Cost of new gas line

2,722 Views | 16 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Whoop99
Whoop99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
The gas line in the alley behind my house in Plano was cut yesterday. Atmos Energy repaired the line and were going to turn it on after they were done. When it came time to do that, they discovered a leak in my gas line from the meter to my house. FWIW, they shut off the gas at the house to ensure that the leak wasn't inside the house. My plumber came out this morning and said," you have a steel gas line. We don't repair them, we replace them.". The run from my house to the meter is 47ft. The quoted price was $5800 plus he said they would have to bring the interior up to code which would add on to the total. I've had a lot of other plumbing work done due to cast iron drain lines, but the $6K seems high. I'm calling to get other quotes, but is this in the ballpark is what I should be expecting to pay?
Gig 'Em,

Whoop99
dubi
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
You need another opinion.

If you are not touching the inside of the house, I see no need to get it up to code.
Kenneth_2003
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
1) I'm not buying his "we need to redo the inside." I think he's up-selling you.

2) You do the digging. He's a plumber. He plumbs. He's not a ditch digger, but he has to from time to time. He charges plumbers rates for digging ditches.
91AggieLawyer
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Find someone that repairs steel lines.
Dr. Doctor
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Why won't he repair steel lines?

My 2011 home built in Harris County had steel gas lines. Unless you are doing something super exotic with NG, you put steel lines. I design chemical plants; all NG lines are carbon steel.

Where is the leak between the meter and house? How did they find that? Unless you pressurized up the line between the meter and house and blocked the house inlet (via valve outside (unlikely) or turned off water heater, stove, heaters, etc.) you won't be able to tell if/where you have a leak.

Also, if you repair an outside line to the house, it doesn't mean you need to repair the inside of the house as well. If you were redoing the house (or plumbing), that makes sense (some cities/counties say 30% change means bring the house up to code), but a simple repair job means everything else can stay the same.

Seems like he wants to make money off a tight situation you are in.


Find a different plumber

~egon
Whoop99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Atmos (gas company) identified the leak. They turned on the gas at the meter and saw an indication of a leak. They turned the shut off valve at the house to retest only the line between the meter and the house. His test still indicated a leak. He had some type of wand that checked for gas and it started beeping like crazy just a couple of feet from where the gas enters the house. I do not know specifically what type of test he ran, though.

The plumber this morning said that they don't repair steel pipe because they typically find them to be corroded from contract with the ground. He said that after they hook up the new line, they would have to run a test of the inside and check for leaks there. He said they all of the places where I have a gas line would have to be brought up to code, including modifications like adding sediment traps and a couple of other items I can't remember.

The weather is warm enough that I don't need my heater. However my hot water is off and my dryer won't work until this is fixed. The wife is out of town this week, so I have a few days to play with. However she runs a baking business out of the house, so she'll need hot water pretty soon after she comes back.

I'm calling around to get a second opinion. Any recs for a plumber in the Plano area?
Gig 'Em,

Whoop99
Gary79Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yeah, definitely get a second opinion as a minimum...
ABATTBQ11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Sounds fishy to me. Call a different plumber.
Whoop99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I spoke to two other plumbers and both gave similar stories. They'll first try to repair the leak, possibly with a replacement riser. However both said that if it is steel all the way to the meter, then they'll likely opt to replace it with a new poly line and new risers. In both cases, the quoted price was almost $2K less than the original plumber. City inspector said he doesn't care about inspecting anything inside. We'll see how things go tomorrow.
Gig 'Em,

Whoop99
mAgnoliAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
91AggieLawyer said:

Find someone that repairs steel lines.

Similarly to how we can't tap into extremely old brass or other type water lines. The corrosion makes it pretty much impossible to get a seal on both sides of the fix.

As for this thread I believe the rule is all of it has to be brought to code if you cut into it at all.
Dr. Doctor
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG

The wand is just a NG detector.

For detecting the leak, the easiest is to put a pressure gauge on the system. Block in the inlet to the house, open pipeline and allow to pressure up. Then block the pipeline and watch the pressure. If it drops, you have a leak. I can see an old steel line corroding over years, assuming it's been a few (15+ years) since it was built.

If this is your set-up, do you have a valve at the outside of your house? If there isn't a valve at the outside of your house and everything is still 'on', it would show a leak as the water heater or furnace would be 'calling' for gas and allowing the pressure to drop.

I still don't buy the argument you have to upgrade things inside because the line to the house is upgraded. If they are that concerned about sediment and such (water and heavy components) they (Atmos) should do a better job of following their interstate pipeline specs.

As for installing those things, usually you could do it. Think of the gas line going from left to right horizontal. The tee goes up and down. The down section has a 2-4" long dead leg with a cap and the top is the gas line to your appliance. Done with black pipe, in whatever size line you have (usually 1/2", but could be 3/4").

~egon
Whoop99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
So after 3 different plumbers visiting, calls to the city of Plano, and to Atmos, here's the end result. Thanks to a tip from a friend in a nearby neighborhood, Atmos is going to move my gas meter off the alley and put it next to my house - at their expense. I'm about to get out of this mess with just a few hundred dollars in plumber visits. Atmos will pull new line from the alley to the house and set up the new meter. Not quite sure how I pulled this one off.
Gig 'Em,

Whoop99
Gary79Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Whoop99 said:

So after 3 different plumbers visiting, calls to the city of Plano, and to Atmos, here's the end result. Thanks to a tip from a friend in a nearby neighborhood, Atmos is going to move my gas meter off the alley and put it next to my house - at their expense. I'm about to get out of this mess with just a few hundred dollars in plumber visits. Atmos will pull new line from the alley to the house and set up the new meter. Not quite sure how I pulled this one off.
You owe your friend big time!!!!
Whoop99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Absolutely! I've got to talk with the wife to figure out what we're getting him. A nice bottle of something to drink will probably be in order.
Gig 'Em,

Whoop99
dubi
How long do you want to ignore this user?
DannyDuberstein
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Glad to hear. I'm slso in Plano and my meter is tucked into the corner where my driveway meets the alley. This has always made me slightly tense as it's in a prime spot to be hit by a car or maybe have a garbage truck clip it when grabbing the trashcans.

So what's the story on being able to have it moved? I've heard of them doing this for safety reasons as they replace lines. What criteria did you have to meet?
62strat
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Kenneth_2003 said:


2) You do the digging. He's a plumber. He plumbs. He's not a ditch digger, but he has to from time to time. He charges plumbers rates for digging ditches.
I work with plumbers everyday.. I don't think it works like that.
Whoop99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I called both the Atmos Energy 800 number and the City of Plano Franchise Utilities department. I explained the situation to both and asked if there was an option to have my meter moved next to the house. I'm pretty sure that it was the City of Plano that got the ball rolling with Atmos. It probably helped that my gas had been off for 4 days, my alley was already under construction by the city and Atmos had work scheduled for the area. If I had just called up and asked to have it moved, I'm not sure what the response would have been.
Gig 'Em,

Whoop99
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.