Is this a gas line hookup for a heater?

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kodiak1120

kodiak1120

0
Sep 22, 2011
204
We bought the house and it came with a pool (which we love). In light of the mild summers we've had in Southern New Jersey, I was contemplating adding a heater. I noticed this piece of pipe coming out of the ground and I think it's a gas line, but I'm not sure. Here's some pictures:

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It looks likw what would be used for gas. Do you have Nat Gas at the house? If it is you would need to compare the flow needed for you selected heater and the size pipe to make sure it would handle the flow.
 
Yes, we have natural gas heat and hot water in the house. The gas meter is directly behind the pump/filter assembly in the picture. I'm assuming this was put in when the pool was built, so I'd have to guess the flow and pipe size would be appropriate, but I'll check it out.
 
Assuming this is a gas line, how hard would it be to hook up a heater? I would think pretty easy, since the gas line is right there. All I'd need to do is put some kind of a foundation down, hook up the gas and re-direct the plumbing.

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tim5055 said:
Yea, if the meter is directly behind the filter the shutoff could very well be there.
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Although it would be kind of a pain to initially hook up the heater because I'd have to shut off the gas at the meter, which would shut off gas to the whole house.
 
Im no heater expert at all and I dont have one. I do know however is that if you use the existing pipe, you need to size the heater properly so that you dont end up with one too big for the amount of gas that pipe is capable of supplying.
 
kodiak1120 said:
I'm not sure if there is a separate one for this line, but there is one at the meter, which is directly behind the filter in this picture.
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There really should be a shut off valve for that specific line. I actually have two (2), a ball valve at the exit point from the house and a red handle valve inches from the heater. Just an FYI.

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Once the gas is confirmed OFF, you should have no problem at all connecting the heater if you are somewhat handy. You will need electric to the heater as well.
 
Looks like a gas line to me. I would have it pressure tested before attempting to use it though.

I had our local gas company out last week to replace our meter for a larger one and he commented that he visits a lot of houses for gas leaks and they find them in buried iron pipes for pool heaters. They unhook it, cap off the meter and go on their way. Your pipe does look galvanized (aside from the plug), so depending on the age, you may be in luck.

As others have suggested, you'll likely have to dig up part of the pipe and check the size that is underground, they may have reduced it coming up. Depending on the length, that 3/4" may not be enough. I had to run an 1 1/4" line, and I only had 20 something feet.

The odd route that the plumbing takes also suggests there was something there once.
 

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stebs said:
Normally don't use galvi for gas... Might want to have a plumber check it out and see what it is...
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Not sure where the OP is located, but here in FL, galvanized pipe is the code for gas pipe.

kodiak1120, Since the meter is right behind your pump, the size of line that is already there is good for any size heater you decide to get. If you had a longer run, say 40+ ft, then you might need to consider the pipe size. Adding a shut off valve right by the heater is pretty easy.
 
Thanks for all the responses... maybe there was a heater installed at one point that was removed? The house was built in the mid-90s... I'm not sure when the pool was added, but pump for the Polaris had a manufacture date of 1999, so I suspect that may have been when the pool was installed. I bought the house in 2011, and there was no heater. It would be odd for the heater to be installed in 1999, and already taken out by 2011.
 
It seems pretty clear that there was a gas heater there at some point. If the heater started leaking or failed and the previous owners didn't use the heater it makes sense to me that they would remove it and cap the gas line.
 
pooldv said:
It seems pretty clear that there was a gas heater there at some point. If the heater started leaking or failed and the previous owners didn't use the heater it makes sense to me that they would remove it and cap the gas line.
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Absolutely agree. Anything could of happened between 1999 and 2011. They could of removed it just before the sale of the house as well, rather than replace and/or have the new potential owner request a new heater, assuming the heater was shot.
 
I get calls all the time from folks selling their house and the heater is shot and all they want to do is have it removed so it's not included in part of the sale. So it gets removed and the line capped off. Seller now doesn't have to deal with comping the buyer for a new heater.
 
If there was a gas heater there at some point wouldn't there also be a concrete slab or some kind of pad? Maybe the previous owner had the connection installed but never had a heater put in. A good thing actually, as the cost to run a gas line can be pretty expensive if done by a licensed plumber. I just bought a house with a pool in January and have an almost identical scenario where there is a gas line next to the pool filter but no heater. There is a concrete pad, though. Actually, it's a pad made up of a group of 12" X 12" concrete pavers. I've been debating the heater question myself but may wait 'til next season. The idea of adding another $400 - $500 bucks to my monthly nut makes me shiver.

And, BTW. Is that your pump ground wire wrapped around the neck of that gas fitting?
 
Ripper70 said:
If there was a gas heater there at some point wouldn't there also be a concrete slab or some kind of pad? Maybe the previous owner had the connection installed but never had a heater put in. A good thing actually, as the cost to run a gas line can be pretty expensive if done by a licensed plumber. I just bought a house with a pool in January and have an almost identical scenario where there is a gas line next to the pool filter but no heater. There is a concrete pad, though. Actually, it's a pad made up of a group of 12" X 12" concrete pavers. I've been debating the heater question myself but may wait 'til next season. The idea of adding another $400 - $500 bucks to my monthly nut makes me shiver.

And, BTW. Is that your pump ground wire wrapped around the neck of that gas fitting?
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I'm going to guess there was def a heater there. Take a look at the pvc pipe configuration. Appears to have been cut and pieced back together.
 
If the meter is right there I would not worry about that line and would size my heater to the surface area of the pool and the desired rise in temp and air temp. Running a gas line that short will not be as costly as operating a heater that has to run excessively to keep up. Just because you wanted to re-use 6' of pipe.

And yes, it definitely needs a shut off right at the heater.


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