I don't work on gas pipe. Just chicken, I guess (see below). I don't work on stuff I don't thoroughly understand if there is a chance things will go horribly wrong.
Nonetheless, I read with interest the thread titled
Gas connection - thread sealant on flare end?
and realized that I lack some very basic information.
What's a flare end? A flare joint? I think I understand screw taper so which end is flared? Does taper relate to flare?
Like I said, very basic questions.
I've learned many lessons in my life and one of them is not to do stuff unless I know EXACTLY what I'm doing. Here's an example:
We were at the 95% point in a kitchen remodel. My contractor/friend said that he had just finished worked with 3/4" gas pipe on his own house without any problems and he offered to connect up the 1" pipe. I asked him if he was sure if he wanted to do this and he said yes.
My HVAC guy estimated that it would cost me about $200 to hook up the pipe. My contractor agreed that he would not charge me more than the HVAC guy's estimate.
Big mistake on his part.
The city that I live in insists that all new gas pipe installation be pressurized to at least 80 pounds and that it be held for 24 hours. It's certainly overkill since gas pressure is typically a half pound.
My guy couldn't hold twenty pounds for ten minutes much less eighty for 24 hours.
The contractor (I feel really sorry for him because he is also a friend) spent nearly a week of his time tightening and retightening. He learned the VERY hard way that one-inch pipe requires a lot more torque than three-quarter.
It wasn't just the week of extra effort that he burned, he also injured his right shoulder to the point that he needed therapy and was unable to work for nearly three months. He's just barely recovered enough so that he can return to work this month.
I did much of the work on this year-long renovation. I had a strange relationship with my friend/contractor with whom I've had wonderful dealings for ten-years in that he has done a lot of renovation for me in this and another house. Always honest. Always professional.
In this latest project, I was the general contractor. I dealt with the city, etc. I also was a subcontractor to my friend; so he would often tell me what to do. I was the general and the grunt.
During this latest renovation my friend/contractor often chided me on the number of questions I would ask and that I would exercise my authority as general o stop work if I didn't understand what he was doing. If it was a code issue, I'd run to the city code desk and ask questions. More often than not, I knew more than the guy behind the desk so the question would escalate ... . I'm sure you guys know the drill.
My contractor and I would keep score on who was right about this or that. By the end of the contract I was way ahead. It felt good to be right.
Frankly, though, this last incident with the gas pipe and this putting him out of commission for several months gives me no satisfaction but it does reinforce my rule that if I don't know exactly what I'm doing, ask questions until I'm satisfied with the answer.
Unlike my contractor/friend I would not have embarked on a one-inch gas pipe job given that I worked on a three-quarter without asking someone who's done both.
Nonetheless, I read with interest the thread titled
Gas connection - thread sealant on flare end?
and realized that I lack some very basic information.
What's a flare end? A flare joint? I think I understand screw taper so which end is flared? Does taper relate to flare?
Like I said, very basic questions.
I've learned many lessons in my life and one of them is not to do stuff unless I know EXACTLY what I'm doing. Here's an example:
We were at the 95% point in a kitchen remodel. My contractor/friend said that he had just finished worked with 3/4" gas pipe on his own house without any problems and he offered to connect up the 1" pipe. I asked him if he was sure if he wanted to do this and he said yes.
My HVAC guy estimated that it would cost me about $200 to hook up the pipe. My contractor agreed that he would not charge me more than the HVAC guy's estimate.
Big mistake on his part.
The city that I live in insists that all new gas pipe installation be pressurized to at least 80 pounds and that it be held for 24 hours. It's certainly overkill since gas pressure is typically a half pound.
My guy couldn't hold twenty pounds for ten minutes much less eighty for 24 hours.
The contractor (I feel really sorry for him because he is also a friend) spent nearly a week of his time tightening and retightening. He learned the VERY hard way that one-inch pipe requires a lot more torque than three-quarter.
It wasn't just the week of extra effort that he burned, he also injured his right shoulder to the point that he needed therapy and was unable to work for nearly three months. He's just barely recovered enough so that he can return to work this month.
I did much of the work on this year-long renovation. I had a strange relationship with my friend/contractor with whom I've had wonderful dealings for ten-years in that he has done a lot of renovation for me in this and another house. Always honest. Always professional.
In this latest project, I was the general contractor. I dealt with the city, etc. I also was a subcontractor to my friend; so he would often tell me what to do. I was the general and the grunt.
During this latest renovation my friend/contractor often chided me on the number of questions I would ask and that I would exercise my authority as general o stop work if I didn't understand what he was doing. If it was a code issue, I'd run to the city code desk and ask questions. More often than not, I knew more than the guy behind the desk so the question would escalate ... . I'm sure you guys know the drill.
My contractor and I would keep score on who was right about this or that. By the end of the contract I was way ahead. It felt good to be right.
Frankly, though, this last incident with the gas pipe and this putting him out of commission for several months gives me no satisfaction but it does reinforce my rule that if I don't know exactly what I'm doing, ask questions until I'm satisfied with the answer.
Unlike my contractor/friend I would not have embarked on a one-inch gas pipe job given that I worked on a three-quarter without asking someone who's done both.
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