Can I cover exposed internal gas pipes with pipe sleeves?

If you have unsightly gas pipes visible inside your home, you might be wondering how to hide them. Here, we’ll answer whether you can cover exposed internal gas pipes with pipe sleeves. But first…

Do internal gas pipes need to be sleeved?

Any gas pipes that pass through internal or external brick or concrete walls have to be sleeved. However, if your gas pipes are exposed and visible inside the home, sleeving isn’t a requirement. Rather, they just need the correct support clipping.

Can I cover exposed internal gas pipes with pipe sleeves?

Now you know that visible internal gas pipes don’t need to be sleeved. However, can you hide them beneath chrome sleeves or covers if you choose to?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Although these kinds of pipe covers look great on many pipes, they’re not suitable for use on exposed internal gas pipes. Why? Because it’s important that any small leaks of gas can escape and be detected.

How else can you disguise exposed internal gas pipes?

Luckily, if you’re desperate to hide your gas pipes, all is not lost as you can box them in instead. You just have to make sure the box work is ventilated at either end so that any leaking gas can escape.

That said, we’d always recommend getting gas pipes assessed by a Gas Safe registered engineer first, in case they need to be readily accessible for maintenance or safety reasons.

Find a Gas Safe registered engineer

If you’re considering hiding your gas pipes out of sight, find a Gas Safe registered engineer to help.

Not only will they be able to assess your pipes to make sure they’re okay to be boxed in, but they may also be able to run you through some other options for hiding your pipes that you might not have thought of yet.

To find a gas engineer, simply enter your postcode below.