# PE gas line under concrete slab



## love2surf927

Ok I have a job with outside BBQ and fire pit. They are going to pour it all with concrete so I have to be under slab. I have never installed gas piping undef slab but was checking my book and the only code I can find in my book seems to be regarding slabs within a building. I know it needs to be sleeved when under the footprint of a building but I can't find a code to reference anything about a slab outside the footprint such as a patio. I'm UPC in Cali, code references?? I can't find anything else in my book. (ca plumbing code 2010) thoughts?? Thanks guys!


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## johntheplumber

In Tx you would have to sleeve it. 


Even if you didn't have to, you need to. It's the only safe way to do it.


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## AWWGH

We are also required to sleeve under slab gas piping in CT.


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## plbgbiz

love2surf927 said:


> Ok I have a job with outside BBQ and fire pit. They are going to pour it all with concrete so I have to be under slab. I have never installed gas piping undef slab but was checking my book and the only code I can find in my book seems to be regarding slabs within a building. I know it needs to be sleeved when under the footprint of a building but I can't find a code to reference anything about a slab outside the footprint such as a patio. I'm UPC in Cali, code references?? I can't find anything else in my book. (ca plumbing code 2010) thoughts?? Thanks guys!


I think that would be no different than passing under a driveway or parking lot. The only sleeve required would be for the riser.


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## love2surf927

plbgbiz said:


> I think that would be no different than passing under a driveway or parking lot. The only sleeve required would be for the riser.


This is what I was thinking too.


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## love2surf927

johntheplumber said:


> In Tx you would have to sleeve it.
> 
> Even if you didn't have to, you need to. It's the only safe way to do it.


What material would you use to sleeve the entire line, and what about Tees? IMO I wouldn't be able to send another line in through the sleeve, because I'm using anode less risers. I don't see the point in sleeving the entire line. Enlighten me. Thanks


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## JoshJ

In my neck of the woods, no sleeve is required for under slab, as long as it's buried min 18"

Are you able to run soft copper down there for gas? Might be easier to make look nicer than poly pipe if you are allowed.


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## love2surf927

JoshJ said:


> In my neck of the woods, no sleeve is required for under slab, as long as it's buried min 18"
> 
> Are you able to run soft copper down there for gas? Might be easier to make look nicer than poly pipe if you are allowed.


No copper around here for gas.


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## Gettinit

If its not far and you can sell them the sleeve sell it. This way if that plastic leaks for some crazy reason you can pull it all out and slide a new one in place easy as rain. That's if you could dig it up at the grill and at the tie in at the house. Reason being you probably have to transition to black iron for the stub ups.


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## JoshJ

love2surf927 said:


> No copper around here for gas.


That sucks. Is the soil too acidic?


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## love2surf927

Gettinit said:


> If its not far and you can sell them the sleeve sell it. This way if that plastic leaks for some crazy reason you can pull it all out and slide a new one in place easy as rain. That's if you could dig it up at the grill and at the tie in at the house. Reason being you probably have to transition to black iron for the stub ups.


The line has a tee and all three of the stub outs are through slab so you would have to jackhammer out the stub outs to get the new line in. And I would have to run two separate lines. All the leaks I ever see are on the steel.


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## love2surf927

JoshJ said:


> That sucks. Is the soil too acidic?


I'm not sure why to be perfectly honest, I have never seen it.


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## plbgbiz

JoshJ said:


> That sucks. Is the soil too acidic?


Not sure about L2S' location but in Oklahoma we are not allowed to use copper or galvanized pipe because of the properties of our gas. Not all natural gas is the same.


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## love2surf927

plbgbiz said:


> Not sure about L2S' location but in Oklahoma we are not allowed to use copper or galvanized pipe because of the properties of our gas. Not all natural gas is the same.


I'm in so cal, I believe it has to do with the sulfides in the gas, not positive though. All I know is I have never seen it used around here.


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## love2surf927

plbgbiz said:


> Not sure about L2S' location but in Oklahoma we are not allowed to use copper or galvanized pipe because of the properties of our gas. Not all natural gas is the same.


I'm in so cal. I believe it has to do with sulfide content in the gas, I'm not positive though. I have never seen copper for gas around here, I don't know if it's against code or not, just never seen it.


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## kimo

FWIW: i helped on an external gas rough-in under a slab and the galv. was pre-wrapped in yellow gas tape.
. When the pipe was cut for threading, we used pasco gas tape to wrap the exposure, and any fittings.
How it came up thro the pour i dont know, but i noticed a riser with a sleeve, or wraps of insulation, being used on another, different kind of, job.


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## JPL

No sleeve in Nor Cal so long as not covered and enclosed. I've run plenty of outdoor kitches/firepits *under* slab and outdoors. We are on 2010 California plumbing code (UPC 2009 with some extra crap) now.


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## Qball415

I plumb gas systems under ground frequently here in the Bay, before We had the yellow coated steel tubing until being obsolete. I now use either epoxy coated steel with yellow primer and 10 mil tape wrapped on fittings and cuts or PE and gas risers and neither is sleeved.


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## JPL

Totally missed the PE in title.  I was referring to epoxy coated IP. Sorry!


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## plumber101us

sleeve it


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## plbgbiz

Make them use charcoal.


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## RealLivePlumber

My buddy ran a bunch of underground gas, all copper, to his grille and pool heater. 

Perfectly legal around here. Dumbazz inspector writes him a red tag, says to sleeve it. He can not cite a code section. 

In the interest of being able to backfill, he goes and gets that thin black hose you see for sump pump discharge. 

Inspector passed it.


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## kimo

Ca. plumbing Code 1211.1.6 treats outside slabs as "buildings", and says the gas line must be in a vented conduit.
The way i read it it says that the line must be sleeved to just above the slab and to just outside the edge of the slab.
Maybe i'm reading it wrong!


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## JPL

kimo said:


> Ca. plumbing Code 1211.1.6 treats outside slabs as "buildings", and says the gas line must be in a vented conduit.
> The way i read it it says that the line must be sleeved to just above the slab and to just outside the edge of the slab.
> Maybe i'm reading it wrong!


I'm not seeing it in my book. Is your reference 1211.1.6 correct?


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## love2surf927

kimo said:


> Ca. plumbing Code 1211.1.6 treats outside slabs as "buildings", and says the gas line must be in a vented conduit.
> The way i read it it says that the line must be sleeved to just above the slab and to just outside the edge of the slab.
> Maybe i'm reading it wrong!


How do you get from the word "buildings", to outside slab. That is the code I was referring to, but I can't make the assumption that because it says building that infers any slab. To me it does make sense to sleeve with vent under a building in the case of a leak it doesn't somehow seep into the building. But outside is a much less vulnerable situation and to my way of thinking is overkill seeing as how I wouldn't be able to send a new line through the sleeve anyways, without jackhammering out the transition fitting. Thats the only logic I can make of it. We all know code wasn't written through logic. Lol


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## JPL

I've been up and down the (2010 CPC) Fuel Piping chapter and can't find any reference to sleeving for vent under outdoor slab as you stated in OP. I've never used PE so maybe what I says don't mean chit, but I can't see where the code treats PE any different from any other materials is regards to the subject at hand.

The only time I got called for not sleeve venting was a 2" LP feed to a house generator on a stand alone 10x6 slab. Originally I plumbed 18" (across) under the slab and stubbed up under unit nice and clean. Inspector said that generator was enclosed and wanted me to sleeve gasline in 3" ABS with a 2 foot high vent coming out of the ground. :blink: All for an 18" piece. I ended up punching out of the ground and running along the top of slab and drilling through the side of the unit. Looked like crap and was trip hazard, but passed inspection.


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## MyCrappyJob

As long as you're outdoors i wouldn't see any need for sleeving or conduit, i work in Cali too and have replaced many steel lines by shooting poly under existing slabs without any issues from an inspector or gas supplier so long as a tracer is attached, i mean encasing it would'nt hurt and would be overbuilding it but as long as the transitions are protected where they pass through concrete and no part passes under a building you shouldnt have any issue.


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## rjbphd

MyCrappyJob said:


> As long as you're outdoors i wouldn't see any need for sleeving or conduit, i work in Cali too and have replaced many steel lines by shooting poly under existing slabs without any issues from an inspector or gas supplier so long as a tracer is attached, i mean encasing it would'nt hurt and would be overbuilding it but as long as the transitions are protected where they pass through concrete and no part passes under a building you shouldnt have any issue.


Ya gonna have a crappy job getting out of the hole if ya don't post the full intro as required..


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## mytxplumber

Why not just check with the local Building Inspector. As plumbers we follow the code but they interpret it there way. I work in 45 municipalities and they all have a different take on what each city wants.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Mytxplumber beat me to it! Check with your lock building inspector, I'm in SoCal and I've had some inspectors require sleeving without referencing code, and just last year I ran 200' of 2" PE with 2 tees and 3 risers, all under a parking lot and the only thing I sleeved was the risers from 6" above the ground and about 10" past the riser compression fitting and on that one the inspector asked why I sleeved the risers as they were coated already so go figure. When in doubt ask
Geez! Just noticed the date this thread started, I must be tired


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