not listed, it is still worth a call.

If You Smell Gas

Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first. They will make the supply safe, but they do not repair pipework or appliances inside your premises.

Our emergency gas repairs team covers London at any hour. We find the leak, repair it, then test and purge the system so gas can be restored.