Propane Radiant Heater Install Questions

[neblinc]

Calling on those in the trade.
I bought my heater and it should arrive next week. It is a 40ft unit and my shop is 50ft. Pretty sure I will center the unit.
Anyway my question is about the gas line, I was thinking of using 3/4" black pipe inside the shop and then going to copper for the line outside the shop to the propane tank. Can I run the pipe inside the walls and come down through the ceiling to make my connection? I want to do as much myself before the fnal hookup and test by a HVAC guy to save some money.
Hard to find much info on the net about this.
Any pics of installs would be great.

Randy

 

[Climatecreator]

Calling on those in the trade.
I bought my heater and it should arrive next week. It is a 40ft unit and my shop is 50ft. Pretty sure I will center the unit.
Anyway my question is about the gas line, I was thinking of using 3/4" black pipe inside the shop and then going to copper for the line outside the shop to the propane tank. Can I run the pipe inside the walls and come down through the ceiling to make my connection? I want to do as much myself before the fnal hookup and test by a HVAC guy to save some money.
Hard to find much info on the net about this.
Any pics of installs would be great.

Randy

you just cant hide any joints, so you need one solid run to the tank from the end of the visible pipe. You can run copper 5/8 all the wat to the heater, or even 1/2in black or less depending on the btus. LP is different than NG. The pipe sizing is smaller for LP at the same btu ratings. unless its NG your using than no copper at all.

CC

 

[steve392]

I also installed a ReverberRay heater in my shop last year and am very satisfied with it. I used 1/2" black pipe from the flex connection at the heater out to the propane tank. I don't believe you can have (or would want) any piping joints that are in the walls.
In my area, the propane company is responsible for making the actual connection to the tank. I ran a 1/2" ****** through the wall, and the propane company did the hook-up. They used copper tubing, by the way.

Here's a pic of my setup. My heater is smaller, its a 15' two stage 40,000 BTU unit. It easily heats my 24 x 32 shop, and unless I really turn up the heat, the second stage never comes on.

Good luck with your heater.

Steve

 

[mjribeiro]

When you guys say no joints in the walls, you must mean a transition from flex to black pipe or from black pipe to copper, right? You have to have black pipe couplers and elbows in the walls to get to your appliances....heater, dryer, stoves etc.....

 

[neblinc]

This is where I am getting conflicting info also. I hate to hire out this job since it can't be that hard to do myself, just don't want to screw it up and go "kaboom".

So the way I am reading these is there has to be a solid tubing run any place that will be covered up?

So If I run copper from the propane tank underground, through and up the wall and over head in the rafters, then make a iron pipe connection stubbed down through the ceiling with a drip leg, is that "code"?

Randy

 

[mjribeiro]

Randy - I cannot believe that is true - my house is run in black pipe and there are couplers and elbows buried in every wall and ceiling - could you imagine buying a new home with exposed gas lines? I did mine, in the walls and ceilings with black pipe. It exits through the exterior wall and through the ceiling as black pipe. On the outside, my propane company connected a copper line. Next to my heater, but not buried in a wall, I switch to the flexible line. All to code here in NJ.....

 

[larry4406]

threaded joints in black pipe are acceptable to be concealed in drywall. I have built close to 100 homes this way (four of my own), all done by licensed plumbers and inspected by the local government building code enforecement agency.

Ward flex and trac pipe (the corrugated stainless steel flex gas lines) I believe also have joints/couplings that can be concealed. This technology is fast to install, but i personally don't like it. It dangles in stud cavities and i tore apart a house trying to find a gas leak, only to find a trim nail from chair rail trim had punctured the line. Won't happen with black pipe.

Now electrical wiring, for example, cannot have buried junctions.

I will be running threaded black pipe for propane for my garage in the next few weeks and it will be concealed behind the drywall.

 

[neblinc]

Got my heater installed!! Thanks for the info to all that posted, made it a easier decision to do it myself.

Randy
Heater Install

 

[chevy2]

Got my heater installed!! Thanks for the info to all that posted, made it a easier decision to do it myself.


Where did you get your heater I'm in NE. too?

 

[neblinc]

Ordered it from Anderson Brothers Engineering 800-642-1622, ask for Joel and tell him Randy from Malcolm sent you ; )

Randy

 

[larry4406]

what does one of those reverberray units cost?

 

[neblinc]

I got my 40 foot, 100,000 BTU with the wall kits and shipping for right at $1,300.

Randy

 

[synchro7]

As for the Reverb-a-ray inits, I picked up some used. One 40' 100,000 BTU and two 20' 75,000 BTU ones for $600.00. The only thing I didn't get was the exhaust piping. I'm going to use the 75,000 BTU units in my shop.