CSST Flex Gas line meter termination flange?

[jeromio]

House currently has a single gas appliance: the furnace. It's fed by about 50 feet of 1/2 inch CSST flex directly from a meter junction at the house. My question is regarding this weird termination flange:

It's quite long - there's a flange on the opposite end that screws into the joist. So it's about 12in long. The flex line is attached deep inside there, so, the connection between this and the flex line is outside the actual house, very close to that large hex.

This *seems* like a TracPipe part, but I can't find good info on it anywhere.
https://www.kennypipe.com/2537199/p...-tracpipe-ps-iicounterstrike-12-in-l-domestic
There's an installation booklet from TracPipe, but it doesn't get into any details about how this thing works.

That large hex is firmly pressed into the steel sleeve - not coming apart. All the pics online show it as a complete unit. I cannot imagine how the flex line could've been attached to this - some kind of very specific and long wrench? Or perhaps the flare for the flex was threaded to that large hex (the part that attaches to the black 90), and *then* the sleeve was mated to it? But again, all the pics show this thing as a total unit and I can't see any way to separate it. None of my pics of the opposite side of this thing, the inside of the tube, show anything bc it's just too dark and the space between the flex and that sleeve is so tight - which again just makes me wonder how the heck any kind of 12" long special wrench could get in there to adequately torque a flare deep inside there?

What I need to do, inside the house, is T into the flex to add another line for a gas stove. One possible solution would be to cut the flex inside the house (inside a basement ceiling) and add new ends and attach them to a T. But it's a tight space to work in, up on a ladder. I would rather somehow disconnect this funky termination and add in a fresh stub (assembled comfortably on a workbench) to a T and then to the remaining flex that goes to the furnace.

Anyone have any info on this weird part and how it works?

 

[Skoronesa]

I suggest you hire a professional for this.

The fittings that go on the csst tube can be a bit tricky and you don't want a leak. Personally I don't like that csst and I prefer black iron or soft copper tubing for gas lines. The easiest route, assuming you can get away without upsizing, would be to put a tee in the csst inside the house and not to mess with this fitting outside at all. Depending on the pipe sizing and regulator outside you may need to upsize for the additional load.

Regardless of what you do you'll want to pressure test everything with air before putting it back into use.

 

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[PlumbNuts]

I am all for DIY, but there are some things that you need to leave to the professionals and gas is top of the list.

 

[jeromio]

This would not be my first (or even tenth) time plumbing natural gas. It is my first time dealing with CSST. I can definitely see the appeal though - I'll be adding 36ft of line and that would be 3 couplings, 6 threaded junctions (in addition to the T) and alot of wrestling with heavy black pipe.

Like I said, I can solve the branching problem, I was just very curious about how this termination works and interested in doing this an easier way. I guess I'll have to head to the local plumbing supply shop (where they don't wear masks ☹) and ask the guy at the counter.

 

[wwhitney]

If it's definitely TracPipe (should say on the CSST itself), check out their catalog and their design/installation manual. I scanned through them, I didn't see any special discussion of installing the meter termination piece.

I take it the vertical black iron pipe is supporting the meter? Do you have the usual utility tee with outward facing plug lower down? If not, this would be a good time to add one. (Assuming the gas utility requirements are the same in NC as in CA.)

Cheers, Wayne

 

[jeromio]

I think I answered my own question. Found a TracPipe "Design Guide".

It looks like the large steel tube sleeve is internally threaded (the one shown is way shorter than the one I have). So the CSST flex is attached to the (very large) fitting, but not completely tightened, then that fitting gets threaded into the sleeve. Finally, the fitting is fully tightened down. So the upshot is that fitting can be taken apart and re-used (tho I'll use new rings). Not too much different than cutting the flex on the inside of the house, but much less contortion-y for me.

Ancillarily, I don't see any bonding of this CSST anywhere so I'll be sinking a rod near the meter and running a 6awg wire to that, attached inside the house to a bonding clamp.

 

[wwhitney]

I don't see any bonding of this CSST anywhere so I'll be sinking a rod near the meter and running a 6awg wire to that, attached inside the house to a bonding clamp.

Bonding and earthing are two different things.

There's no need to earth the CSST, in fact doing so in isolation may be a net negative. There should be more one or more earth connections (grounding electrodes) for the grounded service conductor at your electrical service entrance. If your grounding electrode system complies with the NEC, that's all the earthing you need.

Bonding the CSST just means running a bonding jumper (conductor) from an appropriate connection (e.g. a usual ground clamp on a portion of black iron pipe) back to the grounding electrode system. If it's Tracpipe Counterstrike, they say that supplementary bonding is not required by them. But the IFGC or the NEC might require it, I'm not sure.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Plumber69]

What ever you do... dont hack saw the pipe