Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
Premium,MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey
 ·Comcast
| And this is why
You call the utility companies beforehand!! How many times do we have to see the commercials about exactly this thing before we actually do it?
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The most courageous thing you can do is be honest.
The weight of a tongue can destroy a person. |
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
 ·CenturyLink
| said by Sweet Witch  :You call the utility companies beforehand!! Just to clarify...
They will only do the utility side of the meter (gas, electric, whatever). If the line is on the customer side of the meter, then the property owner is responsible for the locating.
The article gives no clue as to what side was punctured...utility or customer.
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A is A |
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rawgerz
In Debt we trust
Premium
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA | reply to Sweet Witch
How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? |
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alfnoid
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-18
| said by rawgerz :How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? Cause most gas lines put in over the last several years are plastic.
peace |
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DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| reply to rawgerz
said by rawgerz :How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? Incoming gas lines are yellow plastic of some sort, with only the risers at each end being metal. A metal spike hammered into the ground would easily go through this. Given that the ground rod would be within a few inches of the house I would have thought that it wouldn't be too hard for the gas to creep in somehow. |
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mwf
join:2000-11-26
Granite Quarry, NC | The yellow plastic is just sheathing, the actual gas line inside the yellow is metal and flexible. |
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DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| said by mwf :The yellow plastic is just sheathing, the actual gas line inside the yellow is metal and flexible. Are you sure? I must admit I have never seen the inside of a gas line here, but I know in England the lines look identical and they are 100% plastic. Are you sure you are not confusing the meter-to-house connection with the main gas lines which can be metal coated in yellow plastic. Even if they are metal, the fact that it is flexible means it is also thin. |
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Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC | reply to alfnoid
Their using hard plastic for gas lines now? I wouldn't call that safe. |
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alfnoid
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-18
| reply to mwf
said by mwf :The yellow plastic is just sheathing, the actual gas line inside the yellow is metal and flexible. Sheathing is only on the tracer wire buried with it.
The lines that I have had exposure to are 100% plastic.
In fact, if the tracer wire has been cut you can't even locate the lines and you must dig until you can find the tracer wire to be able to locate it.
(I am a former locator and gas was one of my utilities)
peace |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| reply to rawgerz
said by rawgerz :How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? Well, my guess would be, since the installer was injured as well, it happened as he was sinking the rod. When the rod pierced the gas line, it sparked and blew the thing up, since the line is attached to the house, the gas in the house went up as well.
Scary. It's possible (probable) the installer never knew there was a gas line there. Bad communications..... if you have to pound in a ground rod, you should ask if there's a chance you may hit something. (power, gas) - just as the homeowner should know where the lines come in. Again, they probably didn't know what the installer was doing either. |
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SteveCon
IBEW 2222 Boston, MA
Premium
join:2004-09-02
Burlington, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to rawgerz
A ground rod is copper plated STEEL. It's nearly impossible to drive a 5/8" diameter 100% COPPER rod more than a foot or two in most soils before it bends.
The gas piping around here (that's not some sort of plastic /PVC material) is black iron - (both of) which can be cracked or shattered when struck under the right circumstances.
CATV guys get to drive only 6 footers?? Those lucky bas*ards! The NEC specifies 8 footers for grounding electrical systems ::sigh::
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United we bargain, divided we beg. |
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DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| said by SteveCon :A ground rod is copper plated STEEL. It's nearly impossible to drive a 5/8" diameter 100% COPPER rod more than a foot or two in most soils before it bends. I believe that gas lines are only required to be buried 18" down so I'm sure that unless the soil was really hard a couple of good swipes with a hammer would have reached the line and gone straight through it. |
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DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| reply to captokita
said by captokita :Well, my guess would be, since the installer was injured as well, it happened as he was sinking the rod. When the rod pierced the gas line, it sparked and blew the thing up, since the line is attached to the house, the gas in the house went up as well.] From the article, it sounds like the installer realised what he may have done and reported it, and subsequently the gas company came to investigate. It was then that the explosion happened. This does beg the question as to why the installer didn't immediately close the valve at the meter. Perhaps he was too busy smoking a cigarette! |
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bogey780
join:2004-03-19
Here
| reply to SteveCon
BellSouth proper grounding specifies the equipment should be grounded to in order of importance the ground wire, ground rod, dedicated #6 ground wire set to ground bar, and the metal pipe or box. If a ground rodis placed it has to be bonded to one of the power grounding options. The telco equipment should not be on a seperate ground whatsoever from the power as the possibility of a diferential exists. |
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acid343211
Hallo lisa Aus Amerika
Premium
join:2001-08-31
Byron, GA
1 edit | reply to SteveCon
said by SteveCon :A ground rod is copper plated STEEL. It's nearly impossible to drive a 5/8" diameter 100% COPPER rod more than a foot or two in most soils before it bends. I had to ground my Dish with a 7 ft rod you can do it. not Impossible,
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Visit-fromisrael2lebanon.info/
israel uphold un 242-338 resolution |
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backness
join:2005-07-08
K2P OW2 | reply to Corehhi
no spark, sparky |
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Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA
| reply to Corehhi
said by Corehhi :Their using hard plastic for gas lines now? I wouldn't call that safe. So you'd rather have the rusty metal?
I'm sure that if someone was really determined to drive that ground rod in they could puncture metal pipe too.
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Early to rise, early to bed;
Makes a man healthy but socially dead. |
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major marco
Res Firma Mitescere Nescit
Premium
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA
clubs:
| reply to John Galt
said by John Galt :said by Sweet Witch :You call the utility companies beforehand!! Just to clarify... They will only do the utility side of the meter (gas, electric, whatever). If the line is on the customer side of the meter, then the property owner is responsible for the locating. The article gives no clue as to what side was punctured...utility or customer. To further clarify - Calling "the utilities" for a matter such as this one isn't the solution. No one will come out and check anything for cable-related matters other than the cable co. And if your cable co. tech is an idiot, then you're SOL-JWF just like the 2 dead people in the article. Cable connectivity is not considered a utility by the law.
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The Toll
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Michieru2
zzz zzz zzz
Premium
join:2005-01-28
Miami, FL | reply to DMS1
Or he probably knew nothing in regards to gas and simply said "I am not touching anything". |
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
·CenturyLink
| reply to major marco
said by major marco :To further clarify - Calling "the utilities" for a matter such as this one isn't the solution. No one will come out and check anything for cable-related matters other than the cable co. Calling the 'underground service alert' line for your area will notify ALL of the 'utilities'...cable company included.
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A is A |
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