new LP gas line sizing question

[Inspector507]

I don't know the wall thickness of this ss flex tubing , but I think it would be the same or thicker than copper tubing & there have been no suits ( that I know of ) against copper tubing for lightening strikes.

The actual wall thickness is much thinner than copper tubing. I could not find the wall thickness from any of the 4 manufacturers that I looked at. One did say that it is made from Series 300 Stainless Steel sheet. The main issue with a lightning strike is that no matter where/what lightning hits on a house, it can go through the whole house. Any CSST near another grounded surface will cause an arc between the two and a hole is likely to be blown in the CSST. That was the basis of the lawsuit.

 

[Inspector507]

The class action lawsuit arose due to installers not READING the installation instructions whereas the piping system must be bonded to the electrical grounding system in the house. It has been a NFPA 54 code requirement for years for all gas piping but unfortunately the tort lawyers have had a hard time going after the black iron pipe and copper manufacturers because their names are not required to be marked on the pipeing unlike the corrugated stainless steel guys

The installation has always complied with NFPA 54 even before the lawsuit.

Here's the text of NFPA 54 7.13.1
7.13.1 Each aboveground portion of a gas piping system that is likely to become energized shall be electrically continuous and bonded to an effective ground-fault current path. Gas piping shall be considered to be bonded when it is connected to appliances that are connected to the appliance grounding conductor of the circuit supplying that appliance.


Just running it to the furnace or dryer or range complied with NFPA 54

 

[ruglad03835]

The installation has always complied with NFPA 54 even before the lawsuit.

Here's the text of NFPA 54 7.13.1
7.13.1 Each aboveground portion of a gas piping system that is likely to become energized shall be electrically continuous and bonded to an effective ground-fault current path. Gas piping shall be considered to be bonded when it is connected to appliances that are connected to the appliance grounding conductor of the circuit supplying that appliance.


Just running it to the furnace or dryer or range complied with NFPA 54

I'm going to have to pull out my Trac-pipe install guide when I get to work on Monday. If my recollection is correct the guide says a bonding clamp must be installed on a Trac-pipe fitting or a piece of black iron connected to the piping system and then it must be connected to the bonding wire at the panel.

 

[Inspector507]

I'm going to have to pull out my Trac-pipe install guide when I get to work on Monday. If my recollection is correct the guide says a bonding clamp must be installed on a Trac-pipe fitting or a piece of black iron connected to the piping system and then it must be connected to the bonding wire at the panel.

No need to pull out your installation manual, that's what the new ones say, since the lawsuit.

edit: The old manuals may have said the same thing, I have no idea.

 

[SPIKER]

I hope I didn't SPARK too much debate here I wasn't aware of the new long lengths of this material, (I always used black pipe for nat gas as we have the equipment to make the lengths to fit put it in,) and plastic underground if it was going under ground. But rarely did we ever put any underground. Now I haven't been in that industry for a good while so my info is out of date...

I am going to be running some copper/plastic on med pressure (10 lbs) LP gas from my tank to the barn here some time soon but haven't been too concerned as of yet mainly due to fact that my LP provider said they would run it for me at cost of material only

ok now hope every thing goes well.

mark M

 

[kenmac]

I am going to be running some copper/plastic on med pressure (10 lbs) LP gas from my tank to the barn here some time soon but haven't been too concerned as of yet mainly due to fact that my LP provider said they would run it for me at cost of material only

.

You can't beat that price !

 

[SPIKER]

The LP provider WAS a co-op but just with in the last few weeks here they were bought out so that quote above may no longer be the case I hope they will still put it in at cost of materials (in my trench though not them digging it) but with them going from a co-op to now a big business well it is hard to say if they will run it still or not.? I hope they will if and when I call them I'l lknow for sure

Mark M