need some advice on hooking up natural gas heater in garage

Status
Not open for further replies.

Silent viewer

Royal Smart Person
May 9, 2007
1,445
142
63
so my latest craigslist score was a couple of 80,000 btu natural gas heaters for the garage, the kind that you hang up in the garage. anyways i need to figure out how to get gas out to the garage as cheap as possible with out doing something thats not safe. my garage is attached, its only a single car but i have plans to make it 3-5 cars total when its done so having a heater this big is more of less planning for the future, not to mention i snagged them for 40 bucks each! so i was thinkint i could use that copper flexable pipe in 1/2" but i heard that stuff is really expensive now and i am not sure thats big enough. does anyone have any ideas? thanks :?
 
Most local hardware stores have steel pipe with threaded ends and any type of bend you might need to make, along with pipe thread sealer. Depending on how long it is from your nearest gas line or meter, it could be cheaper than you might think. I had to redo all the gas lines in an apartment building I owned once and it was not difficult at all. Most HomeDepot's have a certified plumber on staff that could help you with any questions. Of course the first thing out of their mouth will be that you need to get a certified plumber and your insurance might not cover your house if a fire erupts because of work you did. That being said, if you decide to do it yourself. When you're finished, slowly turn on your gas and check your connections with soapy water. If you see bubbles then you will need to tighten your connections more. If the house burns down and the insurance guy starts asking question, play dumb and say you can't remember the name of the plumber and you had a reciept in your burned down house. :wink:
 
i have ran the iron pipe several times doing dryers but i have been told that it is not common use any more. i figured out what they are using now, its called csst, its like stainless yellow coated tubing, 50 feet was like 40 bucks and that should be enough to make it. now i have to figure out how to vent it through the roof, i have never cut a hole in a roof before all though i have installed a few roofs so it shuldnt be too hard. and to think i am a pipeline designer but i need help running the stuff in my house lol
 
Are you talking about venting the fumes from your burner? I'm pretty sure natural gas doesn't leave carbon monoxide after being burned. Propane and heating oil yes, natural gas no! That same apartment had a gas fireplace on the first floor and I use to leave it on all night long when it got cold. I had a carbon monoxide detector and it never registered anything. I think your biggest concern would be the heat build-up above your burner. If your garage is air tight than maybe running out of oxygen might be a problem too.
 
you defenatly have to vent it, all natural gas furnaces and water heaters for example in any house has to have it and they actually use that doubled up piping for that stuff. i think i have it all figured out now, i have some work ahead of me!
 
regalman4925 said:
you defenatly have to vent it, all natural gas furnaces and water heaters for example in any house has to have it and they actually use that doubled up piping for that stuff. i think i have it all figured out now, i have some work ahead of me!

They do make vent free heaters that run on natural gas. If the heater you have has a spot for a vent tube, put one on. If it doesnt, dont worry about it.
 
As far as the pipe to it for gas, well that is up to you.

As far as venting it.
Depends on its location.
If near a wall you can mount the unit low enough to run at least a 15 degree fitting to get it beginning to rise, through the wall then up to a height of around 3 feet past the peak.
Check your local codes for exact min height and what kind of wall kits is required.
Going through the roof it could leak no matter what you do unless a new roof was placed on, again COULD doesn't mean it will.

If you went that way you need to run the inside pipe first to find out its exit point. Drill a hole dead center where the pipe would go and leave something sticking outta the hole. Go up on the roof and locate it and trace a circle the size of the pipe onto the shingles and cut that out and do the hole. Get one of those sleeve seals and place it under the upper section of the shingle/s and have someone push the pipe through. The single sitting over the top section will help shed water away. The you seal around the exposed bottom side with a roofing cement/seal which you can also use on the bottom of the pipe seal piece as a IN CASE.

And anything that burns creates carbon monoxide.
Vent frees also creates some since no unit to date is 100% efficient which is the only way ir could not. Its just vent frees are within guide lines set by the federal government for how much is allowed. But I never have seen a vent free not put of any at all or smell of some sort.
 
When I bought my house the heater was disconnected due to the cost of insurance. The iron gas line is ran underground. I havn't looked into the actual fees but just thought i'd put that out there for consideration.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please support GBodyForum Sponsors

Classic Truck Consoles Dixie Restoration Depot UMI Performance

Contact [email protected] for info on becoming a sponsor