Gas Fitting

Does anyone know if I am 'legally' allowed to disconnect a gas cooker with a bayonet fitted flexible hose?

Thanks, David

This is probably as helpful as you will get, David: **LINK**

https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/gas-cooker-installation/

My understanding is that a brief disconnect/reconnect is legal ... but doing your own ‘gas work’ is not.

MichaelG.

Yes you are - that's what it's there for 👍

You should not, however,  install a new cooker in its place as that would involve fitting a hose to the new cooker and commissioning it, which  should be done by a Gase Safe registered engineer.

Edited By Peter Spink on 11/04/2021 21:06:54

I've never been able to get a definitive answer on this; every source seems to be different, but most are somewhere around the information in Michael's link, i.e. you can temporarily disconnect a bayonet fitting, and then re-connect the same cooker. You can't leave it disconnected (reasonable enough because you can't be sure the fitting doesn't have a slow leak without checking for same). How long 'temporary' is, is not specified.

This has always been a problem in the Removal industry - some firms will cheerfully disconnect the cooker, others won't. For the firm I work with, I've now specified that we shouldn't touch them.

Michael is right about the bayonet.

As for the rest, my understanding is that if you're working on your own gas installations in your own home, the crucial requirement is that you be "competent". Whether this means that [to do gas work in your own home] you have to be currently Gas Safe registered is something there appears not to be absolute clarity on.

The rub is that even if "competent" is enough, there's always the chance that you might be called on at a later date to demonstrate to certain authorities that you are/were competent.

According to The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 "work" must be carried out by a competent person but Section 2-(1) which defines "work" says "but the expression does not include the connection or disconnection of a bayonet fitting or other self-sealing connector".

Even though this means you can disconnect and reconnect the same cooker in the same location for cleaning, decorating etc. you cannot connect the cooker to a different bayonet connector as it is necessary to check the installation, ventilation and the proper function of the cooker in its new location, all of which count as "work" even if a new hose isn't fitted to the appliance.

Brian G

Thank you all. That's what I thought!

Many Thanks, David

Even though the bayonet connector should be self sealing, it's probably worth checking for leaks by spraying with soapy water and checking for bubbles. Especially if it is indoors.

Paul.

Possibly it depends how good your nose is for gas leaks

I've twice detected leaks in the open air. The first one I assumed was my imagination, or a smelly central heating flue. Then after about a year a gas crew were fixing it.

Next time I smelled gas (in another town) I called the emergency line and within a few hours it was all fenced off and dug up the next day.

Neil