Anyone use Flexible Gas Line (CSST)?
 

I would welcome any replies, especially from professionals, or those
with some experience working with CSST

Here is my situaion. I had a gas line professionally installed a few
months back for a new gas stove. They used vinyl coated Corregated
Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST), which is approved for residential use in
my area (Seattle) (as I understand). They ran it from existing iron
piping (furnace) to the stove area (about 25 feet).

I recently redesigned the kitchen, and in the process moved the stove
over 1 foot, so the stove connection needed to be moved, since it now
was centered on the stove, and did not allow the stove to be fully
pushed back (onto the anti-tip bracket).

I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive. I scheduled.
I got stood up/no call. I got annoyed because this is the second time
this contractor did this. I was annoyed enough to go out on the web and
find the installation guide for TracPipe, which actually explained the
fittings.
(http://www.omegaflex.com/trac/litlib..._July_2004.pdf)

I took the fitting apart (it was a "flange mount auto-flare"), cut the
tubing with my copper pipe tubing cutter, which worked fine. Removedc
the "flange mount auto-flare adaptor". Put the CSST through the new hole
I had drilled. Put the "flange mount auto-flare adaptor" back on. Put
the split ring around the first corregation, and tightened. Relatively
easy.

So am I crazy for doing this? The issues I can think of a

-I neglected to block the tubing off when I pushed it through the new
hole, so some debris might have entered the CSST tubing
-I read that one needs to be "certified" to work with CSST. Obviously I
am not. Did I miss anything?
-I don't have a torque wrench. The installation guide specifies a
certain torque value, depending upon the fitting and tubing size. I
tightened it well, and tested for leaks with some dishsoap/water (no
bubbles). I dont smell any gas.
-I reused the split ring. I read in the manual that this can be reused
up to 4 times.
-I have moved the stove in and out several times in the process. Should
I replace the flexible line from the shut-off valve to the stove?

Everything seemed relatively straighforward, but never having worked
with CSST and these fittings, I would like some feedback. I would prefer
to have someone come out and check my work, but it seems unlikely that I
am going to find anyone willing to just come out and
disassemle/reassemble this connection. If I couldn't get a commitment
for $100 to move the line, how am I going to get someone to come out and
check it?

On the other hand, I have also read that residential natural gas is
piped in at very low pressures, and is not incredibly combustible. I
would smell gas at a significant level before it became an explosion
hazard (so I have read). So maybe there are no worries...

thanks

"chester" wrote

I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive.

The problem is that the consumer, you in this case, doesn't allow for the
travel, cost of fuel, vehicle, inventory, insurance, etc., anything that you
can't see.

To you it's 15-20 minutes at your home, to the servicer it could be an hour
to your home, 20 minutes inside, then the other expenses listed above. Trust
me when I tell you that most of the time the servicer is not parked in your
driveway waiting for you to call. Then, after all of the expenses he has to
cover he should come out with some form of profit that will be taxed like
most employee's don't get taxed. The poor guy might be left with a few bucks
if the check doesn't bounce.

"Ed" wrote in message
...

"chester" wrote

I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive.

The problem is that the consumer, you in this case, doesn't allow for the
travel, cost of fuel, vehicle, inventory, insurance, etc., anything that
you
can't see.

To you it's 15-20 minutes at your home, to the servicer it could be an
hour
to your home, 20 minutes inside, then the other expenses listed above.
Trust
me when I tell you that most of the time the servicer is not parked in
your
driveway waiting for you to call. Then, after all of the expenses he has
to
cover he should come out with some form of profit that will be taxed like
most employee's don't get taxed. The poor guy might be left with a few
bucks
if the check doesn't bounce.

So most contractors sit home and drink beer because they can't be bothered
pick up the phone and tell you that they aren't coming, let alone actually
want to do any work.

I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive. I scheduled.
I got stood up/no call. I got annoyed because this is the second time
this contractor did this.

This is normal... You'll have to keep calling different contractors for the
next few months until you get fed up and do it yourself. Occuasionally you
will get lucky and someone will need their TV or beer fridge repaired so
will show up to do as little as possible and then take a big wad of cash.

I'm so tired of trying to hire someone to do anything that we're just going
to sell the house and move back to an apartment where I can hold rent back
if something is broke.

"Noozer" wrote

So most contractors sit home and drink beer because they can't be bothered
pick up the phone and tell you that they aren't coming, let alone actually
want to do any work.

I'm sure there are people like that. I'm also sure that they are a minority.
I can't be sure how many of them drink beer, my guess would be not too many.
It has been said that 20% of beer drinkers drink 80% of the beer. Not all of
them are contractors.

I totally understand. That is why I said it "seemed fair". It still
seemed expensive (to me) for what they had to do, but I realize they
have to travel, carry insurance, have expenses, etc. Hey, I scheduled
them at that cost, and was totally happy to do so. They just didnt show
up....


Ed wrote:
"chester" wrote


I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive.


The problem is that the consumer, you in this case, doesn't allow for the
travel, cost of fuel, vehicle, inventory, insurance, etc., anything that you
can't see.

To you it's 15-20 minutes at your home, to the servicer it could be an hour
to your home, 20 minutes inside, then the other expenses listed above. Trust
me when I tell you that most of the time the servicer is not parked in your
driveway waiting for you to call. Then, after all of the expenses he has to
cover he should come out with some form of profit that will be taxed like
most employee's don't get taxed. The poor guy might be left with a few bucks
if the check doesn't bounce.

Just as long as they are not smoking when they run my gas lines...

Ed wrote:

"Noozer" wrote


So most contractors sit home and drink beer because they can't be bothered
pick up the phone and tell you that they aren't coming, let alone actually
want to do any work.


I'm sure there are people like that. I'm also sure that they are a minority.
I can't be sure how many of them drink beer, my guess would be not too many.
It has been said that 20% of beer drinkers drink 80% of the beer. Not all of
them are contractors.

"Ed" wrote in message
...

"chester" wrote

I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive.

The problem is that the consumer, you in this case, doesn't allow for the
travel, cost of fuel, vehicle, inventory, insurance, etc., anything that
you can't see.

To you it's 15-20 minutes at your home, to the servicer it could be an
hour to your home, 20 minutes inside, then the other expenses listed
above. Trust me when I tell you that most of the time the servicer is not
parked in your driveway waiting for you to call. Then, after all of the
expenses he has to cover he should come out with some form of profit that
will be taxed like most employee's don't get taxed. The poor guy might be
left with a few bucks if the check doesn't bounce.

So who gives a rat's ass? He is not complaining about the cost, but the guy
has not shown up, twice. What did you contribute to help the guy?

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote

So who gives a rat's ass?

The servicer gives a "rat's ass", that's for sure.

He is not complaining about the cost, but the guy has not shown up, twice.

That's unfortunate and I wouldn't give him a third chance.

What did you contribute to help the guy?

At least as much as you did.

I will answer your questions.
I run this stuff and it is incredibly simple.
You did OK.
If none of your burners get plugged than your good to go debris wise.
I don't understand your termination method. Was there enough slack to get
your extra 1' and you could just reused the old termination bracket?
I think the certification is just to keep some control over its use. It is
so easy anyone can install it without realizing its limits. Most of the
training is in the support of the pipe and in distance to shut offs etc.
Soap testing is always the final step and sounds like yours passed.
"chester" wrote in message
...
I would welcome any replies, especially from professionals, or those with
some experience working with CSST

Here is my situaion. I had a gas line professionally installed a few
months back for a new gas stove. They used vinyl coated Corregated
Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST), which is approved for residential use in my
area (Seattle) (as I understand). They ran it from existing iron piping
(furnace) to the stove area (about 25 feet).

I recently redesigned the kitchen, and in the process moved the stove over
1 foot, so the stove connection needed to be moved, since it now was
centered on the stove, and did not allow the stove to be fully pushed back
(onto the anti-tip bracket).

I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive. I scheduled. I
got stood up/no call. I got annoyed because this is the second time this
contractor did this. I was annoyed enough to go out on the web and find
the installation guide for TracPipe, which actually explained the
fittings.
(http://www.omegaflex.com/trac/litlib..._July_2004.pdf)

I took the fitting apart (it was a "flange mount auto-flare"), cut the
tubing with my copper pipe tubing cutter, which worked fine. Removedc the
"flange mount auto-flare adaptor". Put the CSST through the new hole I had
drilled. Put the "flange mount auto-flare adaptor" back on. Put the split
ring around the first corregation, and tightened. Relatively easy.

So am I crazy for doing this? The issues I can think of a

-I neglected to block the tubing off when I pushed it through the new
hole, so some debris might have entered the CSST tubing
-I read that one needs to be "certified" to work with CSST. Obviously I am
not. Did I miss anything?
-I don't have a torque wrench. The installation guide specifies a certain
torque value, depending upon the fitting and tubing size. I tightened it
well, and tested for leaks with some dishsoap/water (no bubbles). I dont
smell any gas.
-I reused the split ring. I read in the manual that this can be reused up
to 4 times.
-I have moved the stove in and out several times in the process. Should I
replace the flexible line from the shut-off valve to the stove?

Everything seemed relatively straighforward, but never having worked with
CSST and these fittings, I would like some feedback. I would prefer to
have someone come out and check my work, but it seems unlikely that I am
going to find anyone willing to just come out and disassemle/reassemble
this connection. If I couldn't get a commitment for $100 to move the line,
how am I going to get someone to come out and check it?

On the other hand, I have also read that residential natural gas is piped
in at very low pressures, and is not incredibly combustible. I would smell
gas at a significant level before it became an explosion hazard (so I
have read). So maybe there are no worries...

thanks

Making more friends, eh Ed?

I'm so proud of you.

Thanks a lot for the reply.

As far as the termination method goes, I just re-used the existing
setup. Basically it was a termination flange auto-flare adaptor, and to
this was attatched the shut-off valve (along with a few various
adaptors-I did not disassmeble this part of the setup), followed by the
flex tubing to the stove. I was moving the inlet closer to the source,
so there was plenty of line to just pop up through the new hole.

calhoun wrote:

I will answer your questions.
I run this stuff and it is incredibly simple.
You did OK.
If none of your burners get plugged than your good to go debris wise.
I don't understand your termination method. Was there enough slack to get
your extra 1' and you could just reused the old termination bracket?
I think the certification is just to keep some control over its use. It is
so easy anyone can install it without realizing its limits. Most of the
training is in the support of the pipe and in distance to shut offs etc.
Soap testing is always the final step and sounds like yours passed.
"chester" wrote in message
...

"Matt" wrote in message
oups.com...
Making more friends, eh Ed?

I'm so proud of you.

Matty, I had you in my killfile but decided to take you out. You are
probably wondering why. After all, you're family won't talk to you, why
should I?

I took you out because I've always been amused by stupidity and you get the
blue ribbon in that department.

If making friends means agreeing with an asshole then no, I'm not interested
in making you my friend. Please note that, like you, it was Edwin (what a
name) that was offensive first. Anything after that is self defense.

I frequented this board several years ago and it wasn't populated with
****heads then. Times change. For the most part there are still many
generous people here that just want to help out, you are not included in
that group.

I did read about 20 or 30 of your responses and none of them offered help.
Most of them were poor attempts at comedy. You're pathetic.

Ed!

I was wondering when you would crawl out!

You said you plonked me. Thats twice now.

I think in truth, you really love me.

Well, I love you to!

Hugs,
Matt

"Matt" wrote

Ed!

I was wondering when you would crawl out!

It was to read you, Matt. The dumbest ******* I ever ran across. You make me
smile.

You said you plonked me. Thats twice now.

I think in truth, you really love me.

Easy fella, I'm married.

Read me? Aw, thats so cute!

Hugs,
Matt

Ed wrote:
"chester" wrote


I called the contractor, who wanted $100 to come out. That seemed fair,
although for 10-15 minutes of work, nevertheless expensive.


The problem is that the consumer, you in this case, doesn't allow for the
travel, cost of fuel, vehicle, inventory, insurance, etc., anything that you
can't see.

To you it's 15-20 minutes at your home, to the servicer it could be an hour
to your home, 20 minutes inside, then the other expenses listed above. Trust
me when I tell you that most of the time the servicer is not parked in your
driveway waiting for you to call. Then, after all of the expenses he has to
cover he should come out with some form of profit that will be taxed like
most employee's don't get taxed. The poor guy might be left with a few bucks
if the check doesn't bounce.


Why not answer the question instead of spewing?

chester wrote:
I totally understand. That is why I said it "seemed fair". It still
seemed expensive (to me) for what they had to do, but I realize they
have to travel, carry insurance, have expenses, etc. Hey, I scheduled
them at that cost, and was totally happy to do so. They just didnt show
up....


Ed wrote:


You seem to be getting a lot of crap without
having done anything to deserve it. I would put
soapy water on your fittings to test them, but if
you were careful they are probably ok.

As for the cost, if you know how to do anything in
plumbing, you will save a bundle doing it
yourself. I've heard of people that can't do
anything and always have a plumber fix any problem
including putting a new washer in tap. Doing that
yourself will take less than 10 minutes and a 25
cent washer. Like you, I'm not criticizing the
cost of a home call by a plumber, just pointing
out that the cost is enormous compared to what a
homeowner would pay if the homeowner does it. The
same, of course, applies to electrical and
mechanical repairs. Or, for example 15 minutes to
replace a $4 gas filter on a vehicle instead of
paying $25 plus a $15 charger for the filter at a
dealership. My time has never been worth $200 or
so per hour, but for some that is peanuts so they
never do their own repairs.

Thats Easy.

He doesnt know the answer.

Ed's funny like that.