Unusual Gas Fitting

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

I came across these gas fittings in an over 100 year old apartment building. They were in the basement where one of them could have been for a hot plate for the superintendent. Just a guess.

Mad Dog_2

I love seeing those old gas fittings, pet cocks, et cetera.  Sometimes they are scrolled with designs.  I've seen these in many Downtown Brooklyn Brownstones and Old Victorian.  I've found 1/4" gas piping in walls that were still live!  Mad Dog 🐕 

Steamhead

Those might have been drains. If the original gas fed to customers in that area was manufactured, rather than natural, gas, it contained some moisture which would need to be drained off periodically.

This moisture content was one reason the old cast-iron gas pipes, with packed-and-poured joints, worked well for many years. The oakum in the joints would expand if moisture reached it.

We still see these drains on some very old gas service lines in Baltimore. They're usually combined with larger pipe nipples- say, 3" on a 1-1/2" service line- that would accumulate moisture so they would not need draining so often.

Mad Dog_2

Steamhead = Mechanical Genius, Savant, Mensa worthy!  Mad Dog 🐕