Help!! What is this pipe please?

[jay001]

Not sure this is in the right place as I'm a newbie!

We're in the process of knocking through a wall and have come across this pipe. Nobody is too sure what it is (think their main concern is it's electric and don't want a nasty shock!) but we need it out of the way!

Think it's galvanized. Very cold to start but does warm up if you hold your hand on it (suggesting there is no cold water in it).

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

best thing you could do and if you going that far is to trace it, if its elec there should be a box not to far away

looking something like this

but it might be your water main/gas ad it looks like hemp on the coupling joint

 

[jay001]

Hi Shaun. Thanks for your reply. Problem is it's all the far side of the wall, so unless we keep chopping away, can't get to anything. The gap we've cut is 5' wide and no junction box spotted
The hemp part is interesting though! Still not sure what to do! LOL

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Hi Shaun. Thanks for your reply. Problem is it's all the far side of the wall, so unless we keep chopping away, can't get to anything. The gap we've cut is 5' wide and no junction box spotted
The hemp part is interesting though! Still not sure what to do! LOL

is there any markings/writing on the pipe any where you can see?

 

[jay001]

is there any markings/writing on the pipe any where you can see?

Not that we can see, no.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Not that we can see, no.

anything he other side of the stone wall? (pic2)

 

[Masood]

That doesn't look like conduit to me! There are teeth marks on the pipe from Stillsons. Probably water or gas..

 

[jay001]

Can't access the other side of the wall as it's panelled in.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

sorry to say you have two options lave it where it is or find where it comes/ goes to

 

[Dotty]

But whatever you do, don't cut it!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

But whatever you do, don't cut it!

its not fun but sometimes you have to thread live

 

[snowhead]

The coupler is too thick for conduit.
Leaving Gas or Water

It looks like it's been buried in the wall so the panelling can cover it.
I'd tend towards Gas originally going to a Gas fire, but that may have been a long time ago.

I can't publish what I personally would do as I'm competent to resolve any issue it throws up.

You'd have to assume the worst, that it's gas and get a Gassafe engineer to prove it's not first.

 

[jay001]

Ok thanks

 

[jay001]

Hmmm - well it can't stay where it is...

 

[jay001]

The coupler is too thick for conduit.
Leaving Gas or Water

It looks like it's been buried in the wall so the panelling can cover it.
I'd tend towards Gas originally going to a Gas fire, but that may have been a long time ago.

I can't publish what I personally would do as I'm competent to resolve any issue it throws up.

You'd have to assume the worst, that it's gas and get a Gassafe engineer to prove it's not first.

Ok - thanks for your help. I'd love to know what you'd do?! Private message - or is that not allowed?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Ok - thanks for your help. I'd love to know what you'd do?! Private message - or is that not allowed?

not allowed if its gas and your not gas safe reg sorry

 

[jay001]

not allowed if its gas and your not gas safe reg sorry

IF it's gas. If I were to get a gas safe registered person out here, can you (they) check/test before cutting or not?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

IF it's gas. If I were to get a gas safe registered person out here, can you (they) check/test before cutting or not?

you could but you might be without gas for a couple of days (new line being installed)

 

[jay001]

you could but you might be without gas for a couple of days (new line being installed)

Well the place next door (panelled side) has no gas. The shop with the hole in the wall has a gas boiler but it's all at the opposite end of the shop...and the gas meter is at the back of the shop, this pipe is near the front?! Upstairs have no gas either.

 

[Masood]

Well the place next door (panelled side) has no gas. The shop with the hole in the wall has a gas boiler but it's all at the opposite end of the shop...and the gas meter is at the back of the shop, this pipe is near the front?! Upstairs have no gas either.

Properties get chopped around and things get moved all the time. It might not be gas, but if it is, the consequences of getting it wrong are pretty bad! Is there NO way of having a look behind the panelling??

 

[snowhead]

Well the place next door (panelled side) has no gas. The shop with the hole in the wall has a gas boiler but it's all at the opposite end of the shop...and the gas meter is at the back of the shop, this pipe is near the front?! Upstairs have no gas either.

Whoever gets to the stage of cutting the pipe will need access to the gas and water isolation points for all the adjacent properties unless the pipe can be physically followed from end to end.

It's quite likely to be old and unused but who knows.

 

[thompsonbrown]

In my opinion its probable galvanized steel pipe and used for water, it should be black iron pipe work if it was gas. Looks like red lead and hemp were used to seal the joint, Just be careful and get someone with a voltage detector to check it out first. because it still possible be electrical conduit.

 

[jay001]

Properties get chopped around and things get moved all the time. It might not be gas, but if it is, the consequences of getting it wrong are pretty bad! Is there NO way of having a look behind the panelling??

No there isn't. We put the panelling on but no sign of pipe...so it's buried into the wall

 

[jay001]

In my opinion its probable galvanized steel pipe and used for water, it should be black iron pipe work if it was gas. Looks like red lead and hemp were used to seal the joint, Just be careful and get someone with a voltage detector to check it out first. because it still possible be electrical conduit.

Gas safe registered guy coming out next week...so hopefully we'll get sorted! Thanks

 

[thompsonbrown]

Gas safe registered guy coming out next week...so hopefully we'll get sorted! Thanks

in my opinion I would consider getting an electrician before paying for a gas fitter.

 

[rpm]

Please be sure to update us.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

in my opinion I would consider getting an electrician before paying for a gas fitter.

tbh mate no point as a sparky would know if there was cables inside (test wise) unless he cut into then what happens if its gas/water

 

[thompsonbrown]

tbh mate no point as a sparky would know if there was cables inside (test wise) unless he cut into then what happens if its gas/water

I personally think its a old water main. However it could be electrical conduit and with and decent non contact electrical tester, current flowing in a circut would still give off low frequeny and heat. this would easily be picked up through the galvanized conduit. how do you think the electric board can trace armored cables buried 5 to 6 feet underground. No knows for sure what it is, but as galvanized pipework should not be used on gas due to the reaction hydro carbons have on zinc , probability would say its more likley electric than gas.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I personally think its a old water main. However it could be electrical conduit and with and decent non contact electrical tester, current flowing in a circut would still give off low frequeny and heat. this would easily be picked up through the galvanized conduit. how do you think the electric board can trace armored cables buried 5 to 6 feet underground. No knows for sure what it is, but as galvanized pipework should not be used on gas due to the reaction hydro carbons have on zinc , probability would say its more likley electric than gas.

if it is elec it wouldnt be sealed with hemp and red lead/stag

 

[thompsonbrown]

if it is elec it wouldnt be sealed with hemp and red lead/stag

Totally agree to me its a old and possibly disused water main, I also mentioned stag and hemp were used on an earlier post which to me says water but as no can tell it could have been bad advice to give. for all i know it could be a mild steel gas pipe painted with galvanized paint to protect from corrosion. Hope he posts the outcome.

 

[plumben]

I'd vote for water or gas,

Try to trace the pipe work as best as you can

 

[WaterTight]

it's the coupler that's throwing everyone off. it looks weird. ignoring that it does look like water/gas threaded iron.

every now and the totally weird things crop up. i once had a section of copper to join onto and nothing i had would fit. nothing whatsoever. i cut out a section and took it tm my local brainbox guy at the best merchant in town. he tried everything on it, scrutinized and nothing would fit. wasn't deformed or anything. his best guess was at some point it had frozen and swelled, not burst but for some inexplicable reason swollen totally uniformally making it like 17mm copper or something. Thank god for Philmacs.