New shop/house gas install

Bvdub

My father in law has built a new shop and is going to be starting to build a new house near it and has asked me to help him out with the gas piping . He is bound and determined to do it all himself without getting a plumber. He is more then competant when it comes to doing anything construction related but doesn't always do things the way they probably should be done so I just want to make sure he is getting everything right. I am a Journeyman sheet metal worker in Canada so I have a general understanding about gas fitting but haven't had to do anything of this scope so I was hoping someone could help me out so that I can make sure he gets it all right.
His shop will have 2 100MBTU radiant tube heaters and the house will require about 300MBTU for the furnace hot water tank and gas range. The gas company has run the supply line by the shop so he was planning on running the piping needed for the shop now and have the line for the house run underground and capped until the house is built and he can finish it then.
Any help on the sizing and preferred method of running the gas lines would be appreciated.

JUGHNE

For sizing a first question will be the gas pressure supplied by the gas company. Pounds or ounces.
Then the distances from the meter or pressure regulator to each load connection.
As for materials used that is a local code requirement.

That is a lot of BTU's, it must be a cold part of Canada.

Zman

Are you talking about Natural gas or propane?
It is usually easiest to run higher pressure poly pipe underground.

Bvdub

Natural gas. The distance from the meter would be about 45' to the first radiant and 60' to the second and then the house would be about 100' away

Bvdub

And the gas company as far as I know will reg it down to about 7" w.c.

Bvdub

And as for the btu load in the house well it adds up with a larger furnace along with gas appliances and in floor heating for the basement lol. Good thing natural gas is cheap in Alberta

Jamie Hall

I'm usually all for do it yourself. However, may I remind you that natural gas has a dismaying tendency to go boom if there are any leaks? Both the above ground and underground piping have to be installed exactly right -- and to code -- and the underground piping particularly has to be bedded properly in the trench to avoid movement.

rlaggren

Whatever you use underground, go the whole nine and add belt and suspenders to seal any joints against corrosion. My personal sore point, there. If it's plastic bury it deep or lay protection over it the full length of the trench after the first backfill lift. Eg. 2x8 PT w/a strip of plastic caution tape over that in the next lift. Protect the pipe if you bring it up out of the ground on the exterior of the building. Eg. if the riser lies against a building wall, cutting a 4' piece of 2" or 3" gavanized lengthwise (cutting torch) gives you two pieces of protection, one for each end; paint the edges. If that riser's exposed above ground you want to guard it from shovels, weed wackers and the errant vehicle. Around here, anyway, the utilities write their own rules about installations. So, they don't necessary do all this goodie stuff. BUT Remember: They have a way different relationship to liability than we Joe Schmoes do.

Code gives you tables for the pipe size. Assuming you ran the house line off the end of the shop line, IIRC, (and if I understand your numbers right) it'd be 1-1/2" for the run to the house (at low pressure); but it's been a while and anyway your codes are likely a bit different up there, so you gotta look that up in your books. The shop feed would be larger because of carrying the total BTU's. If you ran the house line straight from the meter, it'll probably be a little larger cuz of the extra distance; but the shop feed would be smaller cuz it only supplies the shop heaters.

Pressure test it according to you local code (before covering up). If nothing else it catches the occasional oversight. Dot that "I", cross that "T".

Check your local regs on electrical grounding vv. the pipe material you use.

Remember, somebody _else_ may be working on or around this system at some point. Half the value of codes is that the next guy knows more or less what you must have done - provided he knows code.

Rufus

Paul48

@Tim McElwain This is the man you need to speak with.