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Anyone know what these are?

mtraum
mtraum Member Posts: 1
in THE MAIN WALL
Just had a building inspection and found these two pipes in the basement. Have never seen anything like the thin pipe contraption located at the base of the foundation wall adjacent to a crawl space and thought you may have an idea. The other pipe is coming out to of the floor of the crawl space. The inspector seems to think they are connected and that there may be a UST in the crawl space.

Any information you could shed would be useful. FYI, the house was built in 1929 and is now fueled by natural gas. The town fire marshal has no information of any tank on the property.

Thanks again,


Comments

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 2,200
    Still hard to tell from the pictures but the bottom pic looks like a old gas main with a gas valve. The gas valve handle looks as if it is resting inside some wood blocking of some sort. I have seen that before but never new why the handle was in the wood block. If it is live as the inspector thinks? I would a good idea to have it properly capped off. If it is truly a gas line it is not safe as shown.
    The top picture looks like a dead ended drain line? Steam, or gas pipe? I can't really tell from the pic.

    Do you see any evidence of what these pipes would have been connected to?
    What does the inspector say the pipes are connected to?
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 2,200
    At a closer look. The bottom pictures appears to have a troff cut into the basement floor that might have had something empty into that troff. Can you trace where the troff ends? Or even where that pipe originates? What side of the house are these pipes located in? Front? Back?
    That wood blocking may have been used as a guard to protect from having the valve accidently being tampered with.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,387
    Not sure what the pipe in the first pic is. But the second one shows an ancient Firomatic-type valve. The cast-iron weight on the lever was held up by a cable that had a fusible link in it, and when the link melted, the weight closed the valve. Definite evidence of an old UST.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
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    Intplm.Dan FoleyJohnNY
  • Jersey2
    Jersey2 Member Posts: 171
    Almost looks like oil fill pipe. I think what Steamhead's said is right. But maybe the oil tank was inside and not underground?
    I'm not a plumber or hvac man and my thoughts in comments are purely for conversation.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,495
    @Steamhead has it right. The bottom picture is without a doubt a lever gate valve. Used with a weight and a fusible link it was use as a firomatic oil valve.

    There definitely was or is an underground oil tank lurking
    Intplm.Dan Foley
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,601
    You guys are the best. So sharp!
    Retired and loving it.
    Intplm.Erin Holohan Haskell
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 2,200
    EBEBRATT-Ed said:

    @Steamhead has it right. The bottom picture is without a doubt a lever gate valve. Used with a weight and a fusible link it was use as a firomatic oil valve.

    There definitely was or is an underground oil tank lurking

    Excellent ! I have seen this type of setup maybe three times in my day and never really new what is was .👍🏼
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,495
    The old windows that had those long weights in the window jamb with the rope on them.

    Used to use them for lever valve weights.

    You can only get firomatic valves up to 1" ips

    anything larger we use a lever valve. The new lever valve you can buy now have a spring on them so they will spring load shut. a wire with a fuesable link in it holds the valve open

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