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Estimate for Generator Gas Line.

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Best thing to do is hire someone who installs them i.e. a professional . There 2 kinds of gas service high and low pressure if you have a regulator on the street side of the meter then you have high pressure and more than likely can handle a lot of demand . If you don't have a regulator like some older towns and cites have than you  have low pressure the difference between the 2 are 40 to 60 psi high pressure to maybe 1/2 psi on low if thats the case you might be maxed out and your generator might not work.  A phone call to the gas company let them know how many btus your are adding will answer that question and should be something you do before you even consider it , you will need a bigger meter most of the time they don't charge for that. Most professionals come off the meter with any major appliance and if possible run underground poly pipe with transition risers. A 40' run underground if the ground isn't to difficult to dig is probably going to be around $1500 -  $2000. I do around 10 or more a year for the past 30+ years. But im in South Jersey and now South Florida otherwise I would look at it for you. Spend the money hire a licensed plumber and electrician , undersized and improperly installed gas appliance will work but you will have problems like condensating carbon monoxide and sooting. Good Luck.

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Ok, so basically get a 1.5” to the furnace from meter and I can tap a 1” off that dead line out to the gen area with 1”. Did I get that right?  

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Correct. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

So, my meter is so damn old all the stickers have faded and fallen off. [emoji4] What I could read from the hard stamped plaque has a box labeled "CFH" with a value of "275" in it. The line after the meter into the house is 1" for about 14' linear.

1/2" tee for the water heater at 6'

3/4" tee for the furnace at 12' (that necks down to 1/2" after the shut off valve)

neck down to 3/4" at 14'

3/4" tee at 16', with the straight heading for the gas dryer.

3/4" pipe is the rest of the run out to the other side, with a 3/4" tee to the stove at 46'.

the 3/4" shutoff valve for future hookup to the generator is at about 60' distance.

I could probably replace a good chunk of the 3/4" line to the generator outlet if needed. It's all accessible and i'm not adverse to working with black pipe.  The question is, how does the size changes effect the final BTU number at the end of the run?

 

 

Increasing 3/4" run does nothing. You can start with proper size and decrease as appliances drop off (your past them), but can not start small and increase the pipe after it doesn't do anything. A 275 meter is meant for 275,000 BTU draw.  

Above poster is correct about regulators as I mentioned earlier. However they need to be at each appliance to work properly. Especially with undersized piping. I believe what he meant to say is outdoor appliances are run underground.

 

If anyone is South of the Raritan or North of Jackson I would be happy to do the work, but we are currently booked the rest of the year. We are a 4th generation Plumbing & Heating (Hydronic Only) Company. Underground Poly is the only new fangled (lol) material we will use. We do not use flexible gas pipe, PEX, or CPVC above ground in the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Can underground poly be used strapped to the joists rather than black? And/or off the meter as well?[emoji848]
Just a shot in the dark. [emoji6]


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Can underground poly be used strapped to the joists rather than black? And/or off the meter as well?[emoji848]

Just a shot in the dark. [emoji6]

 

 

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It would be very expensive. It does not bend like the Gasflex Crap. Every time you made a turn would be $100. Home Depot will cut and thread for free, but personally I would rent a hand threader.

 

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It would be very expensive. It does not bend like the Gasflex Crap. Every time you made a turn would be $100.

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Okedokee


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Okedokee


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By hand threader I mean a power one. That small amount of pipe you could also thread by hand. You don't need a power vise but they make life easier. Power hand threader gives you the ability to thread in place.

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1 hour ago, capt14k said:

Increasing 3/4" run does nothing. You can start with proper size and decrease as appliances drop off (your past them), but can not start small and increase the pipe after it doesn't do anything. A 275 meter is meant for 275,000 BTU draw.  

I was implying that I could replace all of the 3/4" piping in the house to 1", leaving the branch pipes as they are.  I'm pretty sure that my current setup will support my 5500/6500 generator at a total distance of 100' from the meter, without issue.  I'd like to and am planning on installing a much bigger generator at some point hopefully (15000/22500) and that's going to require a lot more sauce.

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26 minutes ago, capt14k said:

It would be very expensive. It does not bend like the Gasflex Crap. Every time you made a turn would be $100. Home Depot will cut and thread for free, but personally I would rent a hand threader.

 

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Am I reading too much into these 2 words, or are you not a fan of the yellow flex gas line.  If not, would you mind elaborating why not? I've heard stories, wive's tales, tall tales, and anecdotes over the years, but I thought at this point it was a safe, reliable, and with concept of a manifold vs. branching for gas distribution, preferable.

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I was implying that I could replace all of the 3/4" piping in the house to 1", leaving the branch pipes as they are.  I'm pretty sure that my current setup will support my 5500/6500 generator at a total distance of 100' from the meter, without issue.  I'd like to and am planning on installing a much bigger generator at some point hopefully (15000/22500) and that's going to require a lot more sauce.

 

100' would have to be a home run from the meter to generator since 1" only supports up to 126,000BTU at a 100' you still have to increase size of pipe from meter to homerun.

 

 

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Am I reading too much into these 2 words, or are you not a fan of the yellow flex gas line.  If not, would you mind elaborating why not? I've heard stories, wive's tales, tall tales, and anecdotes over the years, but I thought at this point it was a safe, reliable, and with concept of a manifold vs. branching for gas distribution, preferable.

 

If you consider a trim nail being able to puncture gas pipe safe go for it. I was on a job once and someone else was installing cabinets. They shot a nail right through the Gasflex. Luckily we were there since the carpenters just ran out of the house.

 

When these latest and greatest pipes reach 75 years of widespread use maybe I will consider using them. Well maybe the next generation since it will take another 50 years before that time comes. Polybutelene pipe was safe until the Chlorine in municipal water ate it away from the inside. CPVC was good to go until it starting splitting down the middle due to seasonal temperature changes. HEPex was the cheap way to install radiant until the fittings started to fail. PEX has lasted the longest so far, but there are cancer lawsuits in the works. You can shoot trim nails at Black Pipe all day long and nothing will happen except the nail will bend.

 

 

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http://uscarburetion.com/natural-gas-chart.htm

Is showing 197CFH @ 100' for 1" pipe.  Is the convention still 1CFH ~= 1,000BTU?

Also is using 1HP ~= 10CFH ~= 10,000BTU considered decent enough?

Keep in mind, I like to learn about things, even if I decide NOT to do them myself.  In fact it's happened several times where I've though "I can do this!", researched it, and came to the conclusion "NOPE! Let a 'pro' do it." :D

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42 minutes ago, capt14k said:

<lots of logical reasoning>

Some of what you discuss I've heard before, and agree with. Blasting a nail into a flex pipe, I thought they were supposed to have something over them, much like electrical wiring that passes through a stud is supposed to have an armor plate installed.

Keep in mind, I too think the Old Ways are better for a lot of things.  I argue with a friend of mine periodically about PEX vs. copper; every remodeling job i've done in my house i've stuck with copper for water.  Something about PEX still doesn't thrill me.  I get that for a retrofit job it might make sense if you can't/don't/won't tear into walls or something, and in a new construction (or a major demo/remodel) going with the manifold system for water distribution does please me, but beyond that i'll stick with copper for water, and black pipe for gas.

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Some of what you discuss I've heard before, and agree with. Blasting a nail into a flex pipe, I thought they were supposed to have something over them, much like electrical wiring that passes through a stud is supposed to have an armor plate installed.
Keep in mind, I too think the Old Ways are better for a lot of things.  I argue with a friend of mine periodically about PEX vs. copper; every remodeling job i've done in my house i've stuck with copper for water.  Something about PEX still doesn't thrill me.  I get that for a retrofit job it might make sense if you can't/don't/won't tear into walls or something, and in a new construction (or a major demo/remodel) going with the manifold system for water distribution does please me, but beyond that i'll stick with copper for water, and black pipe for gas.


You are making a good decision. The nail plates will only protect the pipe in the stud. Halfass carpenters were trying to find the stud by shooting nails into the wall.


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Because stud finders are so expensive nowadays (or knocking on the wall)... crap doesnt surprise me anymore lol. Ive put a screw thru a 2" pvc line once though... screw went out the side of a stud and into pvc.. my screw up.. lol.

Black pipe is the way to go if its exposed in any way. Do it the right way the first time.. i dont f*** around with gas and electric. Lol

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