Drip legs... what do you guys think?

Originally Posted By: arosenbaum
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Drip legs are used to collect “dirt” that is in the gas, but nowadays, I’ve read our gas/fossil fuel we use is a lot cleaner. If you don’t see a


drip leg on the gas/oil supply to a furnace, water heater,etc., would you point it out?


Just want to hear from the rest of ya ![icon_biggrin.gif](upload://iKNGSw3qcRIEmXySa8gItY6Gczg.gif)


Originally Posted By: jhagarty
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icon_question.gif



Joseph Hagarty


HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.

Originally Posted By: jfarsetta
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If the utility company in our area sees a natural gas-fired furnace with no drip leg, they will turn the gas off to the house until the condition is remedied.


It IS a requirement with natural gas. I have yet to see a drip leg on an oil fired furnace or appliance.


--
Joe Farsetta

Illigitimi Non Carborundum
"Dont let the bastards grind you down..."

Originally Posted By: ltrower
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Aaron,


International Residential Code 2003

G2419.2 (408.2) Drips. Where wet gas exists, a drip shall be provided at any point in the line of pipe where condensate could collect. A drip shall also be provided at the outlet of the meter and shall be installed so as to constitute a trap wherein an accumulation of condensate will shut off the flow of gas before the condensate will run back into the meter.

Lee Trower


Originally Posted By: arosenbaum
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Thanks for all the help…


Nowadays it seems like the gas appliances get their gas from a "header" type deal... by header, I mean like headers on a car... on a v8, there are two sets of headers where 4 chambers turn into one to go to the catalytic converter.... its hard to explain, but before this header in the residential home, I see a "drip-leg" where dust, etc would settle...

F0ck.... I'll have to get a pic for you guys.... ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif)

Have a good night everyone ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif)


Originally Posted By: gbeaumont
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Hi Aaron,


you seem to be getting this gas leg issue all round your neck.


1) oil fired appliances do not need a drip leg as the inverted filter that should be between the oil tank and the appliance feed should trap any moisture in the oil as oil is lighter than water.
2) the "header" that you are talking about is called a manifold and is used in conjuntion with flexible or "gastite" gas lines where all of the feeds tend to come off one central manifold.

In the above instance the drip leg is normaly installed at the lowest point of the sytem on the supply side of manifold, which in my limited experience with these type of instalations is most often as the first element of the manifold.

Check out this link, take 2 asprins and call me in the morning:

http://www.gastite.com/productframe.htm

Regards

Gerry


--
Gerry Beaumont
NACHI Education Committee
e-mail : education@nachi.org
NACHI phone 484-429-5466

Inspection Depot Education
gbeaumont@inspectiondepot.com

"Education is a journey, not a destination"

Originally Posted By: arosenbaum
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Nah… I’m all good… icon_smile.gif


I know that all gas-fired appliances need drip legs and if one is missing one, I'd note it on the report..... but if there is a nice long drip leg before the manifold that branches off for all gas appliances .... why would you need one AGAIN at each appliance? Its like having two shut offs, which in some cities is illegal, but then again, if you think about it...some cities require a gas shut off on all appliances right next to it, but for what reason??....Because if there is a stove fire, you sure ain't going to pull out the stove and shut the gas off from there, are ya ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif) Some codes are conflicting....

Sorry, I sound like a little 14 year old girl babblin' about how my hair looks... I should just STFU ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif) ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif) ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif)


Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley
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One of the main reasons for the shutoff near the appliance is the same reason for an electric disconnect near the air conditioner. Gas can be turned off at the appliance, and not be turned on by mistake while it is being serviced. Keeps the service dude from being well done. icon_mrgreen.gif


Blaine


Originally Posted By: arosenbaum
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Yes… I know… but it would be better to have one downstairs where its easier to turn off in case of a fire at the appliance… then what are you going to turn off if there is a fire at the appliance icon_twisted.gif


Like I said.... codes (like the ones that say you can't have two shut-offs for one appliance) suck....


Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley
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Well…here in my county (and they are different, way different on some things) if copper pipe is used, there must be a shutoff at the manifold, and one within 6’ of the appliance and in the case of the stove, it must be at least 30" above the floor. With black iron pipe, there must be at least one shut off at the meter, and at the appliance. None of the counties I have worked in in Florida or Virginia said that you couldn’t have two shutoff valves in the system. Wait a minute, maybe it’s your county(s) thats wierd icon_mrgreen.gif icon_mrgreen.gif


Blaine


Originally Posted By: rstephens
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Quote:
One of the main reasons for the shutoff near the appliance is the same reason for an electric disconnect near the air conditioner. Gas can be turned off at the appliance, and not be turned on by mistake while it is being serviced. Keeps the service dude from being well done.

Blaine


I have a funny story. We were moving into a new house and I was changing the outlet for the dryer to fit my cord. Well I had turned the breaker off. Well my wife yelled to me that the hot water was not hot.
So I yelled back to her and said I would look at it when I was finished, I then bent back down to tighten the screw to the wires. and POW!!! S*it.
My wife and thought that the breaker the hot water heater was turned off (she did not listen to me, or read the label on the panel) and she turned on the breaker to the dryer. I was not hurt just stunned and P*ssed.

The moral of the story, Put tape on your breaker switches (and let you wife know what you are doing) LOL


Originally Posted By: arosenbaum
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Gotcha


Originally Posted By: kluce
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arosenbaum wrote:
Nah.. I'm all good... ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif)

I know that all gas-fired appliances need drip legs and if one is missing one, I'd note it on the report..... but if there is a nice long drip leg before the manifold that branches off for all gas appliances .... why would you need one AGAIN at each appliance? Its like having two shut offs, which in some cities is illegal, but then again, if you think about it...some cities require a gas shut off on all appliances right next to it, but for what reason??....Because if there is a stove fire, you sure ain't going to pull out the stove and shut the gas off from there, are ya ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif) Some codes are conflicting....

Sorry, I sound like a little 14 year old girl babblin' about how my hair looks... I should just STFU ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif) ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif) ![icon_smile.gif](upload://b6iczyK1ETUUqRUc4PAkX83GF2O.gif)


It's always good to get out of the house and shut the gas off to the whole house with the shut off at the meter. I made a tool that sits by my meter just in case it is needed. I made this tool when I was bored one day.

I never thought the type of shut off at the meter was a good one. It's hard to turn off even with a wrench sometimes.


Originally Posted By: Guest
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Drip legs are necessary; on my own building my boiler went out because the drip leg filled w/ sediment (rust) and then the nozzle was next.


Originally Posted By: eharden
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Russell,
Are you sure that she did not know EXACTLY what she was doing?
Has she been asking about whether or not the Life insurance policies are up to date??


--
Eric Harden
First Choice Inspection Services

"That which does not kill me, makes me stronger."