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To: thackney
The most important result of the disaster was the passage of a state odorization law, which required that distinctive malodorants be mixed in all gas for commercial and industrial use so that people could be warned by the smell.

I once replaced a house gas line that was all beautiful L copper 1" and 1&1/4", it was gorgeous but was full of flaky black debris inside. I knew that we had replaced copper supply lines (the flex lines at the appliance itself) which had been the normal supply line material in the distant past, but had never seen an entire copper gas line.

The best that I could figure was that perhaps copper was OK before the malodorants were added to natural gas and that it was the malodorants which caused corrosion, on the other hand, it doesn't seem smart to use soldered copper that looks just like water pipe for NG anyway.

Does anyone know the official answer for why we got away from copper for natural gas?

3 posted on 03/18/2013 7:21:19 AM PDT by ansel12 (" I would not be in the United States Senate if it wasnÂ’t for Sarah Palin " Cruz said.)
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To: ansel12

***Does anyone know the official answer for why we got away from copper for natural gas? ****

Some states do not allow galvanized iron pipe to be used as the zinc reacts with the gas. Black iron is OK.


5 posted on 03/18/2013 7:42:28 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (CLICK my name. See the murals before they are painted over! POTEET THEATER in OKC!)
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To: ansel12

Copper Tubing Installations for Natural Gas
http://www.copper.org/applications/fuelgas/pdf/Official_Copper.pdf


8 posted on 03/18/2013 8:17:03 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: ansel12
Does anyone know the official answer for why we got away from copper for natural gas?

It may have more to do with the requirements of gas companies to protect service lines up to the meter from corrosion. A copper to steel main (or old cast iron) would create a galvanic corrosion cell, and damage the main.

Gas distribution companies prefer to electrically isolate their system from other underground utilities for this reason. Best practices is to install an insulating (di-electric) union at the service riser to the meter.
16 posted on 03/18/2013 11:29:34 AM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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