Gas Line Installed - question and rant

[Sherri*S]

Finally got my gas line installed!!!

<rant> the plumber was such a condescending *ss. Telling me basically I'm stupid because everyone knows you only use acetylene for torches, not natural gas. lol. whatever. Then when I started to ask questions about the installation, he put up his hand and said "i'm not going to tell you how to blow up your house". Guess who I'm *not* calling to do any more work on my house </rant>

But at least I have the gas line now.

Anyway, so now I have *no* idea how to connect the hose to the gas line. I need some kind of reducer? Some other fitting?

Can anyone help? What do I need and where do I get it?

[evenia]

If I recall, my hubby got a fitting from the plumbing store that had one opening the size of the NG line and the other the size of the hose. Just remember, if it was installed right, the gas line is left threaded (opposite of normal).

[smutboy420]

everyone knows you only use acetylene for torches
Well that is true as far as ever one else goes. But glassblowers and jewlers use propane or nat gas.

Acetylene is A MUCH hotter flame. But is to dirty of a flame to use for glass or melting metals and jewlery soldering. But things like cutting torches and big plumbers torches ARE run on acetylene almost exclusivly. So in his world that is kind of a true statemeant.

Said i'm not going to tell you how to blow up your house.
In other words what he meant was. He's not going to tell you how to do what he's charging you good $ For. You should of shot right back with " ok then do you want to tell me how to NOT blow up my house then? lol lol

Remember to talk the language of the profeshion also. Remember to throw around a lot of words like MotherF**ker, C**ksuker. and son of a B**ch.
Tho all them words are interchangable with each other and all can mean the same thing or not depending on what item they are talking about or how the job is going. LOL LOL LOL Heres an example you can ask "how do get this thing hooked up to this other thing? I'm having a real hard time getting it to work." Would be translated as follows, How do I hook this MotherF**ker up to this dam C**ksuker over here? Its being a real son of a B**ch!
Hee Hee LOL I'm just being a silly *ss. Trying to make some fun reading for you here.

Anyway, so now I have *no* idea how to connect the hose to the gas line. I need some kind of reducer? Some other fitting?

Can anyone help? What do I need and where do I get it?

Hum that would all depend on whats already on it and what fitting you already have on your hose and on the end of gas line. Did he install a regulater on the line or does that still need to be done?
Do you have a picture of that son of a B**ch!? We'll get that MotherF**ker hooked up.

[Sherri*S]

thanks evie and smutboy.

smutboy, that is TOO funny. all i was thinking was "get the f*** out of my house, a**h****." seriously, they lost any future business from us. i just told him the torch was made specifically for propane/ng, and he just grunted. Yes, GRUNTED.

but for future reference, i will remember your advice to speak their language, lol lol lol, because i certainly have been known to do that in the past lol lol lol

Do I need a regulator? I didnt think I did since i'm just running on household pressure....

so here is a picture of what he left me... hope it shows enough to know what will be needed from here:
19289

[Dale M.]

You need a "B" fitting!!!....... Go to local welding supply and tell counter person you want a "B" fitting for fuel (left hand thread- will have groove in flats where wrench goes)... It will probably have 1/4 "pipe thread" on other end. You then need to get a "reducer" to go from your gas pipe size ( 1/2 or 3/4 inch) to your 1/4 inch thread on "B" fitting... Reducer is standard hardware store plumbing item.

19294

If local welding guy can not provide one, try here... http://www.mcmaster.com Part number #79215A2, referred to as "Outlet Bushing"

You do not need regulator with natural gas supply. It is already regulated between 1/4 to 1/2 psi at you gas meter outside house.

Just be sure to shut valve off when you finish torch session... That valve is only thing between you and all the natural gas in the world if your hose starts to leak.

Dale

[Sherri*S]

thank you Dale!!!!

[loco]

Smutboy is F*^)ing right on, when that C**ksucker grunted you should have replied " A**hole were you talking to me, what the F*** did you say?" It's amazing that with some people you will get respect with foul language, knowing just whom to use it with is a talent!

On a good point at least you know who not to call when you need a plumber!

[smutboy420]

That valve is only thing between you and all the natural gas in the world if your hose starts to leak.

Ahmen. Make shuting the valve off a religus practice when you are done.


He even grunted? LOL
I can just picture the plumbers crack and every thing now.

[Heather/Ericaceae]

*grin* At least he wasn't drunk, like my installer and his apprentice were. Friendly and effective (if slightly off-colour) but reeking of beer. *shrug* They tested my line three different ways and installed a locking valve and an extra valve, at least. And the main guy came along to the inspection (sober) and made sure it passed. So I can't complain about the work! 'Cept they got blue pipe dope *everywhere*... :rolleyes:

Seriously, a b-fitting and a reducerizer are all you need, plus a clean fuel hose. Dale, any tips on how you connect them? Do you need pipe dope or are they brass and self-sealing? (My fitter did ours). Thanks!

[Sherri*S]

That valve is only thing between you and all the natural gas in the world if your hose starts to leak.

Dale


Oh Yea, that scares the crap out of me.

And Heather, I'm glad you asked that question. What is pipe dope (heh) and yeah, will I need that????

Inspection? What inspection? Should I be even more suspicious of these guys?

[Heather/Ericaceae]

The inspection depends on the "rules" where you live. I needed to get one because every new gas line/appliance needs a permit in Winnipeg. You might not need any kind of inspection at all.

Pipe dope is a nasty goo that seals black NG pipe connections. You need it on iron pipes but not on brass, 'cause brass is soft enough to squish into the threads and make a tight connection by itself. Pipe dope would just mess up brass. I *think* the b-fitting will be brass (?) but likely the reducer will be black pipe material. If Dale doesn't get a chance to answer for a while I'm sure the store where you buy the pieces will have some one who can tell you how to connect it properly. Enjoy your project! You'll be so proud of yourself when it's done. Cheers - Heather

[Dale M.]

Reducer may be brass or iron... Depends on what may be in stock in hardware dept of store you prefer.... Makes no difference if it does job... Pipe dope should be used on all fittings, it stops microscopic leaks and prevents thread galling during assembly, and protects threads from corroding or rusting together so if you ever need to change something, the will be easy to remove...

Dale

[kbinkster]

pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope

If you get the urge to make something out of the ordinary, blame Dale.

[i09172]

thanks evie and smutboy.

smutboy, that is TOO funny. all i was thinking was "get the f*** out of my house, a**h****." seriously, they lost any future business from us. i just told him the torch was made specifically for propane/ng, and he just grunted. Yes, GRUNTED.

but for future reference, i will remember your advice to speak their language, lol lol lol, because i certainly have been known to do that in the past lol lol lol

Do I need a regulator? I didnt think I did since i'm just running on household pressure....

so here is a picture of what he left me... hope it shows enough to know what will be needed from here:
19289

Others have given you good advice on fittings. My advice would be to test the connections with a bit of soapy water after you've got the new fittings installed and your torch connected. Turn the gas on at the blue valve shown in your picture and leave the torch valve off. Then dab a bit of soapy water on each connection from your torch back to the blue valve. You shouldn't see any bubbling in the soapy water. Bubbling means leaking gas and leaking gas is bad news.

Good luck with your new setup!

Kevin W. Miller
http://www.bluemoongemworks.com

[Sherri*S]

pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope pipe dope

If you get the urge to make something out of the ordinary, blame Dale.



ha ha ha ha ha. If I have the urge to BUY something out of the ordinary, I'm blaming Dale. tee hee

[dlbirtwell]

I have someone installing this for me this weekend so this thread is timely for me.

Thanks for the picture of the 'B' fitting, Dale! I will take it with me to the welding store.

Diane.

[bolimasa]

If it helps (and if it doesn't!), here's what mine looks like

[Sherri*S]

thanks bolimasa, that does help!!!

and good luck Diane, with your installation. You'll probably be using yours before I ever finish mine.....:rolleyes:

[meadowesky]

so how did you get the PSI up for your house? Did you have to buy a booster or what??? been looking into this for a while cause I already have a gas line in my soon to be studio in my "hopefully I will close on this Motherf**ker someday in the next year house"

[kbinkster]

so how did you get the PSI up for your house? Did you have to buy a booster or what??? been looking into this for a while cause I already have a gas line in my soon to be studio in my "hopefully I will close on this Motherf**ker someday in the next year house"
You may not need to boost the pressure with some torches. If you do, then you can call the gas company and ask if they can increase the pressure to your house.

If you need a higher pressure but would rather leave other people out of it, you can purchase a NG booster. They can get pricey, but they are portable - so if you move away, you can take it with you.

[Heather/Ericaceae]

Pipe dope should be used on all fittings.Dale

Oops. My bad! Thanks Dale. -Heather

[beanerb]

You may not need to boost the pressure with some torches. If you do, then you can call the gas company and ask if they can increase the pressure to your house.

If you need a higher pressure but would rather leave other people out of it, you can purchase a NG booster. They can get pricey, but they are portable - so if you move away, you can take it with you.


So can you use a Minor with regular household pressure?
And, if it is possible to increase pressure to my house for use with a Minor what pressure is recommended?

[dlbirtwell]

So can you use a Minor with regular household pressure?
And, if it is possible to increase pressure to my house for use with a Minor what pressure is recommended?

Although I have not used a Minor this way myself, I have been told that it will work. I have a Piranha that I will be using NG with.

[meadowesky]

Dale told me when I asked him that the pressure coming in your house is 1/3 - 1/2 psi. (dont hate me if I am wrong!) but the minor ( I use it) usually runs off of 3-6 psi. I run mine at 5psi and I have an ox con that runs up to 10psi. So I would just be worried that without boosting the NG in some way I would have to run my ox super low and have my gas on all of the way to get a nice sized flame. Am I wrong?

[kbinkster]

dl, from what I have heard, a Minor will run on NG. If you decide to boost the pressure to your house, get as much as you can - you can never have too much. The higher pressure is more desirable (3-6 psi), but the torch should still run on the low pressure. It won't be as hot with the lower pressures. Maybe someone running a Minor on NG will pop in and voice their opinion. The best thing would be to call Nortel and ask them what they know/recommend.

[meadowesky]

if you up the NG pressure in the house wont you have a problem with your furnace/waterheater/etc? Is it necessary to install regulators on the line for the rest of the house? Thanks

[Rose]

I hooked up my minor to the NG last week and it runs fine. I noticed nothing notable compared to propane. But then again, it was 5 months since making a bead. I use a concentrator and set it at 5 psi. I'd say it works fine!

Rose

[kbinkster]

if you up the NG pressure in the house wont you have a problem with your furnace/waterheater/etc? Is it necessary to install regulators on the line for the rest of the house? Thanks

Yes, you will need to put regulators at each appliance unless you keep your higher pressure line seperate from the appliance lines.

[Kalera]

You should be able to increase your pressure to 1 psi without adding regulatprs at each appliance... check with your gas company though.

[meadowesky]

thanks!

[otldzign]

I just had to give a big SHOUT OUT =D> to Dale M. for all of his knowledge on the subjects of torches, connections, gas lines, psi, etc., etc., etc.!

I recently had propane piped into my studio and, with the help of Dale's posts and a few pm's, I finally lit my torch and am ecstatic! :happy:

Thank you, thank you, Dale!!!

Angie

*the pipe dope post had me in stitches...but it really works like a charm!

[suncoastbeads]

There are many people out there using concentrators with their natural gas setups...the two are perfect for each other...no tanks!!

Paulette
(see 5 lpm page)

[Dale M.]

I just had to give a big SHOUT OUT =D> to Dale M. for all of this knowledge on the subjects of torches, connections, gas lines, psi, etc., etc., etc.!

I recently had propane piped into my studio and, with the help of Dale's posts and a few pm's, I finally lit my torch and am ecstatic! :happy:

Thank you, thank you, Dale!!!

Angie

*the pipe dope post had me in stitches...but it really works like a charm!

You are very welcome....

Dale