Gas is a precious natural resource. It has increased productivity for both our homes and industries. However, due to its highly flammable characteristics, several safety measures are taken before regulating it in residential areas.
Gas line layout can be an important thing when it comes to maintenance and safety. Now the question is how safe is the exterior wall gas line setups or interior wall or exterior wall setup, which is better? Let’s find out.
Can you run a gas line through the exterior wall?
Running a gas line through the exterior wall is an option that provides substantial benefits. Maintenance tasks become efficient. The condition of the pipe, as well as any type of gas leak, can be easily spotted. The sense of safety associated with such a practice is also highly rewarding.
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Different states, cities have their unique set of rules and regulations for gas line layouts. Most of them don’t have any problem with exterior gas line setups.
Natural gas:
In residential buildings, the natural gas is supplied through galvanized brass, copper, or steel pipes and the most common one is the black iron pipe.
Engineers and developers prefer black iron pipe for residential buildings because of the easy to connect and modify purpose, galvanized steel pipe would require welding to be connected to a new one so it’s mostly used for industrial purposes.
When it comes to exposing the natural gas pipe or laying a line through the exterior wall, it’s a common sight; look at any residential building and you would have seen an exposed black pipe connecting to every floor.
The pipe running through the exterior walls makes it easy to upkeep and adds protection against a gas leak and a pressured go on.
CSST gas:
CSST stands for corrugated stainless steel tubing. When it comes to quality and longevity, CSST gas lines are quite superior to the widely used black iron pipes.
It’s so easy to install that you can do it yourself. Running the CSST gas line through the internal wall can be a little bit troublesome so most people prefer the exterior wall setup.
So you can say the CSST gas line is designed for exterior wall layout. However, CSST needs to be grounded, there has been recorded a CSST gas line damaged by lightning.
So it’s better to go through all necessary precautions while installing the CSST gas pipes.
Should gas line pipes be on external walls?
The gas line pipe should be on external walls. If your gas line is set up in the internal walls then it might save it from any external damage.
However, one of the major problems you might face while changing the pipe or even trying to check the overall condition is inaccessibility. Even if there is major or minor damage to the gas line, you won’t know for sure until it’s too late.
In the most accidental fire or pressurized blow-up cases, it was found that people didn’t know they had a gas leak, the gas spread or stayed pressurized in space and it blew up and resulted in massive casualties.
If you have a gas line running through the exterior wall, you can at least spot and take immediate action against any leak or damage.
And the best thing about exterior wall gas line setups is that you can avoid the possibility of the pressurized blow-up by a great margin.
“3” reason why you can run gas line through exterior wall
There are multiple reasons why you can put the gas line pipes on the exterior wall. Let’s find out.
Easy to maintain:
When it comes to gas pipes, the longevity of the black iron pipe might not be a thing to rely on, so you need to check for rust buildup, minor leaks, and more on a weekly basis.
For an internal wall gas line layout the biggest drawback is the inaccessibility but the exterior wall gas line setups are easy to maintain due to the instant accessibility. You can change any broken or rust pipe in a jiffy.
If you want to upgrade, change color or add any accessories in the pipe or think about making new gas line connections it will be easier to do so with an external gas line setup.
Safety reasons:
The natural gas we use for cooking food or to produce heat in the industry is highly flammable, so everyone should follow some safety precautions against it.
In case of a gas leak you should turn off the control valve, but what if the pipe is hidden and you don’t notice, it will only lead to a worst-case scenario.
A home with an internal gas line layout possesses a high risk of such cases, the homeowners can not seem to notice any leak, and the gas either spreads in your house and ignites it in fire or a pressurized build-up and sudden blow-up.
Exterior wall gas line setup might not guarantee total safety but pressurized blow can be avoided and a gas leak can be easily spotted. So Exterior gas line setup should be on your priority list.
The local authority rules:
The fire service, building management, and other authorities maintain a set of rules for the locality to avoid and control any unwanted situation.
Fire threats cause the most damages to the property and life of people. In case of fire, the fire service needs the information about the nearest water source, controlling or cutting off the gas flow completely.
Even if the main control valve is inaccessible, a firefighter can cut off the pipe and it’s only possible with an exterior wall gas line setup.
Are external gas pipes safe?
When you are dealing with an element that has the potential to create fire then you can’t know for sure what will happen next. You can try your best to avoid the worst-case scenarios.
Not knowing if there is a gas leak inside your home or if the gas pipe running through the internal walls is in top-notch condition will only add on worries and despair. The external wall gas pipe setup is far safer than the internal setup.
External wall gas line layout will make you feel safe as you would be able to access the pipe, do maintenance checks, change the pipe and repair any major or minor damages.
In an Internal wall gas line setup, it’s hard to pinpoint any damages or know if it’s leaking gas or not, even if there isn’t any go on you will be losing precious money due to excessive gas bills.
Exterior gas pipes need some additional accessories to keep them from lightning damage and rust protection but it’s indeed a safe practice.
How to run a gas line through an exterior wall?
Let’s get to know how to sagely put gas line pipe on the exterior wall.
Seek professional help:
As it’s highly dangerous for a newbie to deal with such a task, it is always better to seek professional help.
They will have the proper installation, welding, and other equipment, and most importantly dedicated safety gears with proper experience in this work.
If you have the proper equipment and safety gear and someone to supervise only then you should think about doing it yourself.
Get yourself familiar with the work:
Getting to know about the initial blueprint, designing a layout, making a path for the gas line from the source to your home, setting up the riser, and installing a meter to check the pressure in the line.
All these things are the basic steps for setting up a gas line.
Check the pressure:
After installing and connecting all the lines, the most important thing will be checking the pressure.
If you see a fluctuation in pressure than the standard margin then there is a leak in the joint or pipe. For joints, you can use liquid sealer along with Teflon.
Wait for the approval:
After installing a gas pipe yourself, wait for the house inspector’s approval and follow the advice and make necessary modifications.
How to hide a natural gas line on an exterior wall?
Hiding the natural gas line on the exterior wall makes the house structure soothing and also safe. Let’s find out how to hide them.
Use plastic cover:
Using a plastic cover or 3d printed cover to conceal the natural gas line on an exterior wall can be a convenient option.
Use wood pieces:
If you have a wooden wall then it would be nice to conceal the gas line with decorative wooden pieces.
Paint it:
Painting the pipe does help keep the rust away. Check for the local authority guidelines on painting the gas line pipes.
Final Thoughts
It is possible to run a gas line through the exterior wall, which has several advantages. Obviously, the aspect of safety involved with such a process is highly desirable. The condition of the pipe, as well as any gas leaks, may be easily determined. Maintenance gets a lot simpler.