Commercial and Industrial Gas Engineers in Stoke-on-Trent

Gas and the Potteries

Stoke-on-Trent is still the centre of ceramics in the UK. Tableware, tiles, sanitaryware and technical ceramics are all made here, and almost all of it is fired with gas.

A kiln is one of the most demanding gas appliances there is. It runs for long periods at high temperature, with many burners and tight control of the atmosphere inside. The pipework that feeds it has to be right. Commercial Gas Certificate installs, tests, purges and certifies industrial and commercial gas systems for manufacturers and for the many other businesses in the city.

Why Do Kilns and Dryers Need Specialist Gas Work?

Because of the load, and because of the consequences if something goes wrong. A tunnel kiln can use more gas in an hour than a restaurant uses in a week. Supplies are large, often at a higher pressure, with governors, slam shut valves and multiple burner trains.

Work on these systems follows IGEM/UP/1 for testing and purging. It is planned in writing and covered by a risk assessment under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations. Shutdowns are rare and short, so everything has to be ready before the gas goes off.

Industrial Gas Services We Provide in Stoke-on-Trent

Process pipework

Steel pipework to kilns, dryers, spray dryers and boilers, sized for the full connected load. See commercial gas installation.

Proving and purging pipework

Strength and tightness testing, followed by a recorded purge. See gas testing and purging.

Live connections

Hot tapping allows a branch to be added to a main that must stay in service.

Factory heating

Warm air and radiant heating for production halls and warehouses. See commercial heating systems.

Testing a Factory Gas System

The section to be tested is isolated and the appliances are disconnected or valved off. New pipework is strength tested first, to prove joints and fittings above working pressure.

The tightness test follows. The pipework is pressurised, allowed to settle and monitored for a calculated period. On a large system the volume is significant, so settling and test times are longer than most people expect. We agree the shutdown window with production beforehand.

A pass is recorded on a certificate. A fail means finding the leak, repairing it and testing again.

When Is Nitrogen Purging Used?

Whenever the volume of pipework is too large to purge directly. Letting gas into a big main full of air would create a flammable mixture inside the pipe.

With nitrogen purging, the air is pushed out with nitrogen and vented to a safe point outdoors. Oxygen readings are taken until the level is low enough. Gas is then let in and readings continue until the pipe holds gas only. The reverse is done before a main is cut, altered or removed.

Six Towns, Many Kinds of Premises

The city is really six towns: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton. Hanley is the commercial centre, with offices, the Cultural Quarter and most of the restaurants. Festival Park and Etruria Valley hold retail, leisure and large head offices.

Logistics has grown quickly along the A50 and A500, with big sheds at Trentham Lakes, Sideway and Tunstall Arrow. The hospital at Hartshill and the university at Shelton run large boiler plant. We work across all of these, from kitchen pipework to plant rooms. See commercial catering.

Converted Potworks and Listed Buildings

Old factories are finding new uses as studios, workshops, visitor attractions and venues. Many include listed bottle ovens and canalside buildings.

These sites often have abandoned kiln supplies still in place. We trace them, confirm whether they are live, and decommission them by isolating, purging, capping and labelling. New supplies are then routed with care for the historic fabric, and external pipework or flues may need listed building consent.

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

Commissioning Burners and Heating Plant

Commissioning proves that a new or refurbished appliance is safe and set up correctly. We check the working pressure with all plant running, set the burners, take combustion readings and prove the safety devices. The standard for industrial and commercial plant is IGEM/UP/4.

The readings are recorded and handed over, giving your maintenance team a baseline for future servicing.

Ground Conditions, Canals and Old Mine Workings

Buried pipework needs more thought here than in most places. Stoke-on-Trent sits on a coalfield, and the ground also contains old clay pits and made ground. For deeper excavation it is sensible to check Coal Authority records first. See underground gas pipework.

The Trent and Mersey and Caldon canals run through many industrial sites. Work that affects canal property needs the agreement of the Canal and River Trust.

Who Is Responsible for the Network and the Roads?

Cadent runs the gas distribution network in the West Midlands, including North Staffordshire, and owns the pipework up to the emergency control valve. New supplies and upgrades are arranged with Cadent or through your gas supplier.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the highway authority within the city. Staffordshire County Council covers Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove, Leek and Stone. A permit is needed before excavating in a public road or footway.

Gas Safety Certificates for Staffordshire Businesses

Employers must keep gas pipework and appliances safe under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. For most premises in Stoke-on-Trent, an inspection every 12 months is the accepted way to show that. We inspect, report plainly on what we find and issue a gas safety record digitally. See commercial gas certificates.

Where Else in Staffordshire and Cheshire Do You Work?

We cover Stoke-on-Trent and the wider ST postcode area, including Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove, Biddulph, Leek, Cheadle, Stone, Uttoxeter and Stafford.

We also work in Crewe, Congleton, Nantwich and Market Drayton, and across the rest of the UK.

If There Is a Leak

Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and follow your site emergency plan. Our emergency gas repairs team covers Stoke-on-Trent at any hour for the repair, the retest and the purge back into service.