Double / Triple Security Measures running Gas Outdoors

[chefwong]

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but short of a shutoff valve indoors, what other security measures should I take into account if I was to have a gas pipe leadoff on the exterior of my home ?


After Sandy, I plan to have natural gas as a fuel source for the generator.
My neighbor has this for this grill already.

I'm the latter and the thought of a *gas source* accessible is quite a thing.
On the exterior, I am thiking a short stub with a ball valved (keyed/hole for padlock type) and then the quick disconnect right off that fitting.

Any other safety precautions on the whole gasoline - exterior to be keen on

[DonL]

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but short of a shutoff valve indoors, what other security measures should I take into account if I was to have a gas pipe leadoff on the exterior of my home ?


After Sandy, I plan to have natural gas as a fuel source for the generator.
My neighbor has this for this grill already.

I'm the latter and the thought of a *gas source* accessible is quite a thing.
On the exterior, I am thiking a short stub with a ball valved (keyed/hole for padlock type) and then the quick disconnect right off that fitting.

Any other safety precautions on the whole gasoline - exterior to be keen on

The Gas feed connection for the generator should come off of the gas meter, and not from inside the house.

[chefwong]

The Gas Meter is actually inside my house.
The boiler room is my basement. That has a 1" or so + pipe there. That is where I was planning to have the plumber tap and then extend out.

[wjcandee]

Our generator just sits on a pad in a spot in the back that meets the requirements of the various applicable codes and the gas line to it and quarter-turn shutoff are right there next to the generator. It's all exposed and I suppose anyone could come by and tamper with it. But that's how most locations are. Drive behind any shopping center and the gas piping is all right there, sometimes with taps installed so that a trailer-mounted generator can be towed up and attached. (A lot of Walgreens and CVS Pharmacies appear to be designed to be trailer-generator-ready. That's why so many Walgreens and CVS Pharmacies were open right after the hurricane on Long Island blacked out the whole area. Near us, for days upon days, you would drive up the pitch-black main street with no streetlights or traffic lights working, past pitch-black shopping centers, and then you would come upon a Walgreens in the middle of this nothingness lit up bright as day, with everything working inside, as if nothing had happened. Good pharmacy chains take disaster recovery seriously, because people need their medicines. And then they also become suppliers of essentials, like this one did, with cold milk and frozen items readily-available, because they had brought a trailer generator of sufficient size to power the store at its normal electrical service level.)

A friend of mine owns a hardware store. He has a 12kw Onan generator outside his store. He has built around it and the gas piping a very-attractive black wrought-iron cage, anchored into the concrete, that is locked and can be opened. It deters any tampering while still looking nice and not interfering with the operation of the generator, as there is probably 12" or more distance between the generator enclosure itself and this wrought-iron cage.

I'm thinking that you may be required by code to have more fittings than you imagine at the generator location. There is a way to do it right and I'm not sure that you want to be reinventing the wheel on this. For example, most generators run a thick, flexible, not-quick-disconnect hose from the galvanized piping gas line to the generator, to absorb vibration, but it's a "permanent" hose (until you replace it, of course).

[Gary Swart]

Chef Wong, you have been around this forum for a long time. Surely you have noted that dealing with gas piping and related gas work is not something a DIY should be doing. Screw up a water line or drain and you have a problem, but screw up a gas installation and you could end up with a very large BOOM. My advice is hire a plumber licensed for gas work.

He mentioned in his post that a plumber was doing the work
Terry

[chefwong]

It's not the fittings I'm worried about.
I'm just not a fan of having a easily combustible source - accessible- .
Even knowing I can control it with a shutoff inside, it's still not comfortable enough for my comfort factor.

I dunno. Maybe I'm thinking-reading into this way too much to say Yes to the thought of it.