Natural Gas Pressure?

[JASTN70D]

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Although one time I did manage to shut down an entires town's gas supply due to technical control problems and a urgently required bathroom break.

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[Glenn9643]

Mike – yes all the burners do this when it happens.
Thcri – I don’t know about the 2psi system. You mentioned air in the lines, and this seems to me like what’s happening because you can’t get it to burn. After finally getting a little flame on the burners it will get back to normal after three or four minutes and you can turn up the flame normally. Almost as if there was an air pocket in the gas line that had to be expelled.
Would air in the lines make any different sound than natural gas when coming out of the burner? When this happens and you turn the burner to high it’s really blowing and the sound is a lot different than when it’s working properly. Seems that the pressure is up, and then after turning the burner as low as it will go it’s difficult to get what’s coming out to ignite. The burners are open all around, not clogged. After lighting the flame will usually be at a small part of the burner, about one quarter of the circle. Trying to gently fan it with your hand to spread it around the burner will often blow it out at this point.
All of my experience (with generally other mechanical things) tells me that there shouldn’t be anything in my side of this exchange that would be erratic and cause this.
Could water in the lines create pockets of higher pressure and reduced gas content? The ground around here is saturated this time of year.
Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll get with the gas company next week and see what they say about it.

 

[thcri]

Glenn,

You can usually tell if you have a 2psi system by looking at the meter outside. You should find a little red tag that says Caution 2 PSI. Usually just a little round tag. Also look where the gas line comes into your house. Typically by your furnace or water heater will be a regulator. (Maxitrol 325-3 is the most common but others out there) The main gas line will go into this regulator and then distribute to the other applicances. Some people will plumb one regulator to each appliance. You stove typically will have another regulator on it even though the gas has been dropped down. My thinking is you have a regulator that is leaking by. But your best thing is to call your Gas Supplier and have them check it out. Like I said before my LP stove does the same thing at our cabin. No rhym or reason just does it when it feels like it. I don't let it worry me much as we keep the gas off to the stove unless we are cooking.

murph