Plumbing and Piping - NG Regulator Sticking
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gsharpe
06-24-08, 10:48 AM
Hello DIYers,
I live on a farm in SW PA. We have gas wells on the farm and get free NG. The gas is drawn from a separator/dryer owned by the gas company. I am responsible for the equipment from the seperator to my house. The gas pressure is reduced at the separator before being piped to the house. Before entering the house there is a regulator valve (See link for picture).
http://www.stlawrencegas.com/images/mtrdia.JPG
The burners on my stove were only giving a small flame when set on high. With the burner lit I tapped the regulator housing (faithful hammer approach) and the flame was restored to normal. Should I replace the regulator or is there some maintenance I can do to prevent this from happening again?
gsharpe
I live on a farm in SW PA. We have gas wells on the farm and get free NG. The gas is drawn from a separator/dryer owned by the gas company. I am responsible for the equipment from the seperator to my house. The gas pressure is reduced at the separator before being piped to the house. Before entering the house there is a regulator valve (See link for picture).
http://www.stlawrencegas.com/images/mtrdia.JPG
The burners on my stove were only giving a small flame when set on high. With the burner lit I tapped the regulator housing (faithful hammer approach) and the flame was restored to normal. Should I replace the regulator or is there some maintenance I can do to prevent this from happening again?
gsharpe
Beachboy
06-26-08, 02:11 PM
I'd recommend you contact a qualified plumber to test the gas pressure and replace the regulator, if necessary. Regulators can be rebuilt, but it should only be done by someone trained to do so. Simple domestic regulators such as yours are usually a "throw-away" item, as the labor and materials to rebuild often exceeds the cost of a new regulator.
I'd definitely hesitate to suggest any DIY approaches to this situation, as abnormal gas pressures can create a huge safety issue in your home. Low pressures such as you are experiencing are usually just an annoyance, but if the regulator starts sticking in the open position and delivering line pressure to your house, then you have a very dangerous situation on your hands.
You should also make sure any new regulator has sufficient relief valve capacity built into it. Many older regulators did not.
I'd definitely hesitate to suggest any DIY approaches to this situation, as abnormal gas pressures can create a huge safety issue in your home. Low pressures such as you are experiencing are usually just an annoyance, but if the regulator starts sticking in the open position and delivering line pressure to your house, then you have a very dangerous situation on your hands.
You should also make sure any new regulator has sufficient relief valve capacity built into it. Many older regulators did not.
plumbingods
06-26-08, 05:01 PM
Typically the regulator before entering the house is the gas companies responsibility. They need to bring safe gas to your home. I don't know the exact deal you have with the gas co. as you are supplying your own gas. But if they are buying excess gas from you they should still need to be the responsible party. I am a master plumber of 25+ years and have never made any adjustments to a regulator or meter before it enters the house. The gas co. you are working with will have the best trained people for the job.