# Counter strike “snap fit” fittings.



## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

So got some of these sent out to a job site in place of auto flare with no warning from supplier that there has been a change. Mind you I don’t use this stuff too often but in this application it just made since with the amount of repeated drops in this particular project. Holy cow did my guys really have a hard time with them trying to install like an auto flare. Leak city. Took all 84 of them out and returned to supplier for auto flare fittings. These auto snap are an accident waiting to happen. I’d say less than a 1/16th of an inch of seal with the auto snap. Wasn’t impressed. If anything horrified that this **** is in countless homes around here.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I ran some black CSST recently. Counter strike maybe? I can't recall. But for the outside gas line, I used galvanized and converted to the CSST under the building's crawl space.


I'm not familiar with the product that you're speaking about. But then again, I'm not installing much gas these days, just occasional repairs.


That's why we test. Thanks for the input.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Tommy plumber said:


> I ran some black CSST recently. Counter strike maybe? I can't recall. But for the outside gas line, I used galvanized and converted to the CSST under the building's crawl space.
> 
> 
> I'm not familiar with the product that you're speaking about. But then again, I'm not installing much gas these days, just occasional repairs.
> ...





He means these in the video as opposed to the ones where you put the nut on then the two halves, and then the fitting. They do look kind of hokey. The best way is to just run black iron the whole way instead of this garbage.







.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

What concerns me is A, ccst is a delicate material, 2, no one is suppose to be able to buy the products or materials without presenting a card to the supplier showing you are an approved and tested installer, C, even the auto flare fittings are a PITA sometimes. But it is a true flared connection once installed properly. These auto snaps do not flare. It’s more of a centered squish of the pipe resulting of a tiny inward flare of the pipe. 

Our local rep for the distribution of this material is an old co worker of mine from way back. I spoke with him about these fittings last week and I was told they were pulled from the shelves for defects a while back and they these are a newer design. Also he mentioned that we should not have received them in my order unless I showed proof of training for these new fittings.


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## roving plumber (Apr 25, 2011)

Tommy plumber said:


> I ran some black CSST recently. Counter strike maybe? I can't recall. But for the outside gas line, I used galvanized and converted to the CSST under the building's crawl space.
> 
> 
> I'm not familiar with the product that you're speaking about. But then again, I'm not installing much gas these days, just occasional repairs.
> ...





"Flash Sheild" is probably what it was, the new version of the yellow csst. I actually like the Flash Sheild, especially after getting the 2 step jacket cutting tool (cheap investment for properly cutting the jacket and sheilding)
I tried to help a guy fix some issues he was having with some of the yellow csst from home depot, that stuff is junk (IMHO)


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

i use black iron for gas lines whenever i can, im not a big fan of running the csst in walls or under anything where it can be punctured by a stray nail or screw or someone with a long drill thats running an alarm wire or some other wire..
but about 6 or 7 years ago i used it in a tight crawl space to run gas to a stove in an existing kitchen, they went from electric to gas, so no gas pipe any place close, ran about 50 ft of the csst, bought from the supply house, yellow covering, it was a life saver to install in such a tight area and it was left exposed so it can be seen..trying to use black pipe would have taken 10x the amount of time, i followed the directions for the end fittings and had no issue with leaks...
but i can see how this would be the pex of the gas lines and for speed of installation on larger projects it would save some big money on labor, but needs to be installed correctly..


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> i use black iron for gas lines whenever i can, im not a big fan of running the csst in walls or under anything where it can be punctured by a stray nail or screw or someone with a long drill thats running an alarm wire or some other wire..
> but about 6 or 7 years ago i used it in a tight crawl space to run gas to a stove in an existing kitchen, they went from electric to gas, so no gas pipe any place close, ran about 50 ft of the csst, bought from the supply house, yellow covering, it was a life saver to install in such a tight area and it was left exposed so it can be seen..trying to use black pipe would have taken 10x the amount of time, i followed the directions for the end fittings and had no issue with leaks...
> but i can see how this would be the pex of the gas lines and for speed of installation on larger projects it would save some big money on labor, but needs to be installed correctly..


I know where your coming from and agree with you, but BI is not always safe as well.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

89plumbum said:


> I know where your coming from and agree with you, but BI is not always safe as well.



lol..well it takes a bigger moron to keep drilling through thick BL than thin SS...one would think to stop and look when the drill bit slowed down to a stop..


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

roving plumber said:


> "Flash Sheild" is probably what it was, the new version of the yellow csst. I actually like the Flash Sheild, especially after getting the 2 step jacket cutting tool (cheap investment for properly cutting the jacket and sheilding)
> I tried to help a guy fix some issues he was having with some of the yellow csst from home depot, that stuff is junk (IMHO)


















Yes that is the same stuff {obviously I don't use it much....LOL}. But I bought that little yellow 2-step stripping tool that you're referring to.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> lol..well it takes a bigger moron to keep drilling through thick BL than thin SS...one would think to stop and look when the drill bit slowed down to a stop..




















*Or when the drill bit comes back smoking & red-hot! And on top of that, after the guy drilling was pushing as hard as he could!...…LOL*….:vs_laugh:


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> lol..well it takes a bigger moron to keep drilling through thick BL than thin SS...one would think to stop and look when the drill bit slowed down to a stop..


He definitely had a no quit attitude!:vs_laugh:


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> lol..well it takes a bigger moron to keep drilling through thick BL than thin SS...one would think to stop and look when the drill bit slowed down to a stop..


Since they’re metal studs the guy was probably using a self tapping sheet metal screw. With an impact gun a self tapper probably goes through no problem.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Debo22 said:


> Since they’re metal studs the guy was probably using a self tapping sheet metal screw. With an impact gun a self tapper probably goes through no problem.


New Posts


not really, i have used self tapping screws, even the ones with the drill bit end to try and drill 1/8 steel and its no easy task, and BP is thicker than that..


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## DrWhite (Dec 21, 2017)

We use counterstrike csst at work but it's usually for bigger residential jobs. What we really need is some kind of reel caddy. As far as the autosnap fittings, we don't have much trouble with them maybe it was just because you were unfamiliar with the product?

Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560 using Tapatalk


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> New Posts
> 
> 
> not really, i have used self tapping screws, even the ones with the drill bit end to try and drill 1/8 steel and its no easy task, and BP is thicker than that..


I had to try it. It took 3-4 seconds per screw to penetrate


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Debo22 said:


> I had to try it. It took 3-4 seconds per screw to penetrate



i guess black pipe for threading is much softer than steel angle iron of thinner metal, interesting out come...


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Unfamiliar is accurate. I don’t like the seal. It’s unbeiliveable how small of a surface area since it isn’t a flare. I imagine someone in attic or crawl space getting hung up on a section of pipe and snagging it maybe hard, maybe not so hard and it leaking right away. I’m going to have to experiment with it now. Dang it. I have enough on my plate. 





DrWhite said:


> We use counterstrike csst at work but it's usually for bigger residential jobs. What we really need is some kind of reel caddy. As far as the autosnap fittings, we don't have much trouble with them maybe it was just because you were unfamiliar with the product?
> 
> Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560 using Tapatalk


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

Debo22 said:


> I had to try it. It took 3-4 seconds per screw to penetrate



You got too much time on your hands

:vs_laugh::vs_laugh:


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

Debo22 said:


> I had to try it. It took 3-4 seconds per screw to penetrate


 American steel or china special steel?


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

I see a lot of CSST here. Most have moved to Counterstrike when it came out so you can drop the required electrical bond. They run the main in black and then branch out for fireplaces, stoves, 2nd. floor furnaces with it.

Several years ago in a nearby town with the yellow CSST. The installer ran it through the metal case of a gas fireplace. A nearby lightening strike delievered a static charge to it and blew a small hole thorugh it. Dang near blew the house up as the ethyl mercaptin filled the fireplace chase before anyone noticed the smell.

The mandate to bond the yellow pipe has always been inplace but missed. #6 bare wire anyplace on the system back to the main panel.

Once the counterstrike came out that went away.

Who remembers the "pulse" furnaces that you had to use a flex connector to so the vibration could be handled?


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

justme said:


> American steel or china special steel?



i can tell you there is a big difference between supply house gas pipe and the stuff big box stores sell( when in a pinch you need a piece and cant get to a supply house) it doesnt thread as well, seems the threads get ripped off the pipe...


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

GAN said:


> I see a lot of CSST here. Most have moved to Counterstrike when it came out so you can drop the required electrical bond. They run the main in black and then branch out for fireplaces, stoves, 2nd. floor furnaces with it.
> 
> Several years ago in a nearby town with the yellow CSST. The installer ran it through the metal case of a gas fireplace. A nearby lightening strike delievered a static charge to it and blew a small hole thorugh it. Dang near blew the house up as the ethyl mercaptin filled the fireplace chase before anyone noticed the smell.
> 
> ...



They require counterstrike to be bonded here. They don’t care what the manufacturer recommends.


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