Main gas valve (HUP)

The Czech Energy Act defines the main gas valve (HUP, hlavní uzávěr plynu) as the shut-off valve of the customer's gas installation that separates it from the gas service connection. The connection starts at the branch from the distribution pipeline and ends before the main valve. The customer's gas installation starts at the main valve and includes the piping in the building and the appliances, but not the gas meter.

Where responsibility changes hands

The main valve is the boundary of responsibility. The pipeline belongs to the distributor, the connection to the distributor or another owner, and the gas meter is installed and maintained by the distribution system operator. Beyond the valve begins the customer's gas installation, which under Section 62 of the Energy Act the customer must keep in a condition that does not endanger life, health or property, and repair any defect without undue delay. Its condition is documented by a gas installation inspection report.

Nothing may be altered on the part of the installation before the gas meter without the distributor's prior written consent (Section 71 of the Energy Act).

Where to find it

Under the technical rules for gas installations, the main valve is placed so that it is easily accessible: usually in a box or niche on the outer wall of the house, in the fence, or on a separate post between the house and the plot boundary. If the network operator's drawing ends the connection at the plot boundary, the main valve may be right there.

What to watch for when buying

A box with a main valve does not mean the house is connected and uses gas. Whether the connection is in use is confirmed by a gas bill or a connection contract; the inspection report tells you about the piping beyond the valve. Network operators draw pipelines and connections in their maps but usually do not record the piping beyond the main valve. The pressure in the connection depends on the pressure level of the pipeline the house is connected to.

May I close the main valve myself?

Yes, the main valve is there precisely to shut off gas to the house. In case of a gas leak, the advice is to shut off the supply, ventilate, leave the building and call the gas emergency line 1239 from outside. However, you must not interfere with the installation before the gas meter without the distributor's consent.