Gas pipe ground...DIY project?

[DStewart]

Prior to a home sale, the inspector documented this:



Can someone tell me what this entails? I work P/T as a handyman so I have a lot of skills but this would be a first. And want to save the $ instead of hiring this out

 

[Snoonyb]

Welcome.

Interesting. The only occasion I've this is for pool equip gas piping, but since it's noted as a "minor defficiency", it may just be a precautionary note intended to address grounding, in general, of appliances.

I'd call your local vender, to see if there has been an updated ordinance.

 

[DStewart]

I spoke with the inspector and he stated that following implementation would suffice. Drive a 3' section of rebar into the ground and clamp 6 gauge wire in between it and the gas pipe just before it enters the home. Pretty simple but a safeguard from a lightening strike.

 

[Snoonyb]

I spoke with the inspector and he stated that following implementation would suffice. Drive a 3' section of rebar into the ground and clamp 6 gauge wire in between it and the gas pipe just before it enters the home. Pretty simple but a safeguard from a lightening strike.

Thanks, I wonder what the vendor would say, and has there been evidence, by cause, of failures, that would have been alleviated.

Or could there be a code addendum, in the offing.

 

[Sparky617]

If the gas line is near your electrical service entrance you can use the electrical system ground rod. Those rods are 6' long, and now code requires two of them separated by six feet and connected together. That was not code when my house was built in 1999, nor was a gas line ground.

 

[PJB12]

Your inspector's 3 foot rebar is about 7 feet away from any sort of bonding or grounding code articles. Wonder why he/she said that? Also, unless the rebar is 5/8" or copper clad 1/2", it's not to code either. (Grounding rods are good, but don't really do much for lightning. They can't dump the electrons fast enough.)

Connecting it to the electrical system ground, as Sparky617 mentioned, is ideal. Then the gas piping and the electrical system will be at the same electrical potential.

I bought a house once where the utility made me remove the bond to earth from the gas piping. The insurance company agreed. (As though they weren't bonded by the gas pipe at the boiler...)

Paul

 

[Sparky617]

Your inspector's 3 foot rebar is about 7 feet away from any sort of bonding or grounding code articles. Wonder why he/she said that? Also, unless the rebar is 5/8" or copper clad 1/2", it's not to code either. (Grounding rods are good, but don't really do much for lightning. They can't dump the electrons fast enough.)

Connecting it to the electrical system ground, as Sparky617 mentioned, is ideal. Then the gas piping and the electrical system will be at the same electrical potential.

I bought a house once where the utility made me remove the bond to earth from the gas piping. The insurance company agreed. (As though they weren't bonded by the gas pipe at the boiler...)

Paul

I'm curious about grounding them as well. My wife is a Realtor and often on inspection reports they'll have notes about the gas pipe not being grounded. Mine gas line isn't, house built in 1999. The gas main is some sort of plastic piping. Somewhere below ground it converts to metal piping to the meter and from the meter into the house. Then it converts to stainless steel flex pipe to a distribution set up in my basement with pressure regulators and quarter turn ball valves for the various gas appliances. My gas meter is right by the electric service ground so adding a strap and piece of copper wire wouldn't be hard.

 

[PJB12]

I'm curious about grounding them as well. My wife is a Realtor and often on inspection reports they'll have notes about the gas pipe not being grounded. Mine gas line isn't, house built in 1999. The gas main is some sort of plastic piping. Somewhere below ground it converts to metal piping to the meter and from the meter into the house. Then it converts to stainless steel flex pipe to a distribution set up in my basement with pressure regulators and quarter turn ball valves for the various gas appliances. My gas meter is right by the electric service ground so adding a strap and piece of copper wire wouldn't be hard

I always wonder how the gas company gets away with the corrugated stainless steel tubing inside the building (my house, too) with no indoor shut off between the incoming schedule 40 steel and the corrugated. If we tried that, I'd expect a red tag! I think it's the thinwall precursor to CSST, but without the coating.

You surely know this, but in case someone else finds this post later:
For the gas bond to the water service, be sure to bond on the street side of the meter or put a #6 stranded copper jumper across the meter. Ideally, the bond will be close enough to the building exit that it will be apparent if any non-metallic pipe is installed later.

Paul

 

[Snoonyb]

In CA when the supply is swamped of schedule 80 PVC, the street side of the meter is + 20' and 4' deep, in the street.

 

[Sparky617]

I always wonder how the gas company gets away with the corrugated stainless steel tubing inside the building (my house, too) with no indoor shut off between the incoming schedule 40 steel and the corrugated. If we tried that, I'd expect a red tag! I think it's the thinwall precursor to CSST, but without the coating.

You surely know this, but in case someone else finds this post later:
For the gas bond to the water service, be sure to bond on the street side of the meter or put a #6 stranded copper jumper across the meter. Ideally, the bond will be close enough to the building exit that it will be apparent if any non-metallic pipe is installed later.

Paul

My water meter is at the street, and the pipe between my house and the meter is plastic. The plumbing in the house is copper. The builders in my neighborhood went to PEX a few months after my house was built. As to the gas, I can turn the gas off at the meter if there was a problem with the flex before the first shut-off inside the house.