Installing the gas line

I want to do my own installation. I have worked with black pipe before and am comfortable with it and have all the necessary dies & tools. The biggest task is going to be disassembling the existing pipe from a termination back to a "T" where I can tap in. I know using soft copper would be easier than all the measuring, cutting & threading plus I wouldn't need to transport so many tools up to my cabin for the job. Is one type better than the other for reliability, safety and long life?

Black pipe is soooo 20th century..... ;-)

You migh want to consider using some of the new corrugated stainless tubing. It's more expensive, but a LOT easier to deal with.

See: http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/18528/

Pook; I hope that was a garden type hose you were using, ya hoser!!

Chris

I've used the flexible SS in my house. The only thing I wonder is how safe the pipe is in walls. I put the pipe inside a steel pipe when I ran it in the wall up to the attic. Reason being if the next home owner (or the wife/kids) decides to build shelves and screws or nails them into the wall they could puncture the thin SS pipe.

It is best to find what is considered legal to meet local codes or you could find yourself liable if a problem developes. Insurance companies are always looking for ways to get out of paying. Black pipe is accepted by most for NG and LPG. Copper tube is usually allowed only for LPG. Corragated SS and corragated copper are limited to termination points.

I hear ya. I can deal with it but I thought something better must have come along by now. For water plumbers today just love using PEX tube & fittings. Expensive but a huge reduction in labor. I see gas lines at the street are all plastic nowadays. I was surprised when I plumbed my home with NG and ran a line out to my polebarn that black pipe was the preferred choice to meet code--if I applied a coat of tar to it! How old-school does THAT sound??

The main reason black pipe is considered the first choice for gas piping is that it is the most damage resistant. Corrugated SS or copper are thin walled and not very puncture resistant neither is plastic. If concealed piping were to get accidentally punctured the space would fill with gas and wait for the first light switch to be turned on.

A water leak in a concealed area will cause damage but nothing like a gas leak.