Unless the changed the code in this area in the last few years, compression fitting were out and flared fittings met the code on natural gas ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Kennedy To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 11:26 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] got gas
I know they let you flare lines for propane but I didn't know you could do that for gas. To be safe I'd check with the building inspector locally so there is no misunderstanding. ----- Original Message ----- From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 11:15 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] got gas You can use stainless in my area with flared fitting. Have done it for years. RJ ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 10:28 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] got gas Here, plastic is only allowed under ground and it is accompanied by some sort of wire which can be used to trace the line for locating it. I have never seen anything but threaded fittings used and always black pipe. It may be that some places allow stainless but I was under the impression this is only allowed for the terminal connection. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 9:24 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] got gas Plastic is not code inside a building! Think about it...If you had a fire inside the building and it melted the plastic gas line? ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Kennedy To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 08:42 Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] got gas Well here goes. First in all things gas or electric, Be very deliberate and extra careful. I am one of those that found many times to gain experience I had to talk to many if I could. Then go ahead on my own according to my own fear factor. I once did some work for a propane company, I was most often muscle for a friend that installed tanks and lines. If you want an example of just how dangerous propane can be, some time Google propane explosion Buffalo NY. I have personal knowledge of that explosion that destroyed a fire truck and killed 5 firemen in the blast. It also crumbled foundations and blew out windows on buildings and houses for a full city block. Now then, I know that was propane and it's more explosive than gas but not by a whole lot... If that doesn't scare you away, here's how I would do it... There better be a shut off at the water heater. Isn't it funny how we all call it a hot water heater? If it was hot we wouldn't need the heater part... But I make the same mistake. At the shut off, you need to install a half inch tee. I only work with the iron pipe approved for gas, I don't trust compression fittings in gas. I use them when pluming water, but the problems with a leak are much different. The configuration of the tee depends on the existing lines. Pay attention here. The shut off should not be moved at all! That is already sealed and you don't want to disturb anything there. A tip for those that don't know. When the arm of a shut off valve is inline with the pipe it is open. When it is 90 degrees to the pipe it is supposed to be off. Read into that what you want... 90 degrees is the most a shut off arm will travel in a healthy valve. The first connection should be to the shut off valve. Make sure to use plenty of pipe dope and don't be afraid to get your fingers into the dope and work it around and into the threads. Next make the connection to the water heater. You may have to put in a new length of pipe that is shorter as well. A union here isn't like water. It looks like 2 pieces of pipe and has a connection in the middle. The pipes need to go into the appropriate ends, the tee and heater, and then you connect the coupler in the middle. Now you start the run to the stove. Hopefully the tee part is female threads. Get a length of half inch pipe the length you need to run from the tee to where you want a hole in the wall. A whole other issue of safety, but be careful drilling near the baseboard because there could be wires in the wall already... When you know how long the pipe needs to be, you can have it cut and threaded at either the blue or orange boxes. Slang for Lowes and Home Depot. Use a female threaded elbow to make the turn and another length of pipe to go through the wall. Before you put the pipe through the wall, put a piece of tape over the end to keep from stuffing junk into the pipe. At this point I'd put a pipe cap on and test for leaks. Remember if I didn't say so earlier, use plenty of pipe dope on all connections, including the cap. The soapy water trick is the oldest and still a good way to check. No you probably won't feel the bubbles, but it takes no skill from a sighted helper to see bubbles. BTW, there shouldn't be any so just ask if they see any, don't talk them into seeing them... If all goes well here, shut the gas off again and remove the cap. There will be some gas escape the pipe at that time so don't do anything that could cause a spark. It goes without saying that this is a job for non smokers during the construction phase... I would put another shut off where the cap was so you have one inside the house in case you ever need to shut off gas to the stove you won't be without hot water. Run a short pipe nipple from the shut off and the last step will be to connect the flexible line to the pipe end. That is it. Now for safety arguments, and in case you don't know, you cannot use copper pipe for gas runs. I'm not trusting of plastic and don't know that compression fittings are accepted under code for gas either. I never use compression fittings with gas as I said before so I never checked if they are legal. Now the necessary C Y A part. The job isn't difficult and I've done it many times. But you do run the very real risk of personal injury to yourself and many others if this isn't done right. More of a fear of gas poisoning is the fear of explosion. You will be responsible for any resulting damages to your house and any neighbors that are effected from any explosion. There is the risk of gas poisoning as well. That risk is less of a concern because they put an additive in the natural gas to give that yucky smell. It's hard to miss and that's why I say the risk isn't as high. But it is still a very real danger and you have to be aware of it. Good luck with the job and if we don't hear from you again we'll know things didn't go as planned... hahaha Earlier I talked about propane explosions. There was a story told to me about a guy wanting to make his first solo sky diving jump. As he jumped from the plane he started picking up speed as he fell towards earth. Quickly he realized there was a problem with his parachute. As he looked out to scream he saw a man ascending toward him. He called to the man "Do you know anything about parachutes?" The guy said "No. Do you know anything about gas grills?" ----- Original Message ----- From: Shane Hecker To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 4:09 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] got gas Natural gas, that is. It's going to my hot water heater and furnace, but I want to bring it to the stove. That means putting a gas jet nearby. How hard is it for a totally blind person to do without sighted assistance and what's the best way to do this? This includes checking for gas leaks. The stove is on an interior wall. On the other side of that wall is the garage. If you are facing the front of the stove, the hot water heater is located about 2 feet away, to the right, in the garage. The gas line for it comes down the exterior wall, which would lead me to believe there is a gas line close by. I know I will need some piping (including elbows, a t, and a gas valve or 2), some pipe cutters, and perhaps some tephlon tape or pipe dope. I've also heard if you use compression fittings, you don't need the tape or dope. If I'm not mistaken, all can be bought at Lowes or Home Depot. Oh yes, safety first, turn off the gas before proceeding. Anything else I'm missing? F-y-i, the reason I want gas at the stove (which is currently electric) is because I've developed a serious dislike of the smooth top. In particular, it overheats when using just about any pot I have. This includes a couple new circulons, which are supposed to work well on smooth tops (including induction which I don't have) and gas. I'm getting a little tired of it and want something where it *doesn't matter* what type of pot I use, it will work without problems. Shane [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
