Underground Gas Pipe

[Sean Yennie]

I live in new jersey and im looking to run a gas line to my new garage that i am building to supply a heater for those cold winter days. By reading some of the other forums it looks like Black iron pipe is the way to go. It is about a 40 foot run but it is under ground and the pipe will rust over time. will it be a good idea to bury the black pipe inside pvc pipe to protect it from moisture. Or can anyone suggest to run a different type of gas pipe all together. hope to hear.

[Matt Meiser]

My dad had a gas line run from the house to his shop and had to use a special plastic line that was $$$. I don't know anything about buried gas pipe, but I would think rusting would be a problem with direct burial of black pipe, and I would be scared that putting it in PVC would be dangerous as it would allow quite a bit of gas to collect in the event of a leak and carry that gas into the house and/or shop.

[Cecil Arnold]

Don't bury black iron unless it is wrapped or encased in a protective coating. You will get two forms of corrosion, galvanic and cathodic.

[Frank Chaffee]

Sean,
I don’t really *know* what you should do for your new buried gas line in New Jersey, but you are wise to seek advice, both here and elsewhere.

I buried a lot of gas lines to outdoor barbeque kitchens and “campfire” rings in Arizona, and we wrapped black iron pipe with a special heavy tape available from Home Depot.

In some areas codes required us to encase the pipe in PVC that was vented at each end, and that was much more work than simply burying wrapped pipe.

When I came back here to Wisconsin and described this method to my local buddies in the HVAC biz, they told me I was nuts, and that the new plastic pipe and fittings, while more costly up front, is much more economical considering the greater ease of trench lines required versus the labor involved in the cutting/threading/wrapping of iron pipe.

I suggest you wait until you have a recommendation from a pro versed in the applicable code at your residence.
Frank

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Sean,

Check with your local utility company. They provided and tested the 40' plastic Natural Gas pipe that runs from the meter at the house to my shop. IIRC they charged me about $100. They also provide some special wire to wrap around the plastic pipe so they can inject a signal and locate it in the future if need be.

[Richard Gillespie]

30-1/2 years experience working in the engineering and distribution departments of a natural gas distribution company. Burying bare or even painted iron pipe in the ground as a carrier is not recommended. Why? It rusts out and leaks. This can take place quickly or slowly, depending on soil conditions in your area. Special cathodic protections would be needed and the system would require periodic monitoring. If a leak develops, the gas can follow the trench line before it vents into a structure or to the atmosphere. This is because the soil has been disturbed and is less compacted than the surrounding soil.

The gas companies that I know of, have been using direct bury plastic for their distribution systems. These plastics have been developed to handle natural gas. Connections between the tubing and any required fittings are made with a heat fusion system. I would recommend that you talk to your gas company and see if they will install for you or point you in the direction for sources and maybe a contractor.

[Kyle Kraft]

Last winter I ran a gas line from my house to my new shop. The run was 150', so to avoid pressure drop I used 1 1/2" yellow plastic gas pipe that comes in a BIG roll. Also I had to buy the compression type fittings for each end. All this stuff, plus 21' of 1 1/2" black sch. 40 for inside the building, ball valves, misc. fittings was around $350. I also had to wrap a 12ga. yellow wire to the o.d. of the gas tubing for tracing the line. Better safe than sorry when working with N.G.. Also consider insurance issues if you don't pull a mechanical/plumbing permit! Those "good hands" you're in may just slap yours:cool: in the event of a disaster.

[Peter Stahl]

Last winter I ran a gas line from my house to my new shop. The run was 150', so to avoid pressure drop I used 1 1/2" yellow plastic gas pipe that comes in a BIG roll. Also I had to buy the compression type fittings for each end. All this stuff, plus 21' of 1 1/2" black sch. 40 for inside the building, ball valves, misc. fittings was around $350. I also had to wrap a 12ga. yellow wire to the o.d. of the gas tubing for tracing the line. Better safe than sorry when working with N.G.. Also consider insurance issues if you don't pull a mechanical/plumbing permit! Those "good hands" you're in may just slap yours:cool: in the event of a disaster.

Kyle,

Are you a plumber? if not, did you buy this yourself or through a plumber. I wanted to put a quick connect outside and run the line though the rim joist of my house. Any special fittings to use outside. Thought I'd put a shutoff inside for winter shutoff and another outside for Summer shutoff plus the quick-connect for the hose. Will probaly attached the shutoff and Quick Connect to the house.

Sorry for jumping in on this thread. My brother-in-law had gas run to his garage and they used the plastic pipe. Was done by a certified pipefitter who does big HVAC stuff for a living.

Pete

[Bob Swenson]

Sean- Call the gas company, they install plastic pipe without a trench.
it's better to have them do it and sleep nights knowing that your shop won't
blow up. They want you to use gas so it might not cost to much to have them do it.

[Bob Swenson]

Sean ----- I forgot ! Welcome to the Creek

[Brian Parker]

I dont work for the gas company but I remember my grandfather having a roll or something which resembled rubber with a coating on it that the gas company gave to him when he was doing some work for people.

I would call your local gas company and tell them your intentions and then ask for their advice.

ps, if you are going to bring in any machinery do a one call to locate the utilities, i belive its free.

[Ray Bersch]

Sean, Call the gas company - they will tell you what you must do - there will be no choice - they will either install it for you or you can have your own licensed plumber do the installation - you will have both a municipal inspection and a gas company inspection. I know what the company will tell you but I'd rather you call them directly - each company has its own quirks but in NJ there is not much left to conjecture on this topic.
Ray

And welcome, you will enjoy this site. Why not put your town in your profile??