Street 90 in gas piping

Only comment I've gotten is put the street on the top, plain ell on the bottom.

Guess that's because you cant ream a street. (?)

You need to make sure you look at your local code specifically.

I see no mention in NJ's gas code of even bushings not being allowed, just cast iron bushings are not.

Cast iron bushings is #3. No mention of street 90s.

I'm really surprised other cast iron fittings are allowed. It does mention in another section that cast iron pipe is NOT allowed but I guess most fittings are.

@EBEBRATT-Ed Can you do a screenshot of where MA's code says no bushings are allowed at all?

@Steamhead I was told inspectors around here don't like plugs in tees, only a nipple and a cap. Yet, I see nothing in the code about it.

I think the issue that comes in to play with bushings is that when transitioning a single pipe size the inspector can't tell if it is cast iron or malleable, at least that's what they tell me (michigan). So we are allowed to use them but only for transitioning multiple sizes. Most guys just use couplings and nipples because it doesn't really make sense and the inspector can always just say he can't tell what type of bushing it is, kind of bogus.

Didn't think you could use compression on gas, at least on copper.

what is flareless?

I am surprised NJ allows CI fittings. They are a no no here except I think there is some allowance for fittings over 4" and maybe CI flanges are ok …..will have to look.

Maybe some inspectors don't like plugs because plugs are CI except in small sizes where caps are usually malleable. I used to see some really old jobs with CI caps.

It can get confusing. MA does not allow any galvanized but other states do. MA adopts the NFPA 54 for Natural and 58 for propane but then they have a few pages of their own amendments

The utilities definitely have tons of rules and EO's that get followed (electric, gas and steam) but they do not line up with the code books that everyone else is guided by. I can't tell you how many times I was left scratching my head when we would install a #2/0 copper service and connect it to the electricians 600mcm copper or 2 sets of 500mcm copper cables. One side working on load cycles and the other side working on connected loads, big difference in the amount of copper required.

no i worked 36 years in Manhattan all underground work only 2 poles in the city none with services :). You'd be surprised to see what feeds some of those buildings, the calculation is done completely differently. They do run warm sometimes but it lasts for many, many years without issue so they get their monies worth out of it. I've taken the lead off of some of the cables we've replaced in the ground and some was almost a hundred years old.

i mean if you have eyes you can tell if both halves of a close nipple have several threads engaged

I think the thinking is that an inspector can't tell by looking whether it's fully engaged. I'm not saying I buy it.

In our area they are not prohibited by code, however we only use them as a last resort. It’s been our experience there is a higher likelihood of a leak with them, and fixing leaks is a pain, even when they are found during pressure testing at the time of install.

My area has some of the more rigorous codes around for fuel gas. No street elbows, no nested bushings, no galvanized (i think they dropped that recently), no close nipples, no running thread couplings, no bent pipe. "Thread and screw up to two", weld and flange the bigger sizes. The utilities dont like bushings, plugs are frowned upon. Funny thing is the utilities take the running thread protectors from the lengths of bip and use them to assemble 5 6in nipples to avoid cutting a length of pipe. Ok for them, not ok for us. (Excessive use of nipples, running thread couplings, both code violations, iirc...)

This is what the Michigan residential fuel gas code says:

I think the 2003 version enumerated fittings like swing joints and unions and close nipples and bushings. Have to look at those ansi listings for a list of what is allowed now.

I assume for close nipples you would need an internal pipe wrench or 2 nuts locked together to remove it without damaging it. Sometimes you can grab the middle with channelocks. This is the reason I used longer nipples where I couldn't use street fittings or reducing fittings.

been using street ells with gas for decades. Obviously, streets are not the first choice, we use em when we need to