CSST gas line

[signcrafter]

Ran a gas line this morning for a dryer. Our main dryer is electric but we have a gas dryer down stairs that came with the house. I've been meaning to hook it up for a while now but it was towards the bottom of the long to do list. Until this past week when we lost power and the latest update says 3 more days with no power for a total of 8 days now. So need to do some laundry.

Ran to home depot and picked up a roll of csst gas line and the end fittings to get this dryer hooked up today. First time using this stuff bit seems pretty straight forward and easy. Any down sides to this stuff? Can you do a whole house in it? It comes in 1/2, 3/4, and 1" rolls. Can you run a 1" mainline and branch off with 1/2" lines to individual appliances? We have a gas furnace, water heater, stove, dryer, and shop heater. Will have to do calculations but just wondering if anyone has done a whole house with this stuff amd how it works.

Anything else to know about this stuff? Wife is happy with it since she can do laundry now.

 

[Dustball]

I used CSST for my garage heater. Definitely do a leak-down pressure test before turning on the gas.

 

[Showkey]

Be sure the bonding of CSST in done per the manufacturers instructions.

http://csstsafety.com/Images/CSST-Direct-Bonding-Tech-Bulletin.pdf

The bonding of corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) piping system to the grounding electrode system of the structure in which the CSST is installed will lower the voltage build-up on the CSST caused by unintentional energizing from outside sources such as power surges and lightning strikes.

https://www.structuretech.com/blog/csst-bonding-update/

 

[ripperd]

Most new construction here is all CSST. But they don't do branches and T's. Its all home runs to a central manifold.

Just need to be more careful with stud protectors, routing, etc to make sure it is protected since it is much more vulnerable than iron pipe. As well as making sure the bonding is done right.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Nice easy bends. Don't keep working it. It cracks or kinks, if you keep flexing the **** out of it. Make sure you make nice clean, burr free ends, before you terminate it. If you do multiple appliances, use the manifold and do home runs. Use the manufacturer recommended nail shields. Be very careful nailing, drilling, or screwing near it. It punctures easily.

 

[engineer2]

Used it for our bedroom fireplace. The length I bought was just right, so I didn't splice it, and it leak checked just fine with an electronic leak checker.

 

[big.jim]

we get tees for it in the uk so can use as standard gas line , just have to make sure your ratings are right and follow manufacturers instructions for install and test

 

[bzinsky]

I used CSST for my garage heater. Definitely do a leak-down pressure test before turning on the gas.

Nobody does that, you turn the gas on and then test for leak

Squirt some soapy water on the connections.

 

[bzinsky]

Ran a gas line this morning for a dryer. Our main dryer is electric but we have a gas dryer down stairs that came with the house. I've been meaning to hook it up for a while now but it was towards the bottom of the long to do list. Until this past week when we lost power and the latest update says 3 more days with no power for a total of 8 days now. So need to do some laundry.

Ran to home depot and picked up a roll of cast gas line and the end fittings to get this dryer hooked up today. First time using this stuff bit seems pretty straight forward and easy. Any down sides to this stuff? Can you do a whole house in it? It comes in 1/2, 3/4, and 1" rolls. Can you run a 1" mainline and branch off with 1/2" lines to individual appliances? We have a gas furnace, water heater, stove, dryer, and shop heater. Will have to do calculations but just wondering if anyone has done a whole house with this stuff amd how it works.

Anything else to know about this stuff? Wife is happy with it since she can do laundry now.

The downside is it’s expensive. As a minor downside it’s also not as physically strong as a gas pipe

 

[topcok88]

Nobody does that, you turn the gas on and then test for leak

Squirt some soapy water on the connections.

Recently I contracted a gas company to run TracPipe (CounterStrike CSST). Knowing the pipe was going to be buried under six inches for closed cell foam they ran a leak down test on the piping. They came out, installed and terminated both ends with plugs and a gauge on one. They applied pressure and monitored it before, during and after the insulation process. They did not want to install the key valve or anything else until after drywall and paint. Once finished they will do additional tests as they can install additional components. So I guess you are right - no one does leak down tests...

Also some other misinformation in this thread. Not all TracPipe requires bonding. My building inspector was out on the same day the guys were installing and as long as the manufacture didn’t require bonding they didn’t care. This is location dependent but don’t assume it has to be bonded just because..




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[Jackfre]

I would suggest that you run your main in blk iron and your laterals in CSST. Do watch your sizing as the pressure drop is much grater than the iron pipe.

 

[topcok88]

I would suggest that you run your main in blk iron and your laterals in CSST. Do watch your sizing as the pressure drop is much grater than the iron pipe.

What advantage does that provide? If you do a home run system you limit connections and potential leak points. Sizing is also easier - limiting the opportunity for pressure drops. I’d be more concerned about all the T’s and connections needed with a traditional trunk and branch system.


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[Jackfre]

There may be no advantage...depending upon lay-out. The converse is also true. If you have the space to run an iron main, you will have shorter laterals of the proper size. Running home runs puts a lot more csst in the building and again depending upon the length of each run you may have to upsize. That get really spendie really quickly. I like working with iron pipe. Where it fits, it wins.

 

[dutchgray]

Its an expensive product but its quick to install and with less chance of leaks because of eliminating joints. Good for lines that get hidden in the structure that you won't be able to get back to, it can also be pulled into a duct which is something you definitely can't do with iron.

 

[nadogail]

If your power has been out for three days, how do you intend to run your gas dryer?

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I loathe CSST.

Working at a gas company, I'm not responsible for customer's gas lines after the meter...except if we find they aren't up to code then we have to shut their gas off until they fix it.

CSST. OK so the OP's CSST is not to code.

It's not. I haven't even looked at it and I know that it isn't.

Why? Because the NFC says to install CSST you have to be trained by the manufacturer. If the OP was trained...he wouldn't have the questions he asked...so I'm saying he went to the store. Bought the stuff and went and installed it without getting a copy of the training manual and spending a few hours studying and understanding it. That means it wasn't installed to code. Even if he somehow did it right...it's still not to code if he wasn't trained before he installed it! Does that mean it's not safe? Who knows.

None of this is the OP's fault! The box stores and hardware stores sell CSST to everyone...and they don't take any interest at all in making sure everyone gets a copy of the manual and advise them to understand it before beginning their project. It just isn't right.

The percentage of people that correctly run CSST without being trained has to sit right at (in the immortal words of Dean Wormer) Zero point Zero.

The bonding requirements are in no way intuitive and they are necessary for a safe installation.

Remember that the bonding requirements were ADDED after many many many house fires where lightning hit a house or connected utilities and some of the voltage energized a run of CSST, melting it, and resulting in both an ignition source and a combustible mixture of gas and hence a fire. CSST has such thin walls that it cannot take the voltage of a lightning strike and survive it. The bonding wires (through some magic that I admit I do not understand nor trust) are there to keep that from happening. If you don't bond it properly you also don't meet code.

The bond (on the type of CSST I've been trained on anyway...other manufacturers may differ) has to be a minimum #6 wire (for max 75 feet) and properly connected to both the CSST (with their bonding clamp) back to the home's grounding system (typically all the way back to the electrical panel).

This is why I hate CSST. We have a great product to run inside gas lines with. Black Steel pipe. It works great. It's been in service for over a 100 years. It doesn't cause problems. Yeah...you have to thread it to be able to install it....but in my opinion...if you can't thread pipe properly...you probably shouldn't be running gas pipe in the first place.

The only thing I would use CSST for is in existing construction in a situation where you don't have access to install hard pipe. The OP's installation may actually meet that definition...but...if not black pipe would be my preference by a factor of 100. If it is the only way...it still has to meet code. Training. Bonding. Etc. The book on how to install it may be as much as 100 pages long.

Rant over. Move along.

Phil

 

[Showkey]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

So how do you feel about a DIY water heater install or DIY electrical outlet install from those same BIG box stores ? Maybe a DIY water softener or toilet swap is “not to code“ as well ?

 

[HoosierBuddy]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

So how do you feel about a DIY water heater install or DIY electrical outlet install from those same BIG box stores ? Maybe a DIY water softener or toilet swap is “not to code“ as well ?

As none of those affect my day job, I absolutely do not care.

ALSO...I can think of no other product (other than CSST) that "Trained by the manufacturer" is a code requirement. Certainly there is no such requirement for anything you have listed.

Take my word on it...this is not a rant about DIY vs non-DIY. I'm a DIY guy.

This is about installing gas lines in a safe and code compliant manner. That is all it is.

Phil

 

[engineer2]

Thanks for the heads-up on the CSST bonding. What you say makes sense. Luckily I have a shitload of #6 wire laying around. I imagine this is required even though the metal fireplace is grounded to the main panel via metal electrical conduit.