Running a propane gas line

DrPizza

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I've put in natural gas lines several times before. At one point, we requested that the gas company put the gas meter on the outside of our house - they were supposed to do our neighborhood eventually, so I got a head start. According to the gas guy, "legally, you can put in the new lines inside your house, but I wouldn't if I were you - if it leaks, it's going to get expensive because we'll have to leak test under pressure..." On the day they installed the new meter and made the change to the new gas lines in my house, he commented "wow, whoever you hired did a damn good job. Everything is perfectly level, square, and plumb." "I did it." "Well, I take it back. You did a great job - most homeowners wouldn't be up to a job like that."

There, I got that out of the way - I know what the hell I'm doing, except I don't know what material I'm suppose to use for propane inside a basement. AND, there's no f'in way I'm calling up the propane company and having them install the lines for me, like they did when they installed the tank. They used copper lines, not a very neat job at all. In fact, it was an incredibly sloppy job. The hole they drilled into the house from the outside to behind the stove was too big. Mice entered through that hole from the outside & proceeded to ruin my stove. (Got into the insulation).

I've searched online, and most sites say copper, but a few say black pipe. Does anyone know for certain? I'm fine with going with rigid black pipe - but it almost looks like I'm *supposed* to use copper. I'd even be happier going with black pipe even though it would be significantly more expensive. I'll be drilling a hole through the cinderblock foundation, running the line perpendicular to the floor joists, then parallel to the floor joists until I go up into a wall behind where the stove goes. I just don't like the thought of soft, flexible copper in my basement, waiting for some accident to occur. And I certainly don't like the thought of that copper gas line exposed as it runs perpendicular to the joists. Running around the sill plate isn't an option; I'll be entering the basment near the breaker box & there's a shitload of wires near the sill plate.
 

GeekDrew

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2000
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I've never installed either, and I'm far from an expert, but I have observed quite a few houses that have propane gas -- from what I've seen, older ones use only copper, and newer ones use black pipe (or a combination thereof).
 

DrPizza

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Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Don't you need a permit?

Not as far as I'm aware. There certainly wasn't a permit when the propane company installed the original lines. And, in my neck of the woods, the consensus seems to be, "as long as you're not increasing the square footage of your property, permit not required."
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
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Where I live the gas companies almost always use copper. Its flexible and easier to route to tanks and inside the home. The only time I have seen them use pipe is when it is in an area that has high traffic or possibility of someone hitting the lines.
I really wouldn't be concerned about running copper unless you expect to be hitting the lines somehow.


Also for leak test, use a air pressure gauge on one end and a compressor on the other.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
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My uncle's cottage was using regular rubber hose for the propane. When they got the company to come fill the tanks, they refused to do it until those hoses were replaced with copper pipes. So I guess technically, rubber hoses could work, it's just not what I'd like to call, safe. :p
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
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You could use rubber, wouldn't recommend though as it dries out. Gas lines are not high pressure at all so lots of things could be used. I think the highest psi I ever heard was something around 40. That is less than most water lines. Most gas grills have rubber hoses.
 

DrPizza

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"less than most water lines" - WAYYYYYY less than water lines! Growing up, I remember one job that was done at our home. It was winter, and we needed a new line run to the clothes dryer in the basement. So that the furnace didn't go out, the gas line was left on. It was my job to keep my finger over the current end of the pipe. Then, as a new piece got added, my finger moved down to the next piece. :) I've continued doing it that way - I don't like relighting pilot lights. :p But, usually the first piece I put on after a T is a new valve. i.e. pipe dope & put a valve on a nipple, turn valve off, pipe dope on other end of nipple, take cap off "T", hold finger over hole momentarily, quickly apply pipe dope to threads of T (not too much gas gets out), screw in nipple with valve on it, and now you have a new line that starts with an extra valve.

Oh, and there's no way in the world I'd use rubber lines.
 

marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
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Just from what I've seen, black iron or copper is okay to use. Copper's easier, since it's soft drawn, and easy to bend. Black iron is more durable, as long as it's taken care of (corrosion resistance is pretty low, so paint the outside with a good quality primer & paint, or wrap it).

If you use black iron, and need a flex line, they do sell stainless flex lines that work well for short distances.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
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Over here on the left coast it has to be steel pipe, black or galvanized. Be sure to do a pressure test.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
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When I had the home I'm living in built originally, Propane was my only choice. The pig was outside, with a soft copper line to the regulator outside. The regulator transitioned to black pipe inside which then ran to my water heater and furnace.

Natural gas became available a number of years afterwards. A meter was piped into the black pipe and orifices were changed on the furnace and the hot water heater was replaced with a natural gas version (believe it or not, this was cheaper than converting it, I know because I checked) and the job was complete. The existing black pipe inside my home was utilized. No changes required.

This is the exact opposite of what you're doing, but the methods are all there. Black pipe for either propane or natural gas. Meets the code requirements where I live. YMMV
 

Yzzim

Lifer
Feb 13, 2000
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I get to many houses with my job and I've seen a lot of copper pipe from the LP tank to the house. Seems like I only notice them because they are laying on the ground, not buried. Is that normal? One place I was at had carpenters working directly on top of the lines (saws running, wood flying everywhere) and most of it looked like it was crimped where it had been stepped on. Can't be good, but it must still work... *shrug*
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
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Originally posted by: Yzzim
I get to many houses with my job and I've seen a lot of copper pipe from the LP tank to the house. Seems like I only notice them because they are laying on the ground, not buried. Is that normal? One place I was at had carpenters working directly on top of the lines (saws running, wood flying everywhere) and most of it looked like it was crimped where it had been stepped on. Can't be good, but it must still work... *shrug*
Mine was buried.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
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Our company uses black iron ( Washington state certified for gas piping). it is much more labor intensive than a roll of soft copper tubing. If you can use copper I would go that route.
Otherwise plan on getting a pipe machine and tools from somewhere, so you can build it up on site. As I recall you are far too removed to be running to a hardware store to have pieces made up.
 

iGas

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2009
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All gas work requires permit & inspection, and it void your house insurance if it is not done correctly. You can run propane in the house wall using black iron, copper (type k or I soft), or flex (stainless steel) pipe. 20' length is the max allow by code for rubber hose.

LP leak is much more dangerous than NG because LP is heavier than air and it have a tendency to attract to itself therefore the chance of ignition or suffocating from LP is much higher NG.

One place I was at had carpenters working directly on top of the lines (saws running, wood flying everywhere) and most of it looked like it was crimped where it had been stepped on. Can't be good, but it must still work... *shrug*
]
Dented gas pipe isn't that bad unless the drawn of appliance is greater than the pipe can handle, which might cause the appliance pressure regulator to hunt (open-close constantly).
 

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
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Originally posted by: iGas
Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
In northern CA they are using polyethylene. I don't think you can get it unless you are a contractor though.
http://www.slpipe.com/pe_products/gas.htm
I'm not sure of CA gas code, but the National Building Gas Code in Canada & the US do not allow PE pipe installation above ground.

My bad. When I read the title, I was thinking from the tank to the house.
 

DrPizza

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Originally posted by: skyking
Our company uses black iron ( Washington state certified for gas piping). it is much more labor intensive than a roll of soft copper tubing. If you can use copper I would go that route.
Otherwise plan on getting a pipe machine and tools from somewhere, so you can build it up on site. As I recall you are far too removed to be running to a hardware store to have pieces made up.

Only about 25 minutes from the hardware store that I get my black pipe from. I get it cut and threaded there - measure carefully & measure twice. :) But when I'm all done, I'm usually within 1/8" of where I was aiming for. My wife hates going with me because I spend so long at the hardware store, and I double, then triple check everything & go over it in my head yet again. Nothing sucks more than realizing you forgot an elbow or something midway through a job.
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
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When my parent's got theirs installed the installers used the same gas pipes as the natural gas at my house. There is a bit of copper from the regulator on the tank to the pipe in the ground. Passed inspection. And my brother in law and his dad have never raised a stink about anything, and they work for a propane company.