How to tap into propane (iron pipe) line

[jyoutz]

Any homeowner can walk into their local building department and pull a permit to work on their own property, a license is not required, check it out.






































































Any homeowner can walk into their local building dept and pull a permit for their own house

Not in my state for gas lines.

 

[jaxs]

1. Either
2. Installers often drive a steel tee post,secure pipe with U-bolt and cut post off above pipe. For cleaner appearance concrete pad is poured around post after it's driven and bolted.
3. There is no guke in propane like nat gas. A leg before regulator might catch water but isn't normally used.
4. Temporarly on ball valve where brass adapter for flex will be later. Appliance, flex connectors and flex are soap bubble tested but not pressure tested.
5. Yes
6. Remove pressure guage,bleed off pressure to -0- psi,close ball valve,install pipe thread to flare brass fitting on ball valve,connect appliance to ball valve with flex hose/pipe,turn/set appliance control to off,open supply valve at storage tank,open ball valve near applaince,soap test flex and fittings.///////// Outdoors or in well ventilated area the flex can be loosened to bleed air then lite as usual. You can also bleed in confined areas if no sparks or open flame is present,then wait and/or vent area with fan to clear combustable gas before attempting to lite or turning on auto lite appliance.. For manual lite,standing pilot you can also skip bleeding partly or altogeather and follow this proceedure to lite. Use hand held propane torch or butane lighter. Set control to on,hold torch on thermocouple-pilot assembly until burners ignite. You should thourgly understand how safty pilots and thermocouples work before doing this last proceedure because the appliance burners will ignite at full force and can singe your mustache and/or scare the crap out if not prepared. The bleed then lite is safer if you be sure to vent combustables as directed.
Meanwhile here's something to think on. A guy jumped out of plane for his first time to sky dive. During classes his mind had been on the pretty female instructor's appearance instead of what she was saying so he had no idea how he was supposed to open the chute. As he fell toward earth he saw another man coming up from earth. As they met he yelled "do you know anything about parachutes"? Nooo came the reply "do you know anything about propane pool heaters"?

 

[RickB]

Is a requirement for permit installation of water heaters and furnaces. Sure, people can do this themselves without a permit. But sometimes this bites you if you sell your home and must disclose this. Yes, I know many do these things: they are still not legal by code.

Local regulation, maybe in some places. Universal code, no.

 

[plowhog]

A guy jumped out of plane for his first time to sky dive. During classes his mind had been on the pretty female instructor's appearance instead of what she was saying so he had no idea how he was supposed to open the chute. As he fell toward earth he saw another man coming up from earth. As they met he yelled "do you know anything about parachutes"? Nooo came the reply "do you know anything about propane pool heaters"?

Thanks for the chuckle-- good one!

To those advising I not do such work, the grand total of work involves about 3 extra feet of pipe, replacing a T, and a new shut off valve. There is a union already in the existing pipe which makes disassembly and reassembly easier. Everything is outdoors. No gas inside the residence, no pipes in walls, etc. And there was an existing propane appliance (spa heater) that is being replaced.

I'm not minimizing, at all, that things should be done correctly, safely, and to code. That's why I am posting with questions.

I'll take a photo of the existing piping and slab location and post that later.

 

[Diggin It]

What generator? That will tell you the gas line size needed.


3/4" should be fine for most under 22K or so. My 16K required 3/4" up to 80' or so.


If you're doing LP, you need to be off the low side of a second stage regulator.

I used a mix of yellow paste or tape based on what I had handy at the moment. Used a T-post to stabilize pipe where needed. I also pressure tested everything to 15 pounds for 24 hours --- didn't drop a bit.

 

[jaydee325]

As a point of reference.

I just had a 22kW standby generator installed last September.

The propane supplier made the connections along with bringing in a 500gal tank. The previous existing line to the house was left as is. A dedicated supply was run to the generator from the tank. The propane installer fabbed up a black pipe manifold at the tank and connected both lines to that.

The work was high quality and I'm happy knowing that there is a dedicated line to the house and the generator.

Something else that surprised me was that the installer ran a 1" plastic pipe vent from the vent on the regulator at the generator about 12' away from the generator with a screen on the end to keep out bugs. I asked why that was done and he said that with the regulator being at the generator, the generator could be a flame source if the regulator vented with the generator running. I would not have known that was a code requirement in my locale.

 

[grsthegreat]

Are you sure about the btu for that generator???
Depends on the size of the generator, but i have never seen one as small as 46,000 btu. Most modern larger units take between 225,000-325,000 btu.

ive been installing backup generators for many years, we ALWAYS ran a home run to main propane tank to supply a generator. then installed a secondary regulator 10-12 feet from the generator, then installed 10 feet of 1” pipe before shutoff valve, to allow for a gas demand storage area to allow for easier start up.
we NEVER just teed off of existing gas line, as When that unit is drawing fuel, it will suck all the gas out and not allow any further down the line.

i have had to repair many units that were starved for fuel when operating. After awhile they just fail to start. I have 2 im working on right now. One one, They teed a 22kw off of a 1/2” pipe feeding a water heater, and wonder why it isnt workijg……must be a crappy made generator

 

[boatyard]

Is a requirement for permit installation of water heaters and furnaces. Sure, people can do this themselves without a permit. But sometimes this bites you if you sell your home and must disclose this. Yes, I know many do these things: they are still not legal by code.

And your insurance co. will use it as a reason not to pay in an accident.

 

[jaxs]

Since op didn't ask for help sizing the gas line or opinions on whether he should install his generator I trust he has that part covered. For crowd that insist's on kicking it around,here's something you can stir into the pot. I've been running irrigation pumps,generators and farm tractors on propane since the 50s. Although non of the engines were rated in BTUs,all had horsepower ratings prominatly displayed. The smallest was a 22 hp 9N,the largest was a 426 Hemi nicknamed Elephant but I'll talk about one that has been on our farm since new in 1958 because it's the one I've owned,used,repaired and maintained the longest. 841 Ford rated at 62 horsepower. I seriously doubt the engine on OPs gen is even close and this old girl has been happy with a 1/2" line now going on 65 years. You can aurgue it must not have been loaded heavy else it would have starved and suffered damage that required repair. Maybe not,but it has been loaded heavy enough to bring the governer in at full throttle.
I'm looking foward to istallation of transfer switch. "EVERYBODY" on TBN are experts when it come's to electricity so it should turn out to be fun,fun,fun.

 

[plowhog]

I will double check the btu's and answer a few questions (soon) in a later post. I do agree it must be rated at substantially more btu's than that .... will check.

Here are a couple of pix ... it's 3/4" pipe. I placed the black pipe in the direction I want to run it, just setting it for an example. Where the propane line goes into the house-- it runs about 10 feet and feeds a water heater. No other gas demand.

The main tank is about 50 feet away. I can trench and install a home run pipe if needed .....