Gas plumbing question

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xhcadamx

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I have built a three tier system and now I am going to plumb the gas lines. I bought 160K BTU burners that are 3/8" so I am going to use 3/8 copper tubing. The problem I am running into is if I can use a 1/4" supply into the manifold? Also what psi rating regulator should I get? I read somewhere people using 30 psi but I can't find any.... Any thoughts, recommendations would be VERY appreciated.
 
It sounds like you are going the high pressure route so the 1/4" inside hose that is used with the regulators should work well. The chances of having 2 burners at a high fire setting at the same time is usually small so one 10-30 psi regulator should do well on the rig. I fire 2 100K burners with a 3/8" Od gas supply at 10 psi and have no troubles, the burners are connected with 1/4" od SS tubing from the manifold.
 
copper and galvanized are not approved for lp or natural gas delivery. only black pipe, and special pet/pvcs/rubbers.

Copper is approved for propane, if your not in california (from what I read) but NOT for NG...

Unless your pulling a permit for your brewstand, I don't think it matters, it will all hold.
 
Copper is fine for gas. Both LP and NG. Even aluminum will work.

This is not true. Copper and brass tubing should not be used if the gas contains more than an average of 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100 standard cubic feet of gas (0.7 milligrams per 100 liters). Check with your gas company for hydrogen sulfide content levels and your local building codes before using copper pipe.
 
Well, lets be realistic here. Applying the same logic that I applied when I decided to use 3/4" plain old reinforced goodyear rubber heater hose for my natural gas connection to my brewstand. This is not like a furnace, it will not be continuous duty. It will not see a ton of use when you compare it to a furnace or a how water heater. When I am using this, I will be watching it, I will be with it. So, if there will be a problem, I will be right there to address it.
 
OMG I'm going to Die my house is filled with copper gas lines.

Thats really not funny. I certainly hope nothing like that ever happens to anybody. These rules and regulations exist for a purpose. This information came directly from my local gas utility company:

"Copper and brass tubing should not be used if the gas contains more than an average of 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100 standard cubic feet of gas (0.7 milligrams per 100 liters)"

I ran across it when I was building my home. Break their balls, not mine.
 
Weird, I am pretty sure I asked about whether it was ok to go from 1/4 supply to 3/8" at the burner.... I was worried about "starving" the manifold. At any rate, I found a 3/8" supply at bayou classics.
 
Thats really not funny. I certainly hope nothing like that ever happens to anybody. These rules and regulations exist for a purpose. This information came directly from my local gas utility company:

"Copper and brass tubing should not be used if the gas contains more than an average of 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100 standard cubic feet of gas (0.7 milligrams per 100 liters)"

I ran across it when I was building my home. Break their balls, not mine.

I wasn't intending to break any balls. I'm just saying that my house has had copper gas lines in it for the last 28 years without any problems. It is common practice here to have copper gas lines. As I understand it, its the connections that are the failure points. Copper must be silver soldered or compression fittings used.
 
Well, lets be realistic here. Applying the same logic that I applied when I decided to use 3/4" plain old reinforced goodyear rubber heater hose for my natural gas connection to my brewstand. This is not like a furnace, it will not be continuous duty. It will not see a ton of use when you compare it to a furnace or a hot water heater. When I am using this, I will be watching it, I will be with it. So, if there will be a problem, I will be right there to address it.
 
If this isn't a joke or troll, I'm a little nervous.

A furnace doesnt get moved every time you light it, hire a plumber, please. He'll use pipe.

It's your call, but, if you are going to save all this money on beer, this is a great place to SPEND a little on safety. (seriously, please.)

((I'm NOT a plumber, consult your lawyer before you believe a word of this.))
 
I am not sure if the troll or joke comment was directed to my original post. My original question was never answered. I did up finding a 3/8 supply line, so I dont have to worry about starving the manifold. Everyone else seems to be arguing about code/safety/how smart they are / dumb the next guy is. Which is really disappointing. I don't post much on message boards and this is why.
 
I am in the process of doing something very similar. I built a little two burner brew stand. I am going from a 20 psi regulator to 1/2" black pipe (chosen for it's rigigity; so I can secure it to the stand) and then stepping down to two seperate 1/4" copper lines (less than a foot each) connected to the burners. I also wondered about the gas expanding and then being forced back into smaller diameter pipe, but I've seen enough pictures of brewstands on this site using 1/2" black pipe as a manifold and feeding 3/8" or 1/4" propane hose to think that it must work fine. I didn't mention it but each leg of the line will have it's own needle valve to control flame.

I chose copper for the last leg because it is flexible and easy to cut to whatever length I need.

This is where I got my stuff. It will take a week or so to get stuff, but they are friendly and I like my burner (Just the $13 high pressure burner).
http://bayouclassicdepot.com/propane_burner_parts.htm
 
Since you are dealing with LP, much higher pressure than natural gas, I think that your tubing diameter should be okay. If you were dealing with natural gas, as I have been learning, at only .5 psi, you have to be real careful about reducing tubing and all that because with that low of pressure, it is easy to choke it down too much!
 
I am not sure if the troll or joke comment was directed to my original post. My original question was never answered. I did up finding a 3/8 supply line, so I dont have to worry about starving the manifold. Everyone else seems to be arguing about code/safety/how smart they are / dumb the next guy is. Which is really disappointing. I don't post much on message boards and this is why.


No, the troll/joke comment was not about diameters, sorry i wasnt very clear.
For me copper is WAY too malleable (for me) to feel safe about its ability to protect a gas line. glad you found what you need.
 
My original question was never answered.

I fire 2 100K burners with a 3/8" Od gas supply at 10 psi and have no troubles, the burners are connected with 1/4" od SS tubing from the manifold.

I think the first response you received the gentleman stated that his system is plumbed with 3/8s and drops to 1/4" SS after the manifold.

:)
 
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Copper and brass tubing should not be used if the gas contains more than an average of 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100 standard cubic feet of gas (0.7 milligrams per 100 liters).

Please provide your resource for this information. If the gas contains more than an average 0.3, then WHY should copper and brass not be used?

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is risk to persons or property worth it? if copper works forever, the gas companies would USE it for their mains, not polyethylene.

Several different materials are approved for gas work, e.g., copper, PE, PVC, etc. (http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/approved-gas-pipes-d_1112.html) However, I didn't see black iron pipe on that website (maybe when they mention ductile iron, they're including black iron?)

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I'll probably use plastic underground and black iron above ground.

Also, I'm pretty sure copper and plastic don't break too easily, especially if they're kept out of the way of backhoes, aerators, etc.

I'm not trying to imply that safety is not #1 for all projects, but hiring a gas company to do the work (for me) is out of the question cuz I can do it myself to save money. As long as my local utilities and regional bulding department approve the work, then my plumbing is safe, legal, and covered by my homeowner's insurance.
 
Please provide your resource for this information. If the gas contains more than an average 0.3, then WHY should copper and brass not be used?

Reread my post

Thats really not funny. I certainly hope nothing like that ever happens to anybody. These rules and regulations exist for a purpose. This information came directly from my local gas utility company: "Copper and brass tubing should not be used if the gas contains more than an average of 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100 standard cubic feet of gas (0.7 milligrams per 100 liters)"

I ran across it when I was building my home. Break their balls, not mine.

When I built my house copper supply lines were code where I live. I guess at that time there was a concearn about Hydrogen Sulfite eating the copper pipe. I am guessing as I am not a metalurgist. That was a while ago. It's been about 10 years but I still have all the documentation from the build. I kept a close eye on everything so I didn't get ripped off by an unscrupulous contractor. I must say I had some very good ones. I felt blessed.
 
I meant to ask for specifics, e.g., name of the company, website address, whatever. My bad.

I think they are concearned about Hydrogen Sulfide Flakes fouling up an appliance after reading about it a little. At the time it was LILCO. Soon after it became Keyspan and now I think now it's name is National Grid. The verbage became part of the Uniform Plumbing Code in the year 2000 under section 1210.1.1. Just curious but why the interest?
 
its funny to me that in these post you always have some dude that has not done much of anything him self , just come in and start saying the sky is falling.

whats next ? oh i know tell him, he will die and make his frinds sick becase the bass valves on his keggle contain lead..

the real funny thing here is we arnt even talking about natural gas ! we are talking about propain, which is a refined gas and does not contain Hydrogen Sulfide. and anyone that knew anything about the topic worth noting, would have know it was propain, based on the regulator question and pipe size.

BTW its totaly ok to run Nat Gas in copper pipe here , but what do we know, we are only the second largest producer of it in the nation.
 
its funny to me that in these post you always have some dude that has not done much of anything him self , just come in and start saying the sky is falling.

whats next ? oh i know tell him, he will die and make his frinds sick becase the bass valves on his keggle contain lead..

the real funny thing here is we arnt even talking about natural gas ! we are talking about propain, which is a refined gas and does not contain Hydrogen Sulfide. and anyone that knew anything about the topic worth noting, would have know it was propain, based on the regulator question and pipe size.

BTW its totaly ok to run Nat Gas in copper pipe here , but what do we know, we are only the second largest producer of it in the nation.

The reason the thread got off track is because the OP didn't let anyone know what type of gas he was using until the 6th post in the thread. You really can't make any assumptions because I have already seen a poster ask if he needed to install a 30 PSI regulator on his natural gas line in another thread. There were only 2 posters that said if he were using natural gas copper its not acceptable, which up until they changed the Uniform Plumbing Code in 2000 was true. I stated that copper is not acceptable when the Hyrdogen Sulfide Level in the Gas is greater than 0.7 milligrams per 100 liters which is in the current Uniform Plumbing Code under section 1210.1.1. I would bet if the OP stated that it was propane from the getgo the thread would not have gone off on a tangent. Also, is it not better to err on the side of safety? The whole idea is to help someone not make a stupid mistake and hurt themselves or someone else. So why get so pissy, what is the problem?
 
I'm planning on running some NG lines to my garage (brew) and backyard (grill). I've been crawling through forums to find as much info as I can for preparation of a plan to present to the local regional building department. Thanks for the info! :mug:

I wish you the best of luck. I brew with Natural Gas also. It certainly beats running back and forth for Propane.
 
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