NJ Gas Piping

EBEBRATT-Ed

I read on an electrical forum I visit that NJ will now allow licensed electricians to install and connect gas piping for generators.

If my understanding is correct to be able to do this they only have to take a 2hr seminar.

Mad Dog_2

That's ridiculous..Then I want to do high voltage connections. Each man to his trade...Mad Dog

EdTheHeaterMan

Unless things have changed, They were able to do gas piping anyway. They just didn't know it.

The interpretation documents that the DCA publishes state that “ALL PIPING IN New Jersey  MUST BE INSTALLED BY A LICENSED PLUMBER EXCEPT… and the list of exceptions goes on to cover just about every kind of piping like: oil, gasoline, oxygen, vacuum cleaning systems, hydronic heating and cooling systems, refrigerant pipes, and on and on and on.  The only piping that is not excluded is Sewer and Potable water pipes.  Anyone else may install those other pipes according to the plumbing code.  Gas piping is part of the exclusions and I went head to head with the plumbing code official in Middle Twp., Cape May County NJ.  He lost the battle and agreed to issue me the permit “This one time I’ll let you get away with it” And it was all over getting a pressure test inspection so I could call for a gas meter for a gas space heater. 

My part of the job cost the customer only $295.00 and the inspector wanted to charge me over $300.00 for permission to inspect the pipe.  I could tell you a story about that.

This was before the HVAC master license was a requirement, and a HVAC contractor needed to get a contractors license for every municipality they needed to pull a permit in.  I remember having 7 different municipal licenses one year because I worked the entire county and had customers in each of the 14 different towns and cities therein.

So Electrician can pull a plumbing permit for a gas pipe, just like I could pull an electrical permit for the reconnection of a boiler, furnace or air conditioner.    Unless the code official was ignorant of the rules and tried to enforce their own interpretation, not the official interpretation. Then you need to decide if you wanted to school him or just go along with it.

EBEBRATT-Ed

What I found on the other forum is shown below. I don't work or live in NJ so it has 0 impact on me. I just found it somewhat funny that they would allow this as it would never fly in MA.

"Has anyone who installs gas generators in New Jersey taken the 2 hour seminar to install the gas piping for the generator? I received a CEU advertisement for a 2-hour seminar that is mandatory for any electricians who work on generator gas piping. Has anyone taken one of these seminars? This is all I could find about it":

P.L. 2019, c. 260 establishes that a licensed electrical contractor who has completed continuing education in the installation of gas piping relevant to electric generators is authorized to install, maintain, or repair gas piping associated with electric generators without holding a license from the Board. The proposed amendments effectuate P.L. 2019, c. 260.

EdTheHeaterMan

I agree with @Mad Dog_2. and @EBEBRATT-Ed

When it comes to the trades, they should stick to their own work and let the other specialist do their job. I'm not interested in running service cables for homes or industry, I'm not interested in cleaning or replacing sewer lines and I am certainly not interested in repairing internal combustion engines for a living. So when a person gets a new install, all three should be there so that the inexperienced of ont trade with the other trade does not cause a problem like selecting the wrong gas piping size and where to tie into a gas pipe so it does not cause the furnace or get starved of fuel during an electrical outage. 

That is why the Electricians and Plumbers opt to take the HVAC license exam. That way they can do the minimum piping that goes with air conditioning as an electrician or the minumum reconnect wiring as a plumber. The HVAC trade can do both in many places (within limits).

But it is unfortunate that a homeowner needs to determine whether he needs a motor mechanic, an electrician or a gas piping expert to get that generator to work. Once the original install is commissioned and the three different trades have been inspected, there should be a certain specialist that can solve problems in all three areas of expertise to get the thing operating without having the electrician point at the plumber who is  pointing at the motor mechanic.  

A series of education and testing geared to generators that covers the importance of Gas piping Engine repair and Electrical interconnection to home’s electric service can go a long way to making that particular group of tradesmen a better choice for the consumer.  Perhaps a Plumber with extensive electrical training (not just 2 hours of basic electricity) or an electrician with in depth training in gas piping design can be a good idea.

As far as Automotive mechanics getting involved, well that is a whole other story.  Hope there are no auto mechanics that frequent this forum LOL.

But the initial install needs to have all the right people there. And the right inspections before the generator is commissioned. Don't expect the plumbing inspector to do the Electrical inspection, or the fire inspector to check the gas piping for proper sizing and design. This is important stuff to get right the first time and the more eyes that look at it the better.

ethicalpaul

You know who else the people of NJ (via their elected representatives) let work on gas piping and high-voltage connections? Joe Homeowner