My HVAC contractor did our new system last week and part of the install was piping a new gas line into the house from a new gas line/meter installed outside by the gas company. No more friggen' heating oil, THANK GOD!

He piped it through the wall from the meter with hard pipe to a manifold on the basement wall, but then from there he piped it to the new gas furnace and water heater using this black flex-hose-looking stuff and not black iron pipe like he used at our old house when he did a boiler there for us. Looks like flex stainless steel with a black rubber jacket?

The label says it's "Tracpipe Counterstrike", is this stuff good to go? I'e never seen flex gas lines except for those short yellow ones you see behind a gas range or something.

Looks like this:

That is CSST (Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing). It is quite common to be used, especially in remodel work. AFIK it's good to go, it's what all gas guys use. The important thing is that it needs to be bonded at the manifold preferably at the brass connector on the CSST, if on the manifold then pipe needs to be hit with wire wheel to get bare metal. The wiring (#6 CU) needs to be ran to the Grounding Electrode Conductor (GEC). It can be attached at any point on the GEC - Cold water ground, ground rods, intersystem bonding terminal, or electrical panel.

The point of this is to give a clear path to ground in the event of a lightening strike. Since your furnace is grounded if the meter got struck the power would try to seek ground through your furnace. Lightening is really lazy it doesn't always want to go around the corrugated tubing, so it takes a short cut across the ridges cutting holes along the way.

First article I could google up real quick:

http://www.kttc.com/story/2886...-with-csst-gas-lines

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
The important thing is that it needs to be bonded at the manifold

The manifold doesn't appear to be grounded, but the gas line at the water heater has a thick bare copper wire clamped to it at the brass nut and runs up to the cold water line and is clamped there, is that enough?

I trusted this guy to know what's he's doing as this is the third HVAC job he's done for me now, he's done a heatpump at a previous house I now rent out, a boiler at our old house and this one.

Had a gas line put in for my oven about 5 years ago. They used a similar product to go from my furnace to the location of the stove. A run of about 20 feet. Only difference I see is the stuff they ran in my house had a bright yellow cloth like cover over it so you knew it was for gas.

I would not want to hit it buried in a wall, like with a sawzall, but 'everyone' is using it. There is even an underground-rated version.

Last month I helped a guy run a 1.5" 400k BTU PE (the yellow plastic) gas line underground from the meter to a pool heater. And dig this: the approved couplings were like glorified Sharkbite fittings. But way more expensive.

Yes, it's GTG.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
it's what all gas guys use.

Not ALL gas guys.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Yes, it's GTG.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
it's what all gas guys use.

Not ALL gas guys.

Maybe just the cool ones......

So now I'm worried, should my manifold have been bonded? I don't want to get blowed up!

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Yes, it's GTG.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
it's what all gas guys use.

Not ALL gas guys.

Twenty-three years ago I was on a solo 5-story condo conversion. And hand-threaded 1" gas pipe to each of the floors. Moving the die head in smooth 270˚ sweeps. Wimmin didn't know whether I was Zeus or Adonis, that job put me in such good shape. (I also used to hand-thread 1¼" pipe). It took two weeks just to neatly get through the basement.

About ten years later I had to thread a little 1" pipe. Wow, how the body quickly ages! In December, a bunch of 1" with the Pony electric threader. That's enough of a workout, right there, setting up the tri-stand and hauling in the gear.

No bigee. Just get it bonded per code like Skins described.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

That was fascinating, and a tad concerning....

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
So now I'm worried, should my manifold have been bonded? I don't want to get blowed up!

You'll have to have excam confirm, but I believe they changed the rules recently to allow you to bond anywhere along the hard pipe. It used to be at closest point to gas service or at manifold before CSST. I think they relaxed it to anywhere before CSST. Here they follow old rules. At meter, just before changeover to CSST, or at meter.

If it's easy to do you can extend from HWH to brass fitting on CSST for piece of mind.

You'll need:

#6 CU
SPA-2 or similar Mechanical connector.
Bonding clamp
Staples/zip ties
Hammer
Flat head screw drivee
Wire cutters

ETA:

The above information is for entertainment purposes and we (the settler, agent, individual, and/or the person) can not accept any liability for sploding your domicile. We always suggest having a licensed electrician review you house bonding and grounding and bring it up to code it needed.

Further ETA:

It sounds like electrical service may not be bonded to your water piping to today's code. You used to be able to bond at any point along CU water pipe. PEX and poly ruined that. Must be done at closest point possible to entering house before shut off valve. Only danger to bonding at HWH is if there were repairs or modifications made to home and plastic piping was used interrupting continuity of water pipe.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
So now I'm worried, should my manifold have been bonded? I don't want to get blowed up!

You'll have to have excam confirm, but I believe they changed the rules recently to allow you to bond anywhere along the hard pipe. It used to be at closest point to gas service or at manifold before CSST. I think they relaxed it to anywhere before CSST. Here they follow old rules. At meter, just before changeover to CSST, or at meter.

If it's easy to do you can extend from HWH to brass fitting on CSST for piece of mind.

You'll need:

#6 CU
SPA-2 or similar Mechanical connector.
Bonding clamp
Staples/zip ties
Hammer
Flat head screw drivee
Wire cutters

The gas manifold is actually much closer to my main cold water line into the house from the street than the HWH. Can I attach the #6 copper wire to the manifold then over to the cold water pipe? My electric service also appears to be bonded to this with a thin BX cable clamped to it that runs back to breaker panel.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

The gas manifold is actually much closer to my main cold water line into the house from the street than the HWH. Can I attach the #6 copper wire to the manifold then over to the cold water pipe? My electric service also appears to be bonded to this with a thin BX cable clamped to it that runs back to breaker panel.

You'll have to ask AHJ rules where you live. If I understand correctly it sounds like old house ground goes to water shut off (probably no longer connected) and a new one was ran to HWH. The one at water shut off should be #4 CU or #2 AL (assuming 200a service).

Without seeing it it's hard for me to make a suggestion. If easy to do and I understand set up. Then I'd run new line from panel to CW pipe before house main (here we are also required after main - two clamps total). After hitting water pipe continue run to gas manifold.

Snap some pics when you get home and post. I'll see if I can figure out exactly what you have and if I'd suggest any changes.

The only real issue with that stuff is if there is a fire- it melts easily then helps feed the fire. I bought and renovated a partially burnt house that suffered this.