Commercial and Industrial Gas Services in Sheffield

Gas Work for a City That Still Forges, Casts and Machines

Sheffield has never stopped making things. Specialist steels, forgings, castings, cutting tools and aerospace parts are still produced along the Don Valley, and much of that work depends on gas fired furnaces, ovens and heat treatment plant.

Commercial Gas Certificate supports that industry, along with the kitchens, campuses and commercial buildings that make up the rest of the local economy. Our engineers are Gas Safe registered and work on commercial and industrial systems only.

What Is Different About Industrial Gas Pipework?

Scale, mostly. A restaurant might have a 28 mm copper supply. A Sheffield forge can have a 150 mm steel main running the length of the building at a higher pressure, feeding a dozen burners.

That changes how the work is done. Testing follows IGEM/UP/1, not the simpler procedure used for small installations. Purging is planned in writing, with the pipework volume calculated in advance. A risk assessment under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations is normally needed, and the work is often controlled by the site permit to work system.

We are used to working this way, and to fitting in with your own safety rules.

Our Commercial and Industrial Gas Services in Sheffield

How Do You Purge a Large Factory Main?

1. Calculate the volume of the pipework and the amount of nitrogen and gas needed.
2. Choose a vent point outdoors, away from buildings, air intakes and ignition sources, and fit a vent stack with a flame arrestor where required.
3. Push the air out with nitrogen and test at the vent until oxygen levels are low enough.
4. Let gas in at a controlled rate and keep testing at the vent until the reading shows the pipe is full of gas.
5. Close the vent, check every appliance connection and record the purge.

This is nitrogen purging, sometimes called indirect purging. Because gas and air never meet inside the pipe, there is no flammable mixture at any stage. The same steps in reverse are used to clear gas from a main before it is cut or removed.

Beyond the Factory Gate: Kitchens, Campuses and Converted Works

Not all of our work in Sheffield is industrial. Kelham Island and Neepsend have turned old works into bars, restaurants and food halls, each needing a new kitchen supply and a working extraction interlock. See commercial catering.

The two universities, the Northern General and Royal Hallamshire hospitals, Meadowhall and the stadiums all run large boiler plant and catering operations. For these sites we plan work in phases so heating, hot water and kitchens stay in use.

Taking Redundant Plant Out of Service

Older works often carry the history of every layout they have had. Branches that once fed a furnace now end at a valve behind a machine. Nobody is sure whether they are live.

Decommissioning removes that doubt. We trace each line, isolate it, purge it to a safe point, cap it and label it. We then test what remains and update the pipework drawing. It is tidy, and it removes a real hazard from the shop floor.

You can read more about our full range of commercial gas services, including gas testing & gas purging and gas hot tapping services, or see the other areas we cover, such as Leeds and Nottingham. Commercial Gas Certificate works nationwide.

Keeping the Paperwork Straight

Employers must keep gas pipework and appliances safe under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Annual inspection is the accepted standard. We inspect, record the findings and issue a gas safety record. See commercial gas certificates.

Test certificates, purge records and commissioning sheets are issued digitally, which suits Sheffield manufacturers that are audited by insurers or customers.

Who Runs the Gas Network and the Roads Here?

Cadent operates the gas distribution network in South Yorkshire. It owns the pipework up to the emergency control valve, and new or larger supplies are arranged with Cadent or through your gas supplier.

Sheffield City Council is the highway authority, with day to day maintenance carried out by its highways contractor. Excavation in a public road needs a street works permit. The city also has a Clean Air Zone inside the inner ring road, which charges older vans, lorries, buses and taxis, so it can affect plant deliveries to central sites.

Parts of the district sit over old coal workings. For deeper excavation, it is sensible to check Coal Authority records before digging.

Which Areas Around the City Do You Cover?

We cover the Sheffield S postcode area, including Attercliffe, Tinsley, Darnall, Hillsborough, Chapeltown, Ecclesfield, Stocksbridge and Halfway. The Advanced Manufacturing Park at Waverley and the rest of Rotherham are a short drive away.

We also work in Barnsley, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Dronfield and Worksop, and across the rest of the UK. If your site is not listed, call us anyway.

Planned Shutdowns and Out of Hours Work

Many plants can only release a gas main during a maintenance shutdown, often at a weekend or over a holiday. We work seven days a week and can plan testing, purging and alterations to fit that window.

What Should You Do if You Smell Gas on Site?

Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and follow your site emergency plan. Once the supply is safe, our emergency gas repairs team covers Sheffield at any hour. We find and repair the leak, test the pipework and purge it back into service.