Ground fault protection of arc-resistant CSST is handled in the same manner as steel pipe and depends only on the presence of an equipment grounding conductor contained within a branch circuit, which powers one or more of the gas appliances served by the entire piping system. U.S. Patent Application 12/064,539, filed August 22, 2006. Thanks. Can csst be used outside. Home-Flex 1/2 in. As part of its goal to serve the needs of plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas (PMG) officials, the ICC PMG Official Membership Council is committed to providing free, informative code support documents known as CodesNotes that can be used to complement building departments in-house weekly supplemental training. In the CSST installation example specifications listed below you'll see that the manufacturers typically require a number of installation details to assure safe reliable operation of the gas piping system, including nail plates, flexible corrugated steel armor in some locations, support, and other measures. Standard on Manufactured Housing (NFPA 501), the . The bonding helps achieve an equipotential state between the CSST and other similarly bonded metallic systems (such as the water piping, structural steel, electrical raceways and coax cable). He retired from the city of Los Angeles in 2007 as a principal inspector after 21 years of service. The history and field experience of CSST use in North America led to concerns about possible pitting, corrosion or perforation of the original yellow CSST gas piping in areas where lightning strikes were common. Email ABI Home Inspections Their 2007 report concluded with a recommendation for direct ground bonding of CSST as a proposal to the National Fuel Gas Code. Home Building Code Flex Gas Line Id. This stops the danger of the situation and lets you know something is wrong. One or more of the grounding electrodes (ground rods) for the electrical system. 3. U.S. Patent 6,315,003, issued November 13, 2001. I am concerned that it may be a safety issue. "Lightning dangers on corrugated tubing carrying hydrocarbons." connect a short piece of black pipe to the elbow, and connect it to the regulator installed by the propane supplier. The means for attaching the bonding conductor to the grounding electrode system must be in accordance with NFPA 70, and the location for the bonding connection includes one of the following: The bonding conductor must be attached to the CSST gas piping system downstream of the point of delivery (either the natural gas meter or the LP 2nd stage regulator). We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. Delivery times may vary . Rousseau, Alain, and Mitchell Guthrie. Read Also >> What Is The Code For Water Heater Installations? The following example is excerpted from a local Oklahoma Building Code for Rogers County, Appendix H, , Subsection "Policy for installation of Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST)", in Appendix H-17General Information and The IRC has two tables to determine pipe size in Chapter 24 for flexible gas lines. QUESTION: You said in one of your CQD answers that the gas piping system should be bonded to the electrical supply system grounded conductor. CSSTis a flexible gas line material that has been used in millions of homes across the United States and the world. TracPipeCounterStrikeis designed to withstand significantly higher levels of lightning energy when compared to conventional TracPipewith the yellow jacket. PLEASE SEE this Q&A and our detailed reply now at What Is The Code For Water Heater Installations? Plumbers and homeowners will need to follow the manufacturer's requirements and they should not bend the CSST too far. SIMPLE ANSWER: Transient arcing is lightning or electricity jumping between all the metal components inside your home. It is snaked through the building as part of the distribution system and the runs are cut and put together on the job site. My unit is on the middle. Since this path has really low resistance, it causes the amperage to rise in the circuit, and the breaker to trip. :thumbsup: As far as the NEC goes, the EGC bonds it, but CSST manufacturers specify at least a #6. National Fuel Gas Code (ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54), the . Most of the CSST runs are 1/2, 3/4 and even up to 1. The manufacturer's reply was essentially that the CSST needed to be kept 3" away from finished surfaces or protected by nail plates if also within 5" of some constraint (like a penetration through a framing member). Please change your password. He retired from the International Code Council after 13 years of service. If it were water piping, it would be PEX. Thanks for the write up. Exception: Where all of the CSST contained in a gas piping system is listed CJ-CSST and the gas piping system satisfies all of the other criteria set forth in Section G2411.3 of this code, such gas piping system shall comply with said Section G2411.3 for CJ-CSST. What does a home inspection in Louisville KY cost? Subjects: Building construction for firefighters, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas piping, CSST, ACEP Kicks Off 36th Annual National EMS Week, May 17-23, Firemans Fund Announces Winners of FDIC Drawing, IN Firefighters Rescue Nearly 30 from Fatal Fire, Cleanup Continues After ME Train Derailment, Fire in Dubai Kills 16, Injures Nine in Apartment Building, Firefighters, City Pay Tribute to Fallen Chicago Firefighter Jermaine Pelt, OR Department Announces 13 New Hires to Limit Forced Overtime, Four-Alarm Fire Tears Through Six Staten Island (NY) Townhouses, Call to Action: Firefighter Statue Unveiled in CO, Video: Lessons Learned from NC Firefighter LODD, on the black steel gas pipe where it enters the building; or, on the manifold connecting the black steel gas pipe to multiple runs of CSST; or. Flexible gas lines (also known as corrugated stainless steel tubing - CSST) have been installed in millions of homes in the U.S. and around the world. Durham, M. O., and R. A. Durham. Mr. Kahn is a licensed home inspector in New York and New Jersey, and can be reached at Website: Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the. You could check the resistance across the connections with a meter. CSST gas piping is run both in exposed locations and through building cavities such as walls, ceilings or floors. "The OPM problem is explained at OTHER PEOPLE's MONEY. SECTION G2426 (502) VENTS. CSST is short forCorrugated Stainless Steel Tubing. Bonding Clamp. It is estimated to be in about 6-8 million homes where it was installed before bonding was a code requirement or manufacturer installation instruction, Between the early 1990s when it was introduced in the US market and the mid 2000s when the requirements came about is the target we are trying to reach and unfortunately no one knows where those 6-8 million homes are in the US. Reading a few manufacturers' installation guides, there doesn't seem to be a requirement to SECURE the gas line at all -- it just has to be supported every 8' or so horizontally, right? @Mark, It is used frequently in construction in lieu of black iron pipe today, which is the traditional material used for gas distribution (both natural gas and propane). Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing, better known as CSST, is a flexible stainless steel tubing used to supply natural gas or propane in a home. This black jacket has energy dissipating properties that will help protect the TracPipeCounterStrikestainless steel pressure liner as well as other fuel gas system components if the TracPipeCounterStrikebecomes energized due to lightning. U.S. Patent 6,276,728, issued August 21, 2001. Omegaflex, Inc. (manufacturer of TracPipe and CounterStrike CSST gas piping), Omega Flex Incorporated, 451 Creamery Way, Exton, PA 1 Tel: 610.524.7272 Toll Free: 800.355.1039. In addition, manufacturers require protective plating to prevent nails from damaging the flexible gas lines. The idea was that if a building started to move during an earthquake, it should have a gas line that moves with it. Of course there are protection, routing, electrical grounding and other requirements for such . I just want to verify that this type of flexible gas line is up to code and can be used behind the walls. origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. Outside or unheated areas are prohibited locations for gas piping drip legs. Flexible steel conduit is required where CSST is routed in "floppy sections" through building cavities where it cannot be secured away from cavity surfaces. Your email address will not be published. Many U.S. states and foreign countries use the IRC for their building code, sometimes with matching language. BUT in both cases the CSST product selected must be the right one for the installation and you must follow the manufacturer's instructions. All of this is worst-case scenario, and most of you will never have any trouble out of your CSST. You also need to make sure the clamp is not placed on the actual CSST tubing itself like the photo below. We hope you enjoy this newest edition of CodeNotes. NO GROUNDING OR BONDING WILL PROTECT YOU FROM 3,000,000 VOLTS. I have a townhome built in 2006. model name / number: 11-01075. size / dimensions: 75' x 1" id. Inspectors should note the presence of this marking when inspecting for compliance with IFGC Section 310.3/IRC Section G2411.3. If CSST is installed along drywall or in some area where nails may be used, it needs to be protected with metal plating. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHTNING PROTECTION FOR YOUR HOME, YOULL WANT TO RESEARCH THE NFPA 780 STANDARDS. 1. Is the clamp that is secured to the first csst fitting coming from the gas meter( or propane regulator) to then have the #6 copper wire run to the main service panel and attached to grounding bar in panel, or is it to go directly to agrounding rod. GAS PIPING, FLEXIBLE CSST at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. "Preassembled fitting for use with corrugated tubing." Treichel, Steven A. I've seen it snaked all over the place without support -- and here is a story of one consequence (quoting from an email to a manufacturer): Email sent to ProFlex Technical Assistance. LIGHTNING SAFETY WARNING FROM MANUFACTURERS OF CORRUGATED STAINLESS STEEL TUBING (CSST), "Diamondback Flexible Gas Piping - Snake-It Design Guide and Installation Instruction Manual", Tecvalco Ltd., 3481 Stanley Ave. RR#1, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S4, Canada, - retrieved 13 April 2015, original source: http://www.tecvalco.com/sites/default/files/files/Tecvalco %20Diamondback/Diamondback_Design%20Guide% Great job! arrow_right. arrow_right. Keep in mind that this job requires you to run wires inside the electrical panel of the home so youll want to let the pros handle this one. If I were seller of such a property and if I were willing to make such an allowance to a buyer, I'd ask my attorney to offer a reasonable contribution to the cost of the job. If conditions such as overheating have damaged the entire piping then ick wider replacement is probably needed. The location of the bonding clamp on the gas piping system must be selected to comply with the maximum allowable conductor length. I was wondering if CSST can be bonded to the copper water pipe in Arkansas. Some CSST manufacturers will require a minimum of flex line support every 4-feet, but other companies may only need support every 8-9 feet. Flexible gas line or CSST is easy to install. Lininger, Thomas B., Steven M. Powell, and Nicholas Novak. $8g , CSST or Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing is a flexible gas piping system that has been in use in the U.S. since 1990. CSST remains popular because of its flexibility, easy installation, and reduced leakage risk. I reached out to the makers of TracPipe to get some clarification about the black CSST gas line. As the documented history of these incidents developed, tests were conducted which proved that lightning could damage CSST gas piping, and which suggested a way to reduce the possibility of lightning damage. Goodson, Mark E. "Device for Preventing Electrically Induced Fires in Gas Tubing." 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