LPG Installations

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

What’s your views on lpg installations, ie. distances from source of ignition. most jobs that I have checked lately don`t seem to take notice of these requirements (insitu 3.5 exchange 1.5) from electric meters, hotwater units & air conditioners. spoken to australian gas board & they confirm as3500 code but most others dont believe that these are sources of ignition. like to hear, see your views

[SylvanLMPParticipant]

Hello Ross. This past spring I was upstate New York at a large hotel for vacation.

I decided to walk around this hotel and happened upon these huge propane tanks (3) monsters. I got a whiff of them long before I even came close as they had severe leaks from the mixed piping all sizes and all the materials known to mankind were connected to these potential bombs.

These bloody blokes had copper tubing galvanized pipe and black pipe all mixed together with various sizes with no rhyme or reason.

I could not only smell the propane but hear it HISSING away like mad.

I did contact the maintenance staff and told him about this and he shrugged his shoulders saying “AH its been like that for years NUTHIN to worry about as it is out doors”

These tanks were located about 45 ft from the back door of the kitchen where commercial stoves were cooking away like mad.

Today in America anyway the Trade as We know it is no longer what some contractors are looking for.

We have this new cancer called franchising where one licensed man can PIMP his license for a whole chain of non skilled labor force.

Even in some so called plumbing publications we find articles on pricing BUT very few on codes or safety devices. The name of this game is get over with as little training as possible. SELL,SELL,SELL materials and snake oils for drain cleaning with hefty commissions given to the biggest “PUSHER” of these chemicals.

If you think LPG is a problem think about this new scam going on.

Suppose I told you I was going to make a NEW kind of car. I would let you be a witness to the motor running for several days THEN when it passed YOUR inspection

I would seal up the cars hood so YOU or anyone else could NEVER EVER service the fuel, oil or any other lines leading to the motor would you go for it?

Using a product that has a tract record of failures in EXPOSED conditions?

Well, here we have piping buried in CEMENT and to make it even better we have no codes governing how it is installed.

Today its money not quality that seems to be the new way of thinking.

I read recently in one publication “how fast this product is installed” nothing about time tested quality.

So Ross it just isn’t LPG problem today its drainers and so called heating guys who are in the spot light. When some product fails the contractors go out of business and let the manufacture swing for improper installations. Then the manufacturer says the installer did it wrong so the building owner has to sort this mess out.

No accountability is the new wave of the future. Have a great one mate

[Author]

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