What the service covers
When a test is needed
A gas tightness test is needed after new pipework is installed or existing pipework is altered, after a meter change, and when a loss of pressure suggests a leak. It confirms that the installation holds gas without leaking before it is used.
Strength and tightness testing
New and altered pipework is strength tested first, at a pressure above the one it will work at, to show that it is sound. A tightness test then checks that it holds gas with no leak. If a test shows a problem, the engineer explains what needs to be put right.
For industrial and commercial installations the work follows IGEM/UP/1, the standard for strength testing, tightness testing and direct purging of installations up to 16 bar. Small low-pressure commercial natural gas installations, up to 1 m³ in volume and 40 mbar, follow IGEM/UP/1A.
Gas purging
Purging clears air from new pipework before it is used and clears gas from pipework that is being taken out of service, for example before demolition or alteration. The engineer checks at the purge point that the pipework holds only gas, or only air, before the job is signed off.
The record
The tests and purges are recorded on CP16, the CORGIdirect testing and purging record for non-domestic installations, and you get the record when the work is complete. For homes, see domestic testing & purging.
Who it is for
Businesses, builders, developers and facilities managers with new or altered gas pipework, a meter change or a loss of pressure, or premises where the gas supply is being taken out of service.
What you get
- Strength testing of new and altered pipework
- Gas tightness testing of commercial installations
- Purging into service and out of service
- Pre-demolition and new-build purging
- A CP16 record of the tests and purges carried out