A simple request

[Alimantado]

59 minutes ago, No Nicolaitans said:

I think that would cause a small turmoil here in the US for now...however, I think people (here in America) are being prepped to accept such regulations too. I see less and less people who are willing (or able) to do things themselves, and that will make it easier for the government to lay down restrictions and laws here such as you describe.

There are plenty of rules like that here in UK. For example, if you want to drive a car it has to meet structural requirements and be tested annually by authorised garages--you can't just cobble together anything and take it on the roads. If you build a house there are materials you're not allowed to use, like asbestos. If a hospital wants to offer surgery its surgeons have to be qualified--they can't just hire someone who likes scalpels and blood. Want to keep a brown bear at home as a pet? Nope.

There are rules in UK which I think are over-regulation but I think the gas one is reasonable because of the higher risk of injuring/killing neighbours (compared to electrical and plumbing, for which there aren't equivalent restrictions). Every year there are reports of houses blown up in gas explosions, though from what I recall the last few haven't taken anybody out.

 

 

 

 

 

[Invicta]

 

A few years ago, about 8 miles from here, there was a gas explosion in a house where an elderly woman lived.  She was found by neighbours i under wreckage in her garden.ad, and the house she lived in was destroyed together with the ones on either side, and several others were damaged including some across the road.  Remarkably the lady was not badly injured as far as I remember.  Her landlord did not have the house insured.  If you let out a house to a tenant you have to have an annual gas safety certificate for every gas appliance. I doubt whether the landlord had that either. Our church also has to have a gas safety cert.  Ours is due on 2nd Oct. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1463820/Woman-83-is-saved-as-blast-wrecks-homes.html

Edited September 22, 2017 by Invicta

[Invicta]

It seems the Landlord had the relevant certification.

 

The HSE* said the gas had leaked from the gas meter outlet in the cellar because of the weak joint where a pipe had been soldered

An HSE spokesman said: "The gas spread into the ground floor rooms to create a flammable mixture, which most likely ignited when the occupant of the property switched on a kettle in the kitchen."

The property was rented, but the HSE said the landlord had met all obligations under gas safety regulations to have appliances checked.

BBC News

* HSE, Health and Safety Executive.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Invicta

[No Nicolaitans]

7 hours ago, Invicta said:

It seems the Landlord had the relevant certification.

 

The HSE* said the gas had leaked from the gas meter outlet in the cellar because of the weak joint where a pipe had been soldered

An HSE spokesman said: "The gas spread into the ground floor rooms to create a flammable mixture, which most likely ignited when the occupant of the property switched on a kettle in the kitchen."

The property was rented, but the HSE said the landlord had met all obligations under gas safety regulations to have appliances checked.

BBC News

* HSE, Health and Safety Executive.

I can't remember the name of the ingredient that is added to natural gas here, but it gives the natural gas an odor; otherwise, people couldn't smell a leak. Is nothing added there to give the gas an odor?

[Invicta]

2 hours ago, No Nicolaitans said:

I can't remember the name of the ingredient that is added to natural gas here, but it gives the natural gas an odor; otherwise, people couldn't smell a leak. Is nothing added there to give the gas an odor?

We have as well.  We had a smell of gas about a year or so ago and called the gas company and they said "Turn off all gas appliances and don't switch any lights or electrical equipment on, and open windows.  Soon a representative came but didn't seem too worried and said he had also to see a neighbour.  I asked what it was and it appeared to be a leak from a gas main about a quarter of a mile away on a main road. "Opposite the spud man, he said"  The spud man sells potatoes from his van by the side of the road,  He added "If you look over there you can see the cloud of gas."  And I could, it looked like a mist.

[No Nicolaitans]

Here are the before and after pictures of the water heater. Before, it was hard-piped...and looked NASTY!!! The only way to remove the water heater was to cut the pipes. I decided to make it a little easier on whoever might buy our home one day...or...make it easier on me if we end up staying here for some reason.

Before...

 

After...

[OLD fashioned preacher]

When you said hard piped, I thought you meant copper pipe with sweated joints or galvanized rigid. PVC's definitely easier to modify. Yep, the flex will improve somebody's life in follow-up work.

[No Nicolaitans]

41 minutes ago, OLD fashioned preacher said:

When you said hard piped, I thought you meant copper pipe with sweated joints or galvanized rigid. PVC's definitely easier to modify. Yep, the flex will improve somebody's life in follow-up work.

Sorry...didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I'm glad it wasn't copper...I've never messed with it before.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

1 minute ago, No Nicolaitans said:

Sorry...didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I'm glad it wasn't copper...I've never messed with it before.

Proper term, just my assumption.

Threaded galvanized can be a headache, too. I'd much rather mess with PVC.

 

[HappyChristian]

I'm not too knowledgeable about water heaters, but one thing I thought when I read your first question, No Nic, is what an emergency management fellow told us several years ago. The staff of the library where I worked met with him regarding ways to survive some kinds of emergencies. A water heater of the type you have holds enough water for 3 days for a family of 3, should other water not be available for some reason. 

It's not something most people think about, obviously, but it's now the first thing I think whenever anyone mentions water heaters. 

[heartstrings]

On 9/24/2017 at 5:15 PM, No Nicolaitans said:

Sorry...didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I'm glad it wasn't copper...I've never messed with it before.

Copper would have been no problem, but a good deal more expensive having to buy the Cu pipe, torch, solder, flux and fittings, but what you did looks nice!

[Jim_Alaska]

10 minutes ago, heartstrings said:

Copper would have been no problem, but a good deal more expensive having to buy the Cu pipe, torch, solder, flux and fittings, but what you did looks nice!

There are fittings you can buy for copper pipe that are called "Sharkbite" They require no solder and they are fast, easy and do not leak, even on older pipe that may be oxidized or corroded. I used one last year on a copper pipe that had been buried underground for twenty years. It was on the main line from my pump house to my house and in a very difficult location. You just cut the pipe and snap on the fitting. I had to repair it because the pipe froze and leaked.

[heartstrings]

So many newfangled things being invented and when you think something can't be improved, somebody comes along and does it. I just bought a new tape measure which has readings on both sides of the tape. That will come in handy for sure.

[Jim_Alaska]

3 minutes ago, heartstrings said:

So many newfangled things being invented and when you think something can't be improved, somebody comes along and does it. I just bought a new tape measure which has readings on both sides of the tape. That will come in handy for sure.

I also like the tapes that stay extended until you push the button to retract them. On the older models you had to push a button to hold them extended. Invariably they would twist and slip off of your work while pushing the button. These new ones are a vast improvement, not to mention that prices have come down drastically if you don't need to stick to the name brands. Some of the generic brands are good quality and not expensive, especially in the wider commercial models.

[No Nicolaitans]

11 minutes ago, Jim_Alaska said:

There are fittings you can buy for copper pipe that are called "Sharkbite" They require no solder and they are fast, easy and do not leak, even on older pipe that may be oxidized or corroded. I used one last year on a copper pipe that had been buried underground for twenty years. It was on the main line from my pump house to my house and in a very difficult location. You just cut the pipe and snap on the fitting. I had to repair it because the pipe froze and leaked.

One end of those flexible pipes I used are like that...slipped them onto the CPVC pipes, and that was it.