Install Big Maxx heater before drywall?

[nwav8tor]

Socophreak,

... The "T" is a trap for moisture and debris and should be checked and cleaned out yearly (with gas at tank off)...

My house is 15 years old and I have the furnace serviced/checked every fall and I've NEVER seen the drip leg of the NG supply line opened or cleaned. Come to think, the stove and water heater's drip legs haven't been touched in all that time either.

Is that something the furnace company should routinely do? If not, and I do it myself, what's the best solution to use to buble check the drain caps after I reinstall them and reopen the appliance(s') supply shutoff valves?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[dave67fd]

My guess is it is by code to be installed and probably most if any service guys clean it out because it involves shutting off the gas and then resealing the cap. Not a big deal to do that but they probabaly figure from experience it rarely traps little to any or doesn't cause issues on a regular basis. If a system keeps shutting down they may remove to confirm if excess debris is causing the issue.

 

[VHF]

Can anyone tell me if I can use 1/2" copper pipe sticks & the necessary joints sweated together for my natural gas feed line? Or does it have to be 1 continuous piece if copper is used?

Copper is not permitted for natural gas. I think something in the gas is damaging to the copper. You'll need to run either black pipe or CSST.

Copper is permitted for propane, but no soldered joints! Flare fittings are typical (using soft copper lines.)

 

[R6 Racer]

I have soft copper lines to my furnace, water heater & gas fireplace in the house. It's a fairly new home. I guess code is different here than in Wisconsin. There are no soldered/ sweated joints on any of those lines tho. That's why I was wondering about copper sticks.

Steve

 

[dave67fd]

This quote answers the question
In the US, Copper and copper alloy tube (except tin-lined copper tube) should not be used if the gas contains more than an average of 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100 standard cubic feet (scf) of gas (0.7 mg/100 L)." (copper.org)

For the most part the chemical added to make the gas smell is what corrodes the copper and not the natural gas itself. If your local gas supplier has reduced the additive to this amount or substituted sulfides for something else you would be ok but for safety i would suggest using black pipe for supply and CSST for your drops.

 

[z28dad]

The install looks nice and clean. I would definitely open the gap up at the B vent pipe. There are some pics of my install in this thread:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122873

I wanted to put my gas line in the wall but was worried about possibly developing a leak, so I put it on the outside of the wall.

My drywall is not up yet neither. I'm planning on shutting the power off to the unit and covering it in plastic.