Run natural gas line underground

[mrb]

also, youre missing the hold down for the backfed breaker. On second look the ground bus doesnt appear to be properly bonded either.

 

[billybob403]

The gas company will be using polyethylene.

Call them and see if they will make you up a short section with two anodeless service risers, which are long ells that bring you above ground and transition you to steel NPT fittings. Normally, PE pipe is joined by heat fusion using special tooling (and or fittings) that melts the pipe together. However, they do make mechanical couplings that work well. I've used many Perfection stab couplings and have never had a problem. There are other brands too.

The PE pipe itself is not allowed to come above ground. It has to be buried with the above ground portion steel. The anodeless service risers accomplish that for you.

If you can't come up with PE, my next choice would be to bury bare steel. Start with a single 21' joint and bend the ends up as risers so you won't have to leave any threads underground. If you pad it with some sand and bury it in decent dirt (no lime, cinders, etc.) it'll last a long time. It will rust through eventually though. I've seen bare lines go 30 years.

What messes a lot of people up is they try to coat it with something before they bury it. That'll work great too...but coated steel pipe has to be cathodically protected (a magnisium anode attached and buried with it) or it will rust through much faster than a bare steel line.

Too much information I'd guess. The PE is the way to go if you can get it. Put a tracer wire in with it so you can locate it with a cable locator in a pinch. Put a shut off valve above ground on the supply side so it can be shut off if it gets cut.

Phil

so, if I read that correctly, provided my soil does not have excess lime, and I was thinking of just going to home depot or lowes for the pipe, it would be easier and possibly better for me to just bury the raw pipe with dope on the fittings than trying to coat it with anything.
is that correct?

Also, my garage is within 45' of where my gas line would be coming from. Would it be better for me to make the shortest run to the garage, and then put additional pipiing inside the garage, or run underground to the far corner of the garage closest to where it will actually be used. I am leaning toward running to the back corner as this single feed may serve dual duty, heating the garage during the winter, and heating the pool during the summer.

 

[79firebird]

looks like the ground wire is also smaller then the feeder wire also

 

[burleymike]

My parents had their gas line replaced last year because the dummy previous owner built an addition over the main line from the street to the meter. The gas company pulled a small section of the original line from 1973 out and it was wrapped with some type of bitumen tape. The steel looked perfect not a single speck of rust.

 

[MrMark]

That panel is a huge mess. I can't believe a licensed person did it. They should have their license taken away.

How is a ground fault going to be cleared? There is no ground wire. With no ground wire, he could have at least bonded the neutral and ground bus to treat it like a service entrance so at least the fault can get back to the pole for clearing. The can is not even bonded. Black wire for a gound with a bit of green tape? Black wire for a neutral? No bushing to protect the wires. Wire nuts because the wires were cut short. Routing against the sides of the can. EMT for the black wire to the gound rod? No handle ties or double pole breakers with the two multiwire circuits. It just goes on and on. No way that panel passes inspection by any remotely competent inspector. Not bagging on Chris, but he got taken on that job. The person who put that together does not understand the basics.

Teflon tape is fine for gas, I don't know where the misinformation came from. Yellow tape is the same is the white tape, it is just thicker. Around here the plumbers put both tape and dope on all the fittings. They do the same for the waters. I wouldn't do it but it is the way the "pro's" do it. They do it because they can't have a leak and the quality of black pipe and Chinese fittings is so poor these days that the joints and NPT fittings just are terrible. I question the practice because the manufacturers do not recommend it.

The pressure test is 10-15 psi (not 50, lol) for like 10 minutes, valves removed and pipe capped off at the drops, but I would do it for 24 hours, being sure to check at the same time of the day. The gas is only .25 psi and that is what saves you with the horrible fittings and pipe available.

I would never put pipe dope inside a fitting, and it is certainly not recommended by the pipe dopes I have seen. The dope goes in the root of the male threads only and overdoing it does no good as it all gets squeezed out. Putting it on the female fitting like with glue just causes junk to pile up inside the fitting and makes a mess.

 

[cowboyjosh]

That panel is a huge mess. I can't believe a licensed person did it. They should have their license taken away.

How is a ground fault going to be cleared? There is no ground wire. With no ground wire, he could have at least bonded the neutral and ground bus to treat it like a service entrance so at least the fault can get back to the pole for clearing. The can is not even bonded. Black wire for a gound with a bit of green tape? Black wire for a neutral? No bushing to protect the wires. Wire nuts because the wires were cut short. Routing against the sides of the can. EMT for the black wire to the gound rod? No handle ties or double pole breakers with the two multiwire circuits. It just goes on and on. No way that panel passes inspection by any remotely competent inspector. Not bagging on Chris, but he got taken on that job. The person who put that together does not understand the basics.

Teflon tape is fine for gas, I don't know where the misinformation came from. Yellow tape is the same is the white tape, it is just thicker. Around here the plumbers put both tape and dope on all the fittings. They do the same for the waters. I wouldn't do it but it is the way the "pro's" do it. They do it because they can't have a leak and the quality of black pipe and Chinese fittings is so poor these days that the joints and NPT fittings just are terrible. I question the practice because the manufacturers do not recommend it.

The pressure test is 10-15 psi (not 50, lol) for like 10 minutes, valves removed and pipe capped off at the drops, but I would do it for 24 hours, being sure to check at the same time of the day. The gas is only .25 psi and that is what saves you with the horrible fittings and pipe available.

I would never put pipe dope inside a fitting, and it is certainly not recommended by the pipe dopes I have seen. The dope goes in the root of the male threads only and overdoing it does no good as it all gets squeezed out. Putting it on the female fitting like with glue just causes junk to pile up inside the fitting and makes a mess.

I agree with the panel comments, I think the author (Chris) if I read correctly as I glanced thru was the one who wired the panel. I personally don't like anything about the panel including the panel itself (I like Square D QO and Cutler Hammer CH), never mind the bonding, the handle ties, and the bushings, the wire nuts and wire routing, the one thing that irritated me was how the EMT and the PVC conduits are sort of criss crossed, I'd fire one of my guys if they ever ran pipe that way. Again, aside from the safety issues with the box, the wire nuts don't bother me so much because I have run into a situations where the wire is cut too short; as far as the dressing of the panel with so few circuits I think it could look allot better, its not like some panels that are plump full and no matter your skill level they look like a mess.

 

[Falcon67]

Around here the plumbers put both tape and dope on all the fittings. They do the same for the waters. I wouldn't do it but it is the way the "pro's" do it. They do it because they can't have a leak and the quality of black pipe and Chinese fittings is so poor these days that the joints and NPT fittings just are terrible. I question the practice because the manufacturers do not recommend it.

I have been told that same deal by two pro plumbers here. When I put the air lines in the shop, I used good pipe dope and honkered on the fittings with pipe wrenches. Leaked like crazy. Did the wrap (6-8 turns) with a little dope - all good.

I need to move the gas line for the stove in our kitchen remodel - I'm paying a pro to do that.

its not like some panels that are plump full and no matter your skill level they look like a mess.

Ya, don't look at my shop panel after I had to move it a short ways. No wire nuts in there though LOL. But there are a couple of runs that need to be re-pulled.

But those -apparently- 220 circuits without tandem breakers shown in the panel picture makes me real nervous. That's not safe at all.

 

[2+2mustang]

I work for a gas and electrical company and we do use Teflon tape, most of the time we use pipe dope though, if it works I wouldn't worry. Even if you used a tracer wire with your fuel line utilities probably won't locate it, they are required only to locate their own facilities. You could ask the locator to locate the private line but I wouldn't count on them doing it. Running multiple utilities in the same trench is allowed in many areas, its called a joint trench, happens all the time. My only suggestion is have a shut off valve at the entrance but no big deal. Looks good to me, if I was there to turn your gas on I wouldn't have any issues.

 

[cgb24290]

I am getting ready to run a natural gas line from my house to a detached garage. My plan was to run yellow 1" plastic line through the basement wall inside 1 1/2" PVC pipe to the garage and then up out of the ground there with black pipe and into the garage. From what I've been reading here, it sounds like I can't connect the plastic to the black pipe in the basement. Is this correct?

 

[CNGsaves]

I am getting ready to run a natural gas line from my house to a detached garage. My plan was to run yellow 1" plastic line through the basement wall inside 1 1/2" PVC pipe to the garage and then up out of the ground there with black pipe and into the garage. From what I've been reading here, it sounds like I can't connect the plastic to the black pipe in the basement. Is this correct?

^ ^ Correct regarding NO yellow plastic polyethelene pipe inside house. The yellow PE pipe should go from riser just outside house, down into ground with continuous yellow PE pipe underground (generally 30" deep or more) w/ tracer wire over to riser at exterior of detached garage.

Black pipe steel will connect from the riser on outside of house (ie steel portion of riser) to your NG supply source. Similarly, black pipe steel will connect from riser outside garage through wall (above ground level) and into garage to connect to your heater. For best pressure, you will want the run over to garage connected just after the meter at house.

WHERE you located?? Update your GJ profile with City / State / Country.

What is distance from house to garage (with house side starting just after meter)??

What is PRESSURE at regulator just before meter at house??

What is Btu of all NG appliances you want to run in garage??

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

I've a question about running gas and HV electric ( 220AC ) in the same trench. i was told that I should dig a "stepped trench." The deeper part which is 12" wide is for the electric and should be 18" deep. Once the electric is buried the trench should be 18" wide and the gas need only be 12" deep. This way, the gas and the electric are NOT over each other and are separated by 6" of depth and 6" of horizontal distance. Is this correct?




.

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ I'd sure check with your local regulatory authority (code enforcement) as shared trench requirements are VERY picky . . . AND . . I'm sure Much DEEPER. Let us know what you find out about Rochester, NY requirements. Heck I try to get all buried sprinkler pipe at 12" or more, so I can't imagine only having buried NG at only 12" depth . . . scary.