OK

Paul48

Trying to do some of the ground work before getting the gas conversion done on my boiler. Between the new burner on the boiler, the range and the hot water heater,I'll be looking at about 250000 btus. The meter is rated for 250 cf/h. Should I have the gas company put a larger meter in?

kcopp

I think you will be fine....

if you are uncomfortable i would ask them  if they are that comfortable having it that close.

Tim McElwain

You should

contact them anyway to make sure the pressure is good and that the service coming in is adequate.

Paul48

Service

Hi Tim.......They just upgraded the main in the road. At the same time they moved everyones meters outside.One of the workers said they were going to 2lb in the road from 1/2 lb, when I questioned the size of the line from the road to my house. It looked to be 3/4". I know.....I'll make the call anyway.Currently the line coming from the meter through the foundation is 1" and drops down to 3/4". I'll carry the 1" the 12 ft to the center line of the house, then drop with 3/4" for the 196000 btu input boiler, 1/2" for the 40000 btu input HWH, and 1/2" for the 60000 btu range.And now I'll be sure to call the gas company, because that's closer to 300,000 btus.

Paul48

Smith Series 8

The gas company is going to put the next size larger meter in. Smith now offers the series 8 with a Carlin EZ-Gas, so that ought to make things easier. I think you're gonna see a lot of manufacturers following suit.

Jean-David Beyer

One of the workers said they were going to 2lb in the road from 1/2 lb

Yesterday, two workmen from my gas company went down my street looking for leaks. They said they do this every 5 years or whenever someone calls because they smell gas. They have sniffers, a spray bottle with bubble solution, and two trucks full of tools, pressure regulators, fittings, ... .



I asked them what pressure was in my street. They saw a narrow  repaving line down my street and said they must have put in plastic pipe. I said they did: I saw them do it 10 or 15 years ago. I said I was impressed at how small it was. One of them went to his truck and pulled out a detailed map of the area, and the pipe was only about 2 inch diameter. I asked what pressure, and they guessed 2 psi. I said I though it was more, and we looked. It seems there is low pressure (up to 2 psi), medium pressure (2psi to 25 psi), etc.



So my street is 15 psi and it was put in in 1999. All that is on the map. I said I was amazed when they put in the drop to my house because the dug a hole in the street and a hole where the meter was to go, and no trench at all. They used a gizmo called a "mole" to push the tubing in. A yellow trace wire went with it so they could find it electronically later.



Not only that, their sniffer said there was a leak on my property. Where the pipe comes out of the ground it is metal. There is a dielectric union there before it goes to the pressure regulator and it bubbled (looked like foam) around the union, so they tightened it with two wrenches and that fixed it.



That regulator has an excess flow detector and if the gas flows too fast, it cuts the gas off entirely. I never heard of that, but it is for safety. If I pipe breaks or something (the damned CSST leaks, perhaps?), it cuts off the gas instead of blowing up the house.



There is another dielectric union on the way out of the meter before the gas enters the garage where my gas-fired boiler is. They really do not want the gas pipe used as a ground, I suppose. There would be little point grounding to that gas pipe anyway, because about two feet after it enters the ground, it switches to plastic, so it would be a lousy ground anyway.



All my pipe is one-inch all the way to the street. and I imagine that is enough to get 80,000 BTU/hour through it. The last 3 feet or so is 1/2 inch which is what is in the boiler itself.

gennady

gas meter

Gas meter is a property of utility company, and they are decision makers on what size meter should serve your house.

Paul48

That's Correct

And they were very happy to provide me with more gas.