Everyone has their own preferences on gas piping systems, including what materials to use and when to use them. Our job as a Value Added Distributor is to be able to cater to all of those needs as best we can. I once heard someone say you can’t be all things to all people. That statement really holds true; you can absolutely dilute your worth by trying to be good at a lot and an expert at none. At the distributor level though, even when we aren’t experts at something, we need to carry the items for the experts that use them (that’s you in case you forgot). Recently, we added carbon press gas fittings to better support your needs as installers and now we have a great tool to go with them!
This month’s newsletter covers some of the advantages and features of using the carbon press fittings on your gas installations. All installations have their own unique traits, whether it is new construction, retrofitting, rocky soil, mountainside, ocean proximity, etc. Your job is to find the right material to meet your and, more importantly, your customer’s needs and desires. For those of you that enjoy running black iron piping, the carbon steel press system is the way to go. Press technology has been around for many years and initially gained traction in Europe. It made its way into the states around 1999 and has been slowly gaining ground since. The fittings for gas piping installations were officially accepted into the NFPA code books in the 2018 edition. In the 2024 edition of NFPA 54, you will find the code on page 20, section 5.5.7.1. It reads, “Schedule 40 and heavier pipe joints shall be threaded, flanged, brazed, welded, or assembled with press-connect fittings listed to ANSI LC 4/CSA 6.32 Press-Connect Metallic Fittings for Use in Fuel Gas Distribution Syste
ms.” As an installed, you need to ensure that your fittings meet this requirement, I would suggest keeping a cut sheet on file from the manufacturer to prove it in case the need ever arises with an inspector.
Some of the many benefits of using a press system for your black iron installs are below:
- Labor cost reduction—Reduce labor time to complete the job by 30+%. With no threading involved and reduced effort to install piping you will get jobs completed much faster than with traditional threaded pipe. There is also less training involved. After you press once, you should have it down.
- Safety—Using press fittings is safer. All fittings inherently show leaks if not pressed, they are marked with removable stickers to indicate whether they have been pressed or not. Minimal tool usage is needed to complete the press, reducing lost time for workers comp from slipping pipe wrenches and cracked knuckles! The fittings themselves are vibration resistant and won’t work themselves loose over time.
- Wide range of applications—The same tool can be used in multiple applications as long as the correct jaws are used.
- Versatility—You can layout your whole piping system the way you want and not have to pull anything out to screw it together; you can just run from one end to the other pressing each fitting!
When used correctly, pressing your gas piping system together has many benefits and few drawbacks (such as the up front cost). It is simple to use—you simply cut, debur, sand, mark, and press. It is important to follow all steps and not cut corners, but that is true of any installation with any material, right?
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