Gas main union leak

Xmytruck

Hello
What would make a gas union leak every year? I have had my gas service installed about three years ago and the gas company has already been out at least six times. It does not leak during the summer months just during the heating season. Could the combo boiler navien ch240 cause this issue?

Thx

nicholas bonham-carter

Surely, this must be a piping problem with some joint not properly connected. Was a soap-bubble test performed, which would show a badly installed joint?
When they came out 6 times, did they show you where the problem was?
How did you know there was a problem, needing to summon them? Every problem has a solution.--NBC

Xmytruck

Well yes each time they would performed a bubble test and the issue was gas union before the meter. Sometimes it leaked on the top or bottom. But must of the time right in the middle of the union. How did I know there was an issue was either I would cleaning the yard or hanging Xmas lights and I would get a whiff a gas. This time i was sweeping the front stairs and caught a whiff and performed the bubble test and it was leaking in middle of the union.
Thx.

Paul48

Six times? And they are making the same connection each time? Unions are frowned upon as gas connection anyway. The definition of stupidity is, " Doing the same thing the same way, and expecting a different outcome".

Xmytruck

Total agreed I am dumbfound on how to proceed to get this issue resolved. They are tightening the same connection, perhaps I am using the wrong term to describe the connection . It is the union that has the shutoff value that connects to the main pipe. My plumber called it a union so I am assuming that is correct the term.

Zman

Often times gas meters have swivel unions on top of the meter. Those unions have washers inside that eventually go bad.
Some utility workers will try to over tighten the washer rather than check the washer and replace it.
You might watch them next time they come and "fix" the leak.
Post a pic of the leaky union if you want to know what type it is.
Carl

bill_105

Hi- I don't know where you are located but wondered if frost heaving is an issue. Only during heating season? Hmm. Been there ,seen that

RobG

Have they ever replaced the fitting or did they just tighten it up? As Carl said, please post a picture. That is not normal.

Rob

Paul48

That type of connection is a typical meter connection. I'd call, and see how high up the ladder you can get. If they are just "re-tightening" the same fitting over and over, expect it to leak again.Write down the name(s) of whomever the operator tells you is in charge. If you don't get any satisfaction, send them a registered letter that details the problem and your concerns for the safety of your family. As my wife always says,"Get everybodies name", even the operators.

Xmytruck

Here is the pic

https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/pg/6sng05l4zrrr.jpg

Xmytruck

The leak

https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/qc/e1x9v7orw7lp.jpg

Xmytruck

null


So they have never replace the fitting I've asked them to but they just keep tighten it up

Xmytruck

bill said:

Hi- I don't know where you are located but wondered if frost heaving is an issue. Only during heating season? Hmm. Been there ,seen that

Hello
My gut is telling me that is that issue the house does expand during the winter months my closet door on the same side as the meter will close during the summer but not the winter.

If it is frost heave what is the solution to fix the issue? I am assuming when the pull the service they survey the ground to make sure it is a suitable land or do they just pull and hope for the best?

Michael Welch

Is this connection inside or outside of the house? Is it in a location that snow or ice could slide off the roof and hit the piping? That could be the cause I have seen this on jobs before where snow and ice hit the meter fits and cause leaks.

Xmytruck

Michael Welch said:

Is this connection inside or outside of the house? Is it in a location that snow or ice could slide off the roof and hit the piping? That could be the cause I have seen this on jobs before where snow and ice hit the meter fits and cause leaks.

Outside, I make sure there is no snow or ice above the meter, love my roof rake .

icesailor

Have you ever watched the union being serviced? Is there a gasket/washer inside?

If it is a ground joint union, do they use anything like Rectorseal #5 on the face of the union?

I have run into situations (often) where the nut and face part of the union were swapped with another manufacturers union valve. That is a specific fitting with the plug valve shut-off. Sometimes, a union nut and face part become orphaned and someone borrows one from another fitting, not knowing that the union faces don't match. The Union Nut doesn't look wide enough for a gasket.

They should replace the whole fitting, valve and Union both.

They're probably lazy. Unless there is another shut-off between that shut-off and the street that is exposed, they are probably too lazy to get out their Earth Guitars and dig it up. Either that, or they have to hire a private contractor to dig for it and call Dig Safe so someone doesn't cut off any rubber roots.

Robert O'Connor_12

is union on house side or street side of meter?

Tim McElwain

Insist that the gas company replace that union. It is a dielectric union used on gas piping by the utility and they tend to leak when they get old. Tightening does not solve the problem.

Xmytruck

Robert O'Connor said:

is union on house side or street side of meter?

street side of the meter

Xmytruck

Tim McElwain said:

Insist that the gas company replace that union. It is a dielectric union used on gas piping by the utility and they tend to leak when they get old. Tightening does not solve the problem.

I will, I did last time and they just tighten it. The funny thing is that it is only 3 years old. It has leaked from the first day they installed the service. I converted from oil to gas, wish I stayed with oil.
If you standing a foot from the meter you do not smell the gas you really need to get close to it. The only way I discover it was I though I got a whiff of gas and decided to do the bubble test.

icesailor

I may be wrong, but those dialectic unions have a gasket in them.

When turning on houses in the Spring, I used to check the dialectic unions on LP gas services on underground tanks. Any that were more than 5 years old, were usually leaking.

I never saw a standard ground joint union leak. I saw a lot of dialectic unions leaking. Must be planned obsolescence.

Abracadabra

Insist the gas company replace the valve/union. If they refuse, call the state commission that regulates that utility and complain. I had to call my state commission to get the utility to locate a gas leak in a street line that had been leaking for 5 years. Gas company would come out and insist that the gas leak was negligible. After calling the commission, they came out and dug everything up and did the repair.

icesailor

All gas leaks in the street are negligible. Until there is an explosion and someone gets hurt. Then, they look for some Peon to blame.

There was a serious gas explosion in Springfield, MA a few years ago. There was some old mini-strip mall and they had been smelling gas for some period of time. They thought that all the orphaned gas connections from previous properties had been capped and abandoned. According to a map. So, they sent someone out there after Dig Safe marked everything. So some employee is sent out to look for the source of the smell. With a metal probe. He probed around and didn't find anything. But the probe found an old, rotten abandoned gas service pipe that the probe went through like it was beach sand. The gas leaked through the ground and into the building. Then, went BOOM. Many were injured. Last I knew, they blamed the guy with the probe. Because he didn't realize that he had poked through a rotten steel gas pipe.

I had one of those types of probes. With the replaceable tips. I couldn't poke it through a decent steel gas pipe if my life depended on it. I could ram my way through a length of 6" VC Clay pipe.

Low bid didn't do their job again. Or the Utility took a chance and lost. Except they have an employee they can blame it on.

As I understand it.

Xmytruck

So I can not really smell the gas but it does bubble when I put soap and water on it. Should I wait or just call?

Bob Bona_4

Call. The gas utility is one arrogant entity. Hopefully your next call will produce a person that cares.

icesailor

Sounds like Comcast Cablevision. Once you get them, you go through an interrogation again. Then, they make an appointment where you MUST be there. You wait and they never show up for days. You call them and they tell you that you(I) wasn't there.

They know that there is a problem with a cable in the ground, they just don't want to fix it.