What's this pipe?

[swee'pea99]

Ugly old pipe I'd like to get rid of, in a corner of the hall, heading up through the ceiling toward the first floor:

Now I'm fairly confident this is an old, long-redundant gas pipe that once supplied fires upstairs.

Two questions: first, any thoughts on whether or not I'm right? And second, if so, is there any chance it could still 'be live'? Ie, if I start cutting into it, gas could start leaking out?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I'd thoroughly check it was dead before doing anything with it, is it connected with anything upstairs or downstairs?

 

[Oldhippy]

Agreed, gas.

 

[Sterlo]

Drill a hole in it and light a match, that'll soon tell you . I would agree it looks like an old gas pipe, probably safer to get it checked our properly.

 

[byegad]

We bought an all electric house in 1984. In the utility room was a similar pipe, rusty and coming vertically up to about 7 feet. It came up through the concrete floor and was entirely unsupported and presumably had fed into the gas meter, when there was one. I got the gas board in to check if it was 'live', and it was. After much discussion and exchanges of letters, threats and insults they dug a hole in the pavement and cut it off from the main gas supply. I removed it by bending it through about 15 degrees, at which point the corroded pipe snapped. a few minutes with a hammer removed the stub and it was concreted over. Had it been left my two boys, then 2 and 3 could easily have collided with it and we'd have had a house temporarily full of gas, before it self destructed.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

After much discussion and exchanges of letters, threats and insults they dug a hole in the pavement and cut it off from the main gas supply.

@swee'pea99 For swifter action cut it off at ground level and then report a leak. You'll be amazed how fast they respond

 

[swee'pea99]

I'd thoroughly check it was dead before doing anything with it, is it connected with anything upstairs or downstairs?

Obvious question really, and I did try to find the ends. The up is under the floorboards somewhere, but a repeat crawl around the filth that is the cellar managed to find the bottom end, which is not connected to anything, so I'm good to go. Thanks all - much appreciated.

 

[classic33]

Old lead gas pipe?

 

[GuyBoden]

You see them occasionally in Victorian houses, used primarily for seances, as a conduit to the spirit world.

 

[swee'pea99]

Old lead gas pipe?

Hope so - would make it easier to get rid of. It's going to be a bugger either way - the bottom end is really inaccessible...getting at it with any tool is going to be tricky to say the least. If it is lead I wonder if my branch-lopper would do the job.

Victorian house for sure - its supernatural history is unknown to me.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

If you are cutting lead it would be best to cover your mouth/nose, although when working on lead pipe we never did, also do not simply dispose of it, get it weighed in

 

[swee'pea99]

You were busting a gut to use your dremel yesterday.
Now is your chance.

Strange to tell, I don't actually own one.

I would've thought this was a bit heavy duty for a Dremel - not least since a bit of tapping/scraping has confirmed that it is after all steel. . I'm thinking angle grinder. Don't have one o' them neither.

 

[simongt]

report a leak. You'll be amazed how fast they respond

Indeed. Many years ago I put a flooring brad through a gas pipe when replacing a floor board. Promptly turned the gas off at the main, reported it and the manny was there in less than thirty minutes - !

 

[slowmotion]

If it's a lead pipe, you can break it off easily without any tools just by bending it back and forth a few times.

 

[Cycleops]

Looks like you may have two different materials there. Maybe steel up to the joint and perhaps lead from there on up.
Scrape off the paint and see what underneath.