Many homeowners have questions about working with gas.
Gas is that product that heats homes and your water.
Gas is flammable, and in some cases explosive.
The plumbing code books go into great detail about the requirements when working with it. There needs to be adequate ventilation, exhaust dispersal of spent gas, protection of accidental ignition, and protection of piping.
Many gas companies won't hook up the gas meter until they see a permit that has been passed and signed by a local plumbing inspector.
Some States only allow licensed contractors to pull permits and to do the work. A homeowner would not be able to get a permit for the gas work. They view this as too critical a danger to allow just anyone to work with it. There are even many plumbing contractors that decide not to work with gas, or limit their exposure and liability because of the dangers.
There are many stories of bad things happening when you involve gas.
Since gas can explode with vapors, codes have been in place to either raise gas appliances in garages, or to have flame trap appliances.
Gas can lay on the ground, and when the gas gets high enough, be ignited by the pilot light of a furnace or water heater.
There was even a story of a painter using lacquer thinner in a garage that was ignited by the spark from plugging in a cord to the wall. The explosion blew him through the garage door.
A similar story about propane happened one day to me.
I was in Hanford California, picking up a motor home that had just been worked on. The tanks were filled before I left the lot.
I told the guy filling the tank, that there was a bad gas leak, and that he needed to look at it. He said not to worry,
But I was worried.
I was supposed to sleep in it that night, but with the gas smell, there was going to be no way I would.
Propane gas is heavier than air. It will lay on the ground, or fill a ditch or hole in the ground, until ready to be ignited.
My FIL wanted to show me how safe it would be, by lighting up the stove burners. My BIL was helping, two guys lighting up burners with a gas leak in the motor home.
Nobody likes to believe plumbers.
I started backing out of there, and was a little behind my 6'-4" 275 pound BIL, when someone opened up the oven door.
There was a loud explosion and flames blew by him, missing me in the shadow.
I pulled the two stunned men out, turned off the gas at the tank, and went over to the garden hose, hooked it up and became a fire fighter that day.
$6,000 damage to the motor home, and that was only because it was parked next to the house with a handy garden hose.
If the explosion had happened while driving, it could have been much worse.
My brother in law, his hair was all curly from being singed by the heat.
It does happen,
Gas is that product that heats homes and your water.
Gas is flammable, and in some cases explosive.
The plumbing code books go into great detail about the requirements when working with it. There needs to be adequate ventilation, exhaust dispersal of spent gas, protection of accidental ignition, and protection of piping.
Many gas companies won't hook up the gas meter until they see a permit that has been passed and signed by a local plumbing inspector.
Some States only allow licensed contractors to pull permits and to do the work. A homeowner would not be able to get a permit for the gas work. They view this as too critical a danger to allow just anyone to work with it. There are even many plumbing contractors that decide not to work with gas, or limit their exposure and liability because of the dangers.
There are many stories of bad things happening when you involve gas.
Since gas can explode with vapors, codes have been in place to either raise gas appliances in garages, or to have flame trap appliances.
Gas can lay on the ground, and when the gas gets high enough, be ignited by the pilot light of a furnace or water heater.
There was even a story of a painter using lacquer thinner in a garage that was ignited by the spark from plugging in a cord to the wall. The explosion blew him through the garage door.
A similar story about propane happened one day to me.
I was in Hanford California, picking up a motor home that had just been worked on. The tanks were filled before I left the lot.
I told the guy filling the tank, that there was a bad gas leak, and that he needed to look at it. He said not to worry,
But I was worried.
I was supposed to sleep in it that night, but with the gas smell, there was going to be no way I would.
Propane gas is heavier than air. It will lay on the ground, or fill a ditch or hole in the ground, until ready to be ignited.
My FIL wanted to show me how safe it would be, by lighting up the stove burners. My BIL was helping, two guys lighting up burners with a gas leak in the motor home.
Nobody likes to believe plumbers.
I started backing out of there, and was a little behind my 6'-4" 275 pound BIL, when someone opened up the oven door.
There was a loud explosion and flames blew by him, missing me in the shadow.
I pulled the two stunned men out, turned off the gas at the tank, and went over to the garden hose, hooked it up and became a fire fighter that day.
$6,000 damage to the motor home, and that was only because it was parked next to the house with a handy garden hose.
If the explosion had happened while driving, it could have been much worse.
My brother in law, his hair was all curly from being singed by the heat.
It does happen,
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