Gas Lines

[dtrujillo63]

My PB ran a 1.5" underground gas line between my gas meter and pool equipment. However, he reduced it to 3/4" on both ends to tap into the meter and pool heater. Is that normal practice? Would the short 3/4" run between the meter and the 1.5" line cause a bottle neck?

Thanks!

 

[Pool Tool]

It does present a bottleneck, but not significant relative to the other larger pipe. He likely had to reduce to 3/4" on both ends to match the fittings. The reduction at the end (heater) is completely fine. The one near the meter, might present a problem (pressure droop) but that would only be under heavy load/usage. Think of it like a garden hose - if you put your thumb on the end you can feel the pressure build until you let it go and then pressure drops and flow levels off. Now kink the hose 50' from the end and you'll lose both flow and pressure (pressure droop) at the end. Gas flow is similar, not identical but similar.

If you heater has an issue running I would look at removing the 3/4" reduction at the meter if possible. The one near the heater would be unlikely to make any difference unless your heater valve has an 1.5" inlet. Most gas valves are 3/4 inch.

 

[Zappafan]

Dtrujillo63 it will be fine. We are talking about inches of water column when it comes to the gas pressure so it is very low pressure that he tapped into after your main gas regulator. Actually he did you a favor by upsizing it giving you a "long storage tank" basically for gas volume. Have him check the pressure and make sure that the heater is getting what it is spec'd out to get. if anything you might need a pressure reducer. Most gas supplied to residential homes is around 11" WC. The only other thing that you might want done is to install a strainer and make sure there is a "dirt leg" at the heater connection. The dirt leg will help keep any particulates out of the heater burner, same with the strainer.

 

[Pool Tool]

Rodney has you covered. The dirt leg (sediment trap) is generally a requirement of the heater and listed in the installation instructions. NG delivery pressure is somewhere between 6 - 11" WC (1/4 of 1 psi). The installer can put a gauge on the inlet side of the heater to test the pressure. Do this before and while the heater is running. Your manual will list the minimum/maximum requirements of the heater at rest and under load. The gas valve will have an orifice to manage the pressure reduction fine.

 

[dtrujillo63]

Thanks guys. Looks like they only reduced it at the pool heater end after all. It doesn't appear they installed a "dirt leg". Here are some pictures.

 

[Zappafan]

No they did not. Not hard to do since they did install a shut off valve and a union. The 90 degree elbow that is directly adjacent to the union should be a tee with a 2" or 3" nipple and a cap coming out of the bottom of the tee.

 

[ps0303]

It's not a problem really if it doesn't have a sediment trap, dirt trap, on the piping. I've disassembled lots of them that have been in place for 20 years and no sediment in them.

I hate seeing that the installer didn't have the correct piping for the job and they had to couple two short segments. They weren't prepared for the job.