Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Dec 03, 2016 1:54 pm I heard a forensic plumber on the news this morning saying that many new homes and apartments built in Victoria and NSW in the last 10 to 15 years had incorrectly installed gas pipes. The issue seems to concern yellow multi-layer pipes which have been installed with no cover and degrade when exposed to UV light. This article which appeared on the ABC today contains photos and cites cases in Melbourne's western suburbs where these pipes have been used: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-03/i ... sk/8085022 Might be an idea to go out and inspect your gas pipe installation. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 2Dec 03, 2016 5:14 pm So we are in the western suburbs of Melbourne and we have the yellow pipe. It is partially covered in tape but one end is unmistakably yellow underneath and bleached white by the sun on top. It looks like the VBA doesn't audit closely enough (no surprises there) so I'll be contacting them to get the plumber to rectify yet another piece of handiwork. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 3Dec 04, 2016 12:32 am I have long found the VBA audit figures very hard to believe but even more so when so much well known endemic non adherence to regulation is continuing to go unchecked? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 5Dec 23, 2016 11:18 am SaveH2O I have long found the VBA audit figures very hard to believe Just to follow up..... http://metropolis.melbourne/not-bad-odd ... an-get-it/ 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 6Dec 23, 2016 11:48 am Interesting. And I see they have a picture of the offending pipes on their home page. I lodged my complaint with the VBA and was contacted pretty promptly to ask permission for my contact details to be given to the plumber for follow-up. So far I've heard nothing from the plumber. I also asked the VBA to tell me what a solution should look like as there will be nobody to check up on the plumber's fix. According to the VBA there should be a black pipe instead of a yellow one but this is not mentioned in the latest VBA news: http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/media/latest- ... gas-piping This article only appeared after the media reported the story. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 7Dec 23, 2016 2:33 pm I also query the VBA's figures that little more than 368,000 certified plumbing jobs were performed in Victoria during the 2015/2016 financial year. Industry figures vary but it would seem that there are approximately 26,000 plumbers in Victoria of which approximately 16,000 are licensed, the remainder being either registered or apprentices. Only licensed plumbers can issue a compliance certificate and compliance certificates must be issued when the work exceeds $750, this amount includes the labour and material costs...regardless of who purchased those materials. 368,000 ÷ 16,000 = 23 compliance certificates issued on average by every licensed plumber for the year. This is less than two a week. Surely this can't be right but even so, given that each compliance certificate costs the plumber about $33 (but costs the consumer a lot more), the initial sales reaped about $12,144,000 for the 2015/2016 financial year. One has to ask ""To where are these monies allocated"? The VBA's annual budget is about $50,000,000 of which about $18,000,000 comes from the plumbing industry yet inspector's compliance audits are factored to take 30 minutes. Given that a lot of plumbing work is covered up, it is easy to see why so many items are not properly inspected...if at all. Now throw into the mix that some inspectors are not industry professionals! 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 8Jan 12, 2017 2:41 pm I've finally been contacted by a plumber, sent by the original plumber, to rectify the problem. His solution is to cover the degraded pipe in 40mm DWV pipe. He is totally unaware of the black pipe mentioned by the VBA. According to Metropolis Solutions, the plumbers who raised this issue in the press before Christmas, degraded pipe can't be sleeved; it has to be replaced. This seemed to be news to the plumber. Replacing the pipe will involve removing bricks, however, and I assume replacing bricks. He seems to think he can replace the bricks himself - are plumbers any good at bricklaying? I'm starting to be seriously worried about this job. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 9Jan 12, 2017 3:30 pm Just had another discussion with the plumber. I've now been offered the option of replacing the multilayer pipe with new multilayer pipe:cry: or with "gal" pipe. I assume this means galvanized pipe. I thought these were subject to corrosion - does anybody know whether these are still used as gas pipes? Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 10Jan 12, 2017 6:27 pm Liliana I've finally been contacted by a plumber, sent by the original plumber, to rectify the problem. His solution is to cover the degraded pipe in 40mm DWV pipe. He is totally unaware of the black pipe mentioned by the VBA. That is ridiculous, who contacted the original plumber? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 11Jan 12, 2017 6:36 pm The VBA contacted the original plumber who signed the compliance certificates. According to the plumber who came today the original plumber is no longer working as a plumber though he is still registered as far as I can see. The plumber who has been sent to me seems very young - only registered a year ago. If my plumber is no longer working as a plumber doesn't that mean I get to choose my own plumber to do this job. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 12Jan 12, 2017 7:41 pm The VBA and the plumbing industry is a mess. I would have thought that the VBA would instruct the plumber who was arranged to fix it and receive a report back from him and then contact you but maybe that is too proper. I wonder whether the young guy was appropriately qualified and licensed to do the replacement. Gal is still used but you should get the proper like for like in my opinion. Why is everything so hard with the VBA? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 13Jan 12, 2017 7:48 pm Yes, you're right SaveH20. There should be somebody overseeing these rectifications. Once again homeowners are just left floundering around trying to get the correct information. The plumber who came today is licensed to do gas fitting. I checked up but he is very young. He even suggested at one point just painting the pipe with UV paint. How many other people have been offered these fixes and accepted them? Re: Incorrectly installed home gas pipes 14Jan 12, 2017 8:09 pm That is the worry and most won't be as aware as you. One would expect there to be a paper trail back to the VBA but is there? The VBA falls down in so many areas..... Being offered a gal pipe is an insult and the continual examples of a lack of regulatory knowledge by so many plumbers is indicative of an industry in crisis. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. 4 5105 As most others have posted above the install isn't compliant. The pipe is meant to be covered in loose soil or sand, the pipe has holes in it that leaks out a termicide… 10 5726 Building Standards; Getting It Right! Thank you for the generous offer. I need to get the plumber out to give me an explanation. As mentioned I haven't seen any rain water discharge from pipes 1& 3. It… 7 10808 |