Im working on thr fireplace insert in my fixer upper.Its always been used for wood but while i corrected some clearence issues afdter ripping off the fake mantle i noticed there was an acess cover thru the side wall baffle and insul. dbl wall of the unit for gas piping. Before i build a whole new mantle and hearth and tile surround i figured itd be smart to stub out the gas line and shut off since id be my last chance;case id make the fuel change.
Problem is that because of the angle of the side wall to the back and front;;maybe 20% the i/2 black pipe i was going to use has rto make two wierd angles..70-75%? to clear the 5″ wide face flange on the stove and the framing and come out square to the wall face. The hole actually puts u outside the sheathing of the house..but these guys built a whole outhouse addition on a poured base to surround the back of the stove making acess a no go from that side.
Question isI was going to stub out the line and cap it off with at least the cap being in the hot side of the stove wall so i could hook gas logs up later .I know this should all be one pc of pipe behind all those areas ill never see again.What kinduv pipe can i use to make this bends and make good safe connection? Altho flex copper could make the bends i dont see how any connection could be made safe.Can u use corrugated appliance supply tubing? The last 3 inches inc, a way to cap it would be in the hot side of the firebox .
Any suggestions? Know its a wordy explanation but tried to throw it all in.Idiot guy didnt even center the fireplace in room..only off 6 inches!
Edited 9/5/2007 8:12 pm ET by treetalk
Replies
>>Altho flex copper could make the bends i dont see how any connection could be made safe.Can u use corrugated appliance supply tubing?
Going through the masonry? NO. Not copper, either.
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I don't think you need to have no joints in gas pipe in an inaccessible area. Just make sure you pressure-test the line before covering it up.BTW, the corrugated stuff is a definite no-go anywhere but it's intended use to connect an appliance where it's accessible, and cannot penetrate any surfaces.Here, copper is no longer allowed for any gas applications.Use your black pipe and as many fittings as needed to make the bends.Bill
Edited 9/5/2007 11:02 pm ET by PGproject
Not sure I understand fully your dilemna from the description, but you can have fittings burried in a wall -- just not unions, IIRC. You can also bend black iron if you have wierd angles. I've used a threading vise stand to do this, but they also have pneumatic benders -- maybe you could find one to rent if this might solve your problem. Stay away form the corrugated stuff for this application. You also might want to consider installing a key valve in the floor/wall nearby while you are in the rough-in stage, although with modern gas logs with remote controls, that's not as big an issue.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Ooooooooooooo I don't think so about bending black pipe. It can't be done by our code. The pipe bending spots on a rigid tri stand vice is for bending electrical conduit.
roger
"I don't think so about bending black pipe. It can't be done by our code."
DOH! Well, there goes another great idea!
I've done this often in cases where I just needed a bit of a bend and didn't want to (or didn't have room to) use a bunch of fittings to solve the problem. Still, I'm wondering why this would be a problem from a code perspective -- Crack potential? Black iron seems pretty ductile, so cracks seem unlikely. Not arguing -- just wondering.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I don't really know Mike. Just like a lot of codes, they really don't explain why. I'm sure it has to do with the metal itself and probably black iron pipe has structural bending problems. Maybe it's like you can't bend copper pipe but you can copper tubing.
roger
How about stainless steel? I know that is what was discussed when we were considering new gas lines to our fireplaces.
Stainless comes in corregated with a plastic coating which is really flexible. It is quite pricey and the fittings even moreso. Stainless doesn't come in piping or tubing (that I am aware of). Only the flexible stuff.
Copper tubing works pretty good but what alot of people forget is that once you bend it once or twice it become "work hardened" and is really hard to bend so makes your bends once.
roger
We've got a lot of stainless pipe out back.
Might even give you a REAL GOOD price. :)
Ah............ I meant that there isn't stainless piping or tubing for gas fitting.;)
Out here on paradise island they apparently use lots of stainless pipe in the mills.
roger
Maybe we could sell it as an upgrade to copper or csst.
Paradise island? Let me know if you still think that way when you and Collin are treading water after "the big one". LOL
"How about stainless steel? I know that is what was discussed when we were considering new gas lines to our fireplaces."Our local codes used to allow corrugated SST gas supply lines, and tin plated copper runs, but now they've gone back to black pipe only. Seems there were too many issues with electrical grounding, and leaks developing over time at connectors.
That's interesting to hear. I would think there would be fewer connections, and hence fewer chances for leaks, at the connections.If we ever do re-pipe for the fireplaces, I think I'll stick to black iron then. On the first floor it wouldn't be a problem. The second floor on the other hand...
The SST flex lines use a two piece connector that crimps itself onto the end of the line, and I think that is where the problems were happening. With black pipe there may be more connections, but they are low-tech, and harder to mess up. It's also a lot harder to put a nail through black pipe...