While digging a trench for a french drain project, I uncovered a natural gas pipe that went from the main to galvanized steel 18″ down and then turns into 1″ schedule 40 PVC and comes back up 30′ later in galvanized. I want to replace but don’t know what or how I should do it. Can I direct bury black pipe or should I try to use PE instead? Help!!
PS. The pipe has been there for at least 15 years before I bought this house.
Replies
Time to call the gas company. Many are quite particular as to what is done with what materials and by who.
I second 4LORN1. I was digging in a water service last summer and popped the gas service. The gas co had located it incorrectly and since the error was more than 4' (you're required here to hand-dig to utilities w/in an 8' row of their locate) it was their fault. It was an old galvanized service, and luckily I saw it in the bucket before pulling it out of the ground.
Anyway they're in the process of sleeving all the old galvanized services with a stainless steel corrugated tubing / plastic jacketed pipe so they came out and did mine in that manner. I had a little bickering over responsibility but you could see the locate marks so they paid.
So the gas co's responsibility is up to the house main tie-in to the meter. They are one of the friendlier utilities usually because of safety issues. I would see if they'd replace gratis the cob job you've got.
If it's a service on your side of the meter it's yours to replace - I suggest a system like gas-trac (corrugated stainless steel tubing) instead of black pipe. It will never leak if installed correctly. But black pipe would work okay too, crank the #### out of it to bury the threads. Past the point you think you should stop tightening it.
remodeler
Have your gas line replaced with PE pipe.I worked in the natrual gas business for 10 years, running 4 contract crews for gas line installation for mains and service lines to new residential and commercial bldg.PVC is the wrong matl. add the transitions from galv. to PVC and you have a potential for a leak.Do not bury black iron pipe,even if its coated a small nick or hole in the coating will concentrate the corrosion all in that spot,dependening on soil conditions etc. Ive seen pipe eaten through in as little as a month. Go with the PE and bury it and forget it ,the only way PE will leak is if you cut it. installing PE is NOT a DIY job. Hope this helps and if you need more info I'll be glad to go into more detail.
Thanks for the info. Since I won't be needing this pipe for awhile I was just going to cap it at the main and deal with it later. I have a feeling it will be hard to locate a decent PE contractor in SacramentoCA. Anyway, thanks again.
Call the company that supplies your gas. They will either have crews of their own to do the work or have a list of companies they have a relationship with. Any luck at all and they will do the work for free. Most, at least in this area, operate on the thought that it is better to have a well maintained system at a cost than picking up the pieces after a major disaster. At worse they add it a bit at a time to your gas bill.
Not all gas companies take responsibility for the line on their side of the meter. At my previous house in Euclid, Ohio the gas company instituted an insurance you could pay with your bill that would cover the line from the gas main at the street to your meter. If you didn't take the insurance and your old galvanized line leaked, you were responsible for replacing it.
In the Kansas City area the gas company responsibility used to end at the property line even when the meter was beside the house.
But they started having a series of gas leaks and a couple of explosions and the state mandated that they maintain the lines up to the house.
FWIW, here's a few bits:
Black pipe for direct burial is called Scotch Kote though this may be a proprietary name and there may be generics. Scotch Kote is identified by the green coating. As mentioned earlier, care must be taken with wrenches, vises, etc. and where the coating is compromised, primer and pipe wrap must be applied. Fittings must also be primed and wrapped, overlapping well back on to intact coating. Galvanized fittings may or may not be ok, depending on specific gas chemistry and local code. If used, they too must be wrapped to protect the threaded ends of the Scotch Kote.
SDR 11 is a yellow plastic, direct burial gas tubing that is used with either "stab" (friction fit) or compression fittings. A yellow trace wire must be buried along with the tubing to allow use of a locator. "Buried Gas Line" tape must be buried 4-6" above the tubing to avoid shovel nicks on excavation. Actually, tape should always be used. If the tubing is nicked, the damaged section can be cut out and replaced with a coupling.
If SDR 11 is used between buildings, for instance between house and garage, and the gasline is Bonded in the house, it must also be Bonded in the garage, due to the nonconductive plastic. Also, the risers for SDR 11 are metal, so if trying to ascertain what type of line was used on a given run, don't conclude until you dig up the base of the riser.
All work and repairs must be pressure tested. A slack tube manometer will give the most accurate readings. Temerature change must be taken into account as a temperature drop will lower volume in the system and read as a pressure drop. A test cap with gauge and schrader valve is an easy way to test and these are approx. $10 at plumbing supply houses. SDR 11 and Scotch Kote should be available at the same place.
These are things I've learned over the years but all facts should be locally verified. Please let me know if I've suggested anything false or questionable.
Lance
Ethos,
Is the "buried gas line" tape code in your area? This is not required, nor even mentioned by contractors/inspectors in my area (Boulder, Colo.). Of course, yellow tracer wire is and must be stubbed up and visibly terminate at the risers.
Personally, I think the tape is a great idea and will suggest this on.
Thanks.
Seth"Nothing is a
mistake. There is no win
and there is no fail . . . there is only
make."
John Cage
Hi Seth-
I'm slightly embarassed to say that I'm not sure, but unless one is digging with a rubber-tipped shovel, I can't see how one finds the line without hitting it first, and so with SDR 11 I can't see how it's not common practice. I was thinking that tape with an integral wire would be a logical simplification.
Feels good to be finally getting some moisture! Crocus are blooming and the apricots are getting ready to flower here in Albuquerque.
Lance
Some brands of poly pipe has a magnetic strip formed into the pipe so you can locate it. but most just bury a tracer wire loosely next to the pipe .service lines are only buried 18'' to 24'' we didnt use warning tape on service lines.Mains are 30'' deep warning tape is put approx 1' above pipe.The popane line at my house has a heavy weight laminated plastic silver foil warning tape that also serves as a tracer.Also most service line are put in perpendicular to the main straight to the house , the service lines dont meander all over the yard, to hard to find in a emergency. I think what Iam trying to say is you really have to work at it to not realize theres a buried gas line. and be really clueless to cut one although it happens about dozen times a day. mostly cut mains
The green coated steel pipe is not scotch kote. its an epoxy coating applied to the pipe. there is a repair stick which you heat with a torch and rub into any holidays or nicks. scotch kote is a black tape you apply around the joints after welding the pipe together.Stab fitttings (lyco fits) typically are used for quick repairs i.e. cut services small diameter mains.Sdr 11 pipe or any of the polyethylene pipes are fused together. the pipe is then capped pumped up to 120 lbs put onto a 24hr chart recorder.service lines are are pumped to 120 lbs put on a 2 hr test with a spring guage. the riser is steel swagged to a polyethylene tail which is fused to the service line. main tap tees and all fittings are fused together also.plastic pipe mains are allowed to operate at sixty pounds.most systems on plastic operate at around 30 to 40lbs dependening on the distribution system the regulator on your meter drops that to 4 ozs. after the meter.Be happy to answer more questions.
xray-
Thanks for the info.
What's the typical test for buried branches on the low-pressure side?
I assume you mean a line after the meter.For example from the house to a shop outbldg. etc..after the meter the test pressure would be whatever the local code calls for we(the gas company)only test up to the meter after that its the home owners responsibility. In my travels most tested at 60lbs.
Here in Los Angeles, the Gas Company owns and cares for everything up to and including the bypass tee on the outlet side of the meter. They used to allow earthquake valves to be installed between the regulator and meter, but now require them to be past the tee. They sent me a registered letter requiring me to give them the date and name of the plumber who put in my earthquake valve.
-- J.S.