Commercial Gas Engineers in Brighton and Hove

Gas services for restaurants, pubs and hotels

Taking over an existing kitchen

A new operator often inherits pipework and appliances from the previous tenant. Before trading, it is sensible to have the system inspected and tightness tested.

We check the pipework, the appliance connections, the ventilation and the gas interlock. Where everything is in order, we issue a commercial gas certificate. Where it is not, we explain what needs doing.

Fitting out a new kitchen

New kitchen pipework is installed, strength tested and tightness tested. The air is then purged out, gas is introduced, and each appliance is commissioned.

Commercial kitchens normally need an interlock that stops gas flowing unless the extraction system is running. We install and prove these as part of our commercial catering service.

Hotel plant rooms

Seafront hotels often have basement boiler rooms with long flue routes and limited access. We work on boilers, water heaters and the pipework that serves them, and we install and maintain commercial heating systems.

Working around the season

Many Brighton venues prefer planned work between late autumn and early spring. Our team is available seven days a week, so testing and repairs can also be fitted in overnight or on quieter days.

What makes gas work different in Brighton?

Regency buildings and conservation areas

Much of the seafront, Kemp Town, Brunswick Town and the Old Town is listed or lies within a conservation area. External pipework, flue terminals and meter boxes may need listed building consent or planning permission from the council.

Internal routes matter too. Terraces converted into several commercial units often share an incoming supply, so isolation and labelling must be clear.

Tight streets and venting

A gas purge has to be vented to a safe place outdoors, away from windows, doors, air intakes and ignition sources. In narrow lanes with neighbours on every side, the vent position and timing need careful thought.

A coastal environment

Salt air is hard on external steel pipework, brackets and meter housings. Corrosion is one of the most common faults we find on seafront properties. Regular inspection and suitable protective coatings make a real difference.

Beyond hospitality

Brighton is not only restaurants and hotels. We also work on larger estates and industrial premises.

Universities. The campuses at Falmer and Moulsecoomb have central plant and many smaller boiler rooms.

Healthcare. The main hospital in Kemp Town and other health sites need phased work to keep services running.

Venues. The conference centre, theatres and the stadium at Falmer have multiple kitchens and concessions fed from shared supplies.

Industrial and trade units. Hollingbury, the Fairway estate at Moulsecoomb, Portslade and Shoreham Port have workshops, food producers, breweries and builders' merchants with warehouse heaters and process equipment.

How do tightness testing and purging work?

A tightness test shows whether pipework leaks. The section is isolated, pressurised and monitored with a calibrated gauge for a set time. If the pressure falls by more than the permitted amount, the leak is traced and repaired before a retest.

Purging then replaces the air in the pipe with gas. On larger pipework, nitrogen purging is used first so that air and gas do not mix. The purge is checked with a gas detector at the vent point.

Commercial work follows IGEM/UP/1 or IGEM/UP/1A, depending on the size of the installation. More information is on our gas testing and gas purging page.

Removing gas from a unit

More kitchens and plant rooms in Brighton are moving to electric equipment. When gas is no longer needed, the pipework should be decommissioned properly.

That means isolating the section, purging out the gas, cutting the pipe back to a live valve or tee, capping it and recording the change. Removing the meter or the incoming service is arranged separately through your supplier or the gas network.

New pipework and buried supplies

We install commercial gas pipework to IGEM/UP/2. For supplies across yards or between buildings, see our underground gas pipework page.

Who do you need to contact locally?

Highways

Brighton and Hove City Council is the highway authority for the city, including Portslade, Rottingdean and Saltdean. A street works permit or a section 50 licence is normally required before excavating in a public road or footway.

Shoreham, Southwick and Worthing come under West Sussex County Council. Lewes, Newhaven and Peacehaven come under East Sussex County Council. The A27 and A23 trunk roads are managed by National Highways.

Parts of the city's northern and eastern edges fall within the South Downs National Park, which has its own planning authority.

The gas network

The network along the Sussex coast is operated by SGN. It owns the service pipe up to the emergency control valve. New connections and supply upgrades are requested from SGN or through your supplier. We work on the pipework after the meter.

If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Urgent repairs

After a gas escape, the supply normally stays off until the fault is repaired. We carry out emergency gas repairs on commercial premises, followed by a tightness test and purge so you can reopen. For a busy Brighton restaurant every closed service costs money, so we keep the process simple: repair, test, purge and relight.

Covering the city and the Sussex coast

We cover all Brighton and Hove postcodes in BN1, BN2 and BN3, including Kemp Town, Hanover, Preston Park, Patcham, Hangleton and the marina.

Gas Main Installation is not limited to the city. We also work in Portslade, Southwick and Shoreham-by-Sea, in Lewes, Newhaven and Peacehaven, and in Worthing, Hassocks and Burgess Hill. Our services are available throughout the UK.