# gas line



## shovelshort (Feb 18, 2007)

I want to tuck the main gas line coming into my house up into the floor joists so I can finish my basement/ceiling.  This is purely for aesthetics.  However, the builder never put in a coupling anywhere in the line.  I am only a few feet inside the house from the meter (as far as where I need to make alterations to tuck pipe).  A friend says that I will have to begin at the meter and start taking things apart until I get to where I need to be.  Problem, we are in the middle of a cold snowy winter.

My question is this:  is a builder / contractor required to put one or more couplings in line for future repair work? or is this purely courtesy?


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## glennjanie (Feb 19, 2007)

Call it courtesy or CYA ( I may be the one to make the changes) I like to put a union in occasionally. Some plumbers don't like unions because they have to be exactly in line and exact fit to keep them from leaking; no unions, no problems.
You may cut the line where ever you need to make a change, take the pipe from each side of the cut and have the local hardware store to thread them and cut one side in two pieces, threaded and include a union. This allows you to insert what ever you need without having to unscrew the whole house of pipe. *Caution:*be sure you cut out some pipe to allow for the extra fittings you are installing.
Glenn


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## shovelshort (Feb 20, 2007)

Excellent!  Thank you very much.  This should save me a lot of work.  Much appreciated.


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## Daryl (Feb 21, 2007)

make sure to check your connections and union with a soap solution for leaks after install !!


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## shovelshort (Mar 13, 2007)

One more quick question.  Does it matter if I put the union on the inside or the outside of the house?  Just wandering if temperature changes will make the union expand and leak.


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## glennjanie (Mar 13, 2007)

Temperature changes won't hurt the union but it will hurt my feelings to have to go outside and work on it someday later. I prefer to have a main gas valve and several unions inside the house.
Glenn


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## shovelshort (Mar 13, 2007)

Ok, I put it inside.  Just seems to me that if something is going to leak, it will be the union and I wanted that to happen outside.  It doesn't matter, I didn't have enough room between meter and outside wall to do it anyway.


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