Connecting strata townhouse to mains gas

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Chaumander, 18th Sep, 2020.

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  1. Chaumander

    Chaumander Well-Known Member

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    Hi everyone,

    Is it possible to connect your townhouse to gas (for cooking and hot water) if you're part of a strata complex? Assuming the rest of the complex is all-electric.

    If so, what's the process to do this? Has anyone done this successfully before? Is there usually much resistance from the BC?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    Chaumander, 18th Sep, 2020
    #1
  2. Paul@PAS

    Paul@PAS Tax, Accounting + SMSF + All things Property Tax Business Plus Member

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    If the propety is not connected to gas on the street then the individual units wont be plumbed so no point being connected to the street. Then there would need to be master metering and all sorts of problems. Safety issues may mean no gas is allowed. They might not then want unflued heaters and bottled gas on site either.

    A issue to have considered when buying.
     
    Paul@PAS, 18th Sep, 2020
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  3. Chaumander

    Chaumander Well-Known Member

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    Haven't bought yet, hence the consideration and question :)

    Answer sounds like have a conversation with the strata manager but probably not?
     
    Chaumander, 18th Sep, 2020
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  4. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    Is gas available in the street?

    You might need to consider installing an LPG gas bottle rather than natural gas to avoid digging up common areas, building a metering enclosure & running reticulation.
     
    Scott No Mates, 18th Sep, 2020
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  5. Chaumander

    Chaumander Well-Known Member

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    Yeah Gas is available on the street.

    Just thought it would be nice to connect to mains gas to get instant hot water as well (which is what I’m used to). We’re two ppl so I feel like the constant reheating of the electric storage systems would drive our bills up.

    Yeah good idea, I will keep the LPG bottles in mind as a last resort for cooking, thanks!
     
    Chaumander, 18th Sep, 2020
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  6. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    We're building townhouses right now. Gas to the street. Old house has has cooking but had electric HWS. We wanted to add instant gas HWS, but gas supplier told us the pressure in the street would not support instant HWS so we reluctantly moved to gas storage but kept gas cooking.

    For the townhouses themselves, we had the same issues. We were told adding four instant HWS and gas cooking to the street was not feasible. I don't know if they are right, and we did toy for a minute or two with just adding it, but it the pressure wasn't there, then we were stuffed.

    So we switched to electric HWS and kept gas for cooking (on advice from a few trusted local agents). That means cylinders, which are a PITA (our first house had cylinders). However, if someone down the track wants to swap to electric cooking, it is easy to do.

    Going from electric to gas in an already completed townhouse would be so much trickier than in a house where you can dig up the front yard to lay gas line into the house and then up through a floor in a Queenslander.

    Just adding this story because gas in the street doesn't necessarily mean it will work to the property and getting a gas line into an already landscaped townhouse could be almost impossible.
     
    wylie, 19th Sep, 2020
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  7. Chaumander

    Chaumander Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for sharing Wylie. I’ve lived in homes with bottle gas for HWS and hated running out of hot water mid-shower!

    I also dread having to go back to electric cooking after living with gas cooking and loving it - hence the question.

    Overall sounds like it’s basically impossible to connect to mains gas so I’ll keep that in mind when looking.
     
    Chaumander, 20th Sep, 2020
    #7
  8. Paul@PAS

    Paul@PAS Tax, Accounting + SMSF + All things Property Tax Business Plus Member

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    Strata may also refuse gas bottles. It is a extra hazard. Then there is metering issues with town gas. Replumbing. etc

    Its like buying in a complex with no pool and asking if they can put a pool in. A friend had issues when they moved to a electric unit. They switched the hotplates for some "instant on" fancy one (which needed some new pots) and were happier but miss the gas cooking.
     
    Paul@PAS, 23rd Sep, 2020
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  9. craigc

    craigc Well-Known Member

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    Induction I believe is the word you’re looking for @Paul@PFI o_O
     
    craigc, 24th Sep, 2020
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  10. Danny370z

    Danny370z Well-Known Member

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    I have just bought a townhouse that has Gas on the street and is free for connection to the unit. Plus Plumbers fees for house connection. I will be approaching the Strata to see if this is feasible with them. No biggie if they reject its only three in the complex so we might all want to pursue in the future..
     
    Danny370z, 5th Jan, 2021
    #10
  11. Mark F

    Mark F Well-Known Member

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    For what it is worth the ACT Govt is banning piped gas in new residential areas for greenhouse reasons. In our own townhouse we have tried to get piped gas for heating (we have a bottled supply for heating and solar hot water) on several occasions but they either want to connect up the entire 50 dwelling complex or provide quotes that in the 5 figure category even though we are on the edge of the complex.
     
    Mark F, 5th Jan, 2021
    #11