Gas Pipeline Farm Tap in Michigan?

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Designie

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I live in a rural area about 30 miles north of Detroit and I have a 13 acre parcel that has 2 high pressure gas pipelines that run across the property.

Does anyone know if I can get a Farm Tap so that I can receive natural gas to my house? There is no existing gas service on the street yet.

I have read alot of things online about them, and just wondered if they were available in every state.

Thanks.
 

Thatguy

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In principle you can convert the non-economic benefits [convenience, I guess] of NG into a dollar value.
I guess you should do that before you proceed.
 

Designie

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Yeah, besides the fact that it's approx. 30% cheaper at the moment where I live, it would be nice to not have a tank outside and have to keep it filled and such.
 

Jadnashua

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Technically possible, realistically, maybe not. Who's going to put in, service, and read the meter to then assess your monthly bill, collect the sales, excise, and federal taxes on the energy use, etc? The pipeline companies sell at wholesale to large users and aren't setup to handle 'little', retail sales.
 

hj

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Who owns those gas lines? If they are not yours then whoever they belong to HAS to make the connection, along with supplying the meters, billing, etc.
 

Thatguy

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"If your farm tap is located in a cultivated field, please exercise extreme caution when conducting farming activities, especially plowing and harvesting near your farm tap setting."
probably because the pipeline pressure is, OMG, 2000 PSI.
But, I guess if your insurance company doesn't raise your rates then the risk is negligible.

Here's some more stuff
http://www.puc.state.mn.us/portal/groups/public/documents/puc_pdf_orders/003042.pdf
 
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Ian Gills

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Most of them range from 200psi to about 1500psi... This is a pipeline, not a natural gas line to a home.

I guess a saddle valve is out of the question then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Ballvalve

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No so at all. Its common to steal from pipelines in the third world. I think Detroit has moved close to that denominator.

PROVISO: "High pressure gas pipelines may explode and cause exposure to lead, mercury, PCB's and convert humans into charcoal if tapped illegally. Proceed with due diligence."

Well, I didnt want to get into that, but yes, a clamp-on tapping saddle valve installed around midnight would give the farmer or landowner quite a better business than corn or soybeans. Try a Mueller system. read the instructions carefully and have the priest on call. Do not use PVC clamp on saddles....

In Armenia or Iraq or Sudan, the locals would be making quite a business selling the proceeds until someones grenade pin accidentally pulled out at the site.

And the other problem according to Ians earlier posts is that this pipe must be several hundred years old and ready to blast that farmer into oblivion like in San francisco. [not enough tax dollars for maintenance] So why not give it a shot anyway?

I would get in a late night 1/8" tap and build a sauna, spa, indoor pool, and convert all my cars to gas.

They owe it to me for the risk of the ignored infrastructure explosion, which is pretty much a when rather than an if.
 
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hj

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Around here, if you even remove a meter, gas or electric, you are liable for at least a $10,000.00 fine. I am not sure what it would be for putting a "wildcat" tap into a main, but I am sure it would be a lot more, including whatever it cost to repair the main afterwards. If it is a mainline distribution line, rather than a local branch system, the pressure regulator you would need to reduce the pressure might cost more than the gas you would use for many years. The device you would need to make the "tap" would also cost a great deal, assuming you did not blow yourself up while doing it. The statement "There is no local gas at the street yet", implies that the utility does NOT have the lower pressure distribution branches in place yet. Wait until they do put them in before you decide to make your own connection to their system.
 
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Thatguy

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Speaking of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_of_services
PoCo was losing power somewhere and they couldn't find it.
They were running transmission lines on towers over a farm, and the farmer put a huge coil on the ground so he made an air-core transformer and managed to steal some kw.
At least that is what I heard.
 
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Ballvalve

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Around here, if you even remove a meter, gas or electric, you are liable for at least a $10,000.00 fine. I am not sure what it would be for putting a "wildcat" tap into a main, but I am sure it would be a lot more, including whatever it cost to repair the main afterwards. If it is a mainline distribution line, rather than a local branch system, the pressure regulator you would need to reduce the pressure might cost more than the gas you would use for many years. The device you would need to make the "tap" would also cost a great deal, assuming you did not blow yourself up while doing it. The statement "There is no local gas at the street yet", implies that the utility does NOT have the lower pressure distribution branches in place yet. Wait until they do put them in before you decide to make your own connection to their system.

Well..... I knew that. Just having some fun. This is not Iraq yet.

Now.... a gas tap just in front of your house meter would be another thing - much easier and safer. I'll bet there are thousands of them out there too.
 

Designie

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No so at all. Its common to steal from pipelines in the third world. I think Detroit has moved close to that denominator.

Yeah just like California I think was annexed by Mexico, wasn't it? Ahh, hard to tell....

Anyways, I'm not sure who on this post got the idea that I was thinking of trying to tap into a high pressure pipeline myself, or trying to do it to steal gas from the energy company. That was never any sort of the question.

I was simply stating what I had seen online regarding the equipment the utility company used to make the connection. Yes, I will be contacting the utility company shortly to inquire about a hookup. I was merely inquiring if anyone had any previous experience with getting a hookup.

The reason for the topic was based on the fact that I had read that certain property, such as mine which is zoned Res/Agricultural could have a "Farm Tap" installed to supply the gas needs of the property.
 

hj

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quote; a gas tap just in front of your house meter would be another thing - much easier and safer

Same, or greater, fine, and it it were in the only "safe" spot to make a connection, the meter reader would see it almost immediately. Some people in this area, when the gas company removed the meter AND regulator, installed a hose between the gas service and the house line. Since gas ranges, etc., do NOT work good at 20 psi, they usually blow the house up.
 

Jadnashua

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And I'll reiterate, unless the pipeline company deals retail, it's unlikely they'd be amenable to set up an account for you and provide gas. It's obviously possible, but may not be feasible. Doesn't hurt to ask.
 
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