Be Careful When Drilling – There Could Be Gas Pipes

Be careful if you are drilling into walls in your home, you might just drill into a gas pipe!

We recently got a call to a job where a customer was doing some work around the house which involved drilling into his walls. Unfortunately, while doing so, he drilled into a gas pipe which ran through the wall, causing damage to the pipe and resulting in a gas leak.

To repair this, our gas specialist had to cut out the section of wall, remove that section of pipe, track down the correct type of pipe and fittings, and install the replacement.

After this, our technician tested the gas installation to ensure there were no leaks, and pressurised the system, putting it back into operation.

What to do if you drill into gas pipes
If you have it a gas pipe, the first thing you need to do is turn the gas off as soon as possible. How this is done will depend on whether you have LPG or Natural Gas. If you have an LPG installation, you can shut off the bottles, which will stop any more gas from entering your system. If you have Natural Gas, you will need to turn off your metered gas supply. Turn the valve handle to horizontal to shut off the gas. You may need a spanner to do this. Make sure you know where your meter and gas valve are located ahead of time so that in case of emergency you can turn it off.  Once your gas is off, call us and tell us that you may have a gas leak, and we will send out a technician ASAP to check it out.

If you have gas related questions or think you have a gas leak, contact us now on 0800 832 638.