Good evening, I am respectfully requesting assistance in the sizing of a gas line for a pool heater.
My local inspector will allow me to install the line on my own and once I get a licensed gas fitter to connect to the mainline, they would inspect everything. – hence the question to the experts in the form.
My plan
My plan is to run a trench 20 inches deep (gas line with 18 inches of cover) from the exit point of the house to the equipment pad where the heater will be located and use the direct bury DR 11 Underground Yellow Polyethylene Gas Pipe you can get at home depot with the proper risers to convert back to mip above grade at each exit point. Obviously, add tracer wire too.
Heater info
The pool heater is a Pentair 300,000 btu heater that appears to require a minimum flowing (dynamic) supply of no less than 4.0 in wc. If it helps, the pipe run chart says up to 200 feet “equivalent pipe length” with 1-1/4 pipe and 400’ for 1-1/2 so I was just going to run 1-1/2 from the house to the pad to make up for losses due to fittings, couplings, etc. Also, I may add a (50-60k BTU) patio heater on the line as well about the 1/4 way out from the house – hence the upsizing. But if I cannot, that is ok with me.
So in summary, directly from the meter to the heater I would have approximately 75 feet of 1-1/4 iron pipe and the remainder (125 ft or so) in 1-1/2 direct bury poly out to the heater.
Meter info
The meter is an Elster AL-800. I got the biggest meter I could get when I built. It says it has an MSOP of 20 psi, the meter outlet is 1-1/2 but is reduced to 1-1/4 coming into the hose.
Regulator info
The regulator is an Itron B531 IMRV
out pressure – 7 ihc
main spring is black
orifice size is 5/16 in
Additional loads that would run concurrently to pool heater:
only a typical water heater, and;
Perhaps a patio heater with an estimated load of 50k-60k BTU which would have its own TEE off of the mainline to the pool heater approximately 20-30 fet from the house or about 100 feet from the meter.
Questions
1. I am wondering if this setup is sufficient for size? Home flex says maximum capacity of 368k btu/hr for 125 ft of their pipe (and 333k BTU for 150 LF) @ 2 psi and 0.3 in w/c. On a side note, if I assume 10 equivalent feet of loss for every bend, tee, coupling, etc., used in their assembly the “equivalent length” adds up fast further pushing me into the 1-1/2 diameter range.
2. Can I combine other things in the same trench? I would like to add some irrigation main lines and some electrical conduit in the same trench for the pool electrical
3. Any restrictions regarding where the gas pipe outlets the house? (i.e., proximity to other vents, fresh air intakes, etc. I checked the IRC and I am not finding anything that says the gas line cannot exit the foundation above grade in proximity to furnace power vent exhausts, etc.
4. Am i missing something? I always miss something.....
Thanks to all for help. I want to learn about this and get smarter and do things right. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further information.
My local inspector will allow me to install the line on my own and once I get a licensed gas fitter to connect to the mainline, they would inspect everything. – hence the question to the experts in the form.
My plan
My plan is to run a trench 20 inches deep (gas line with 18 inches of cover) from the exit point of the house to the equipment pad where the heater will be located and use the direct bury DR 11 Underground Yellow Polyethylene Gas Pipe you can get at home depot with the proper risers to convert back to mip above grade at each exit point. Obviously, add tracer wire too.
Heater info
The pool heater is a Pentair 300,000 btu heater that appears to require a minimum flowing (dynamic) supply of no less than 4.0 in wc. If it helps, the pipe run chart says up to 200 feet “equivalent pipe length” with 1-1/4 pipe and 400’ for 1-1/2 so I was just going to run 1-1/2 from the house to the pad to make up for losses due to fittings, couplings, etc. Also, I may add a (50-60k BTU) patio heater on the line as well about the 1/4 way out from the house – hence the upsizing. But if I cannot, that is ok with me.
So in summary, directly from the meter to the heater I would have approximately 75 feet of 1-1/4 iron pipe and the remainder (125 ft or so) in 1-1/2 direct bury poly out to the heater.
Meter info
The meter is an Elster AL-800. I got the biggest meter I could get when I built. It says it has an MSOP of 20 psi, the meter outlet is 1-1/2 but is reduced to 1-1/4 coming into the hose.
Regulator info
The regulator is an Itron B531 IMRV
out pressure – 7 ihc
main spring is black
orifice size is 5/16 in
Additional loads that would run concurrently to pool heater:
only a typical water heater, and;
Perhaps a patio heater with an estimated load of 50k-60k BTU which would have its own TEE off of the mainline to the pool heater approximately 20-30 fet from the house or about 100 feet from the meter.
Questions
1. I am wondering if this setup is sufficient for size? Home flex says maximum capacity of 368k btu/hr for 125 ft of their pipe (and 333k BTU for 150 LF) @ 2 psi and 0.3 in w/c. On a side note, if I assume 10 equivalent feet of loss for every bend, tee, coupling, etc., used in their assembly the “equivalent length” adds up fast further pushing me into the 1-1/2 diameter range.
2. Can I combine other things in the same trench? I would like to add some irrigation main lines and some electrical conduit in the same trench for the pool electrical
3. Any restrictions regarding where the gas pipe outlets the house? (i.e., proximity to other vents, fresh air intakes, etc. I checked the IRC and I am not finding anything that says the gas line cannot exit the foundation above grade in proximity to furnace power vent exhausts, etc.
4. Am i missing something? I always miss something.....
Thanks to all for help. I want to learn about this and get smarter and do things right. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further information.
