Connecting gas in an apartment: procedure and rules for connecting gas in apartment buildings

If you are the happy owner of an apartment in a new building, then soon you will have to deal with the procedure for connecting gas to your new home. Agree, it is better to understand the issue in advance in order to be fully prepared for all possible difficulties.

In this case, connecting gas to an apartment is somewhat different from gasifying a private house, since apartment buildings are managed by a group of people - apartment owners, whose consent is required to connect the building to the central gas pipeline.

To be able to use gas, the apartment owner will need to fully prepare the premises for the safe operation of gas equipment. Further in the article we will reveal the main stages of connecting gas to an apartment, and tell you how to properly prepare your home for the upcoming gasification.

Procedure for connecting to the gas pipeline

If in a private house the owner independently decides on the need to ensure gasification of the real estate, then in an apartment building the consent of each apartment owner will be required to carry out the procedure. Only after this can the next stages of the project begin.

Depending on the number of gas appliances used inside the apartment, technical conditions are calculated for each object individually

First of all, the future gas consumer will need to draw up a package of legal documentation, including ownership of the apartment, as well as a document confirming the residents’ consent to connect the entire house to the central gas pipeline.

This is a prerequisite, since without the listed documents the homeowner will not be able to obtain technical conditions.

Next, the home owner will need to enter into an agreement with the gas distribution company and submit an application for obtaining technical specifications for gas connection. This document confirms the possibility of including a new user in the gas system.

The next stage is preparing the premises for subsequent gas connection, which includes carrying out repair work in the apartment. In this case, you will need to fulfill at least the minimum requirements put forward by the gas service.

After all repairs and installation work have been completed, the homeowner will need to call a fireman to ventilation duct checks and drawing up an act. If all requirements are met and safety rules are fully observed, the specialist issues a corresponding report.

If all documents are in order, then the apartment owner can safely enter into an agreement with the gas company for the purchase of gas and maintenance of the gas supply system

At the next stage, gas is connected to the apartment in the new building, but this is only possible after 50% of the residents of the new building have successfully completed all of the above stages. In addition, at the time the property is connected to the central gas pipeline, all owners must remain in their apartments.

Technical conditions for gas connection

These requirements are calculated for the safest use of gas equipment, therefore, compliance with technical conditions is a mandatory step for all consumers.

The document contains all the necessary conditions and requirements for the design of the gas pipeline, including its installation parts, as well as for the chemical composition and technical parameters of the fuel.

Drawing up a project for a connected system necessary for the construction of a gas pipeline is impossible without obtaining and further fulfilling technical specifications

Different consumers can use gas for completely different purposes, for example, a gas stove is enough for someone to ensure maximum comfort, while another resident of an apartment building plans install a geyser and additional underfloor heating. In this case, technical conditions for each consumer will be drawn up individually.

This stage of gas supply in apartment buildings also includes gas meter installation, without which the inspector will not be able to draw up an act. If at least one of the established conditions is not met, the inspection is postponed to another date, by which the property owner must fulfill all requirements.

If the requirements are not met properly, the gas company reserves the right to refuse gasification of a particular apartment.

Thus, gas equipment is equipped with special plugs, while the object can be connected to gas only if the owner of the property fulfills all the requirements in accordance with the norms of the document SP 42-101-2003 “General provisions for the design and construction of gas distribution systems made of metal and polyethylene pipes”.

The validity period of the fire act is only 1 month, during which technical supervision workers must connect the gas

The technical specifications are drawn up by the gas distribution company, which is obliged to provide the homeowner with the relevant document within 14 days after submitting the application. After checking the fulfilled requirements, it is better to order the project from the company recommended by the gas company, since this is the only way to speed up the gas connection process.

When is the connection made?

Gas start-up is carried out only if the owner of the apartment in an apartment building has completed all established stages, including repair of the premises and conclusion of an agreement with the gas supply company.

An important condition is to undergo scheduled training that covers all the most important points for the safe use of gas equipment.

Gas connection is made only if at least 50% of the residents of the apartment building have met all the established requirements

If homeowners are determined with an exact date, then gas company specialists will be able to carry out pressure testing of gas networks in apartments that belong to the same riser. To do this, workers will need access to each apartment, otherwise the pressure testing will have to be postponed to another date.

This is the most important condition before directly connecting the facility to the central gas pipeline, since it is often at this stage that gas leaks are detected.

If a malfunction is detected in the operation of gas equipment, gas service workers will carry out all necessary work to eliminate it. After successful pressure testing, residents of the apartment building will be informed of the gas start-up date. On this day, all apartment owners must also be at home to ensure access to indoor gas equipment.

Basic rules for gasification in an apartment

In the process of drawing up individual technical conditions, the purposes of gas use by the apartment owner are taken into account, including the number of gas appliances to be installed. It is on the basis of this information that a list of requirements is compiled.

GorGaz employees do not always include mandatory rules for installing gas equipment in the technical conditions, therefore, due to their failure to comply, the EMERCOM employee will be forced to postpone the gas connection date

You can familiarize yourself with the established rules for installing gas equipment inside an apartment in the document SP 42-101-2003 “General provisions for the design and construction of gas distribution systems made of metal and polyethylene pipes.”

According to the document, there are a number of minimum requirements established for all gas consumers:

• painting the gas pipe white;
• ensuring sealing of the chimney installation site using cement mortar;
• installing a grille on the ventilation duct;
• installation of a kitchen door with a 3 cm undercut from the floor, and installation of a decorative grille at a distance of 10 cm from the floor;
• installation of electrical sockets next to the boiler, and a signaling device located near the gas meter;
• purchasing a voltage stabilizer for the boiler;
• mandatory purchase of a gas stove before the inspection by the inspector;
• connection of gas-using equipment using stainless steel hoses no longer than 1.5 m;
• purchase of a gas stove equipped with a gas control system;
• availability of all necessary technical documentation for the gas equipment used.

Failure of gas-using equipment to meet basic technical requirements is already grounds for refusal to conclude an agreement by the gas supply service.

In order not to slow down the process of connecting gas in the apartment, it is important to fulfill all the established requirements in advance, and only after that call a specialist to carry out an inspection.

For all residents of an apartment building, the installation of indoor gas monitoring sensors is mandatory from June 6, 2019

Another mandatory condition is the installation of “easily removable” glass in the kitchen of a residential building, while in an apartment building you will also need to install gas sensors.

Of course, such devices will require additional costs, but this will ensure safety not only for the owner of the apartment, but also for the residents of the entire apartment building.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

You can learn about the unexpected difficulties of connecting gas in an apartment from the following video:

The procedure for connecting gas to an apartment consists of several important steps, failure to complete which will result in gas company employees refusing to carry out gasification. Even if the homeowner has fulfilled all the technical conditions established by the company and entered into an agreement with the gas supply company, the gas connection process may be suspended.

To successfully check gas equipment and subsequently connect gas, all residents of an apartment building must be at home to ensure access to each apartment. At the final stage, it is important for all residents of the house to cooperate, which will allow the gas workers to successfully connect gas to the residential building.

If you have already gone through all the stages of connecting gas in an apartment, you can share your experience in the comments below the article. Tell our readers what difficulties you encountered in the process of cooperation with a gas company, and what mistakes you had to correct when meeting technical requirements.