Urgent Question: Rubber Tubing for Gas Line to Stove?

11 years ago

Help! We're renovating our kitchen, and the contractor used a pretty heavy duty rubber tube to bring gas from the line that comes into the house to feed the furnace up through the ceiling to where the stove is in the kitchen. I think he did it this way in order to not have to open the ceiling up in the basement, the tubing is obviously flexible and he was able to thread it to the connection point without too much trouble. He's a home inspector and says that this meets the code requirements. I always thought gas lines needed to be metal. Should I be worried? Do I need to make him fix it or bring someone else in to fix it?

Comments (9)

User
11 years ago
Do you have a picture? Are you certain it is a rubber line, or could it be coated corrugated stainless steel?

Here is a link that might be useful:
TiagosDad
Original Author
11 years ago
It certainly looked and felt like very thick rubber to me, as it was pretty pliable. The connection end seemed to be coated in rubber as well, which looks different from the picture you linked to. I'll check it when I get home tonight and will take a picture then.
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weedmeister
11 years ago
It there is any writing on the piping, photograph that too.
TiagosDad
Original Author
11 years ago
I wasn't able to get a picture last night, but the contractor says that it is in fact the corrugated metal pipe with a rubber sheath. He also says that they tested the connection with some special plumbers' liquid that blows a large blue bubble if there's a leak. Does that sound right to you guys?
bus_driver
11 years ago
The installer may be telling you the truth. Be advised that fuel gases compressed to the liquid stage ( relatively easy with propane, not easy with natural gas ) act as solvents, much like paint thinner. I would not use rubber lines for fuel gases, but metal with rubber outer coating is OK.
lazypup
11 years ago
At Standard Atmoshoeric pressure to 1psig (the average pressure of natural gas in residential service) the boiling temperature of the gas is -240degF. I doubt seriously if the line would ever get cold enough to condensate to a liquid.
mike_kaiser_gw
11 years ago
What does the AHJ have to say?
brickeyee
11 years ago
I do not seem to recall that actual flex line (as used for things like outdoor NG grills) is legal inside.

CSST with a covering is legal in many places for the last connection to gas appliance, but it is not designed for repeated movement.
lazypup
11 years ago
Under the IRC you can plumb the entire gas system with CSST if locally approved.

you can also run natural gas with copper tubing providing the gas is certified to contain equal to or less than 0.3 grains of hydrogen sulfide per 100cu/ft of gas.

gas lines run under a slab must be sleeved and the sleeve must be sealed on the inside end and vented to atmosphere on the outdoor end.

All copper lines run under a slab must be continuous roll pipe or all joints must be "brazed". (No soldeer or mechanical joints under slab).