Trenching a Natural Gas line
 

So I'm getting my furnace replaced soon so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Since I'm getting permits pulled to have the furnace gas line work done, so I figure I'd get a line run to my garage. My garage is about 20' from the back of my house. The meter is conveniently at the back of the house too. I don't have the bucks to install a n.g. heater in the garage yet but I'd just like to have the capped line in my garage for future use.

So I figured I'd have the line trenched in time for the gas line fellow just to lay the line in. Cheaper for me to do it than a journeymen! Don't worry, Alberta First Call has been out already.

So - I've looked (not very hard, albeit) for the Alberta code depth for the line. How deep does the line have to be in my back yard?? Then - do I try to dig this by hand or can I rent a trencher from a Rona/HD type store?

I'm in NW Calgary BTW.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

I just helped lay a gas line from the meter to a garage trench was dug by hand ensure when you lay the line that you run the trace wire with it for locating later. I am assuming that your runny poly pipe with the proper risers etc etc. Make sure you have the proper radius for the tie in also and a shut off is recommended.

You should be able to rent a trencher from a rental store like The Cat Rental Store or one of the other ones.

I THINK secondary lines are to be 12'' and primary are to 24''...... call Atco when you are done your trench and they will get you a service ( ask for a sleeved service ) with risers at each end once you provide a measurement that is...

The required depth is 18" from finished grade to the top of the service line. Depending on the material your installer chooses to use he may be sleeving it as well, such as if CSST is used (CSST is the yellow plastic jacketed stainless steel tubing you'll notice a lot of these days; most commonly used in fireplace installations). Suitable sleeving could be corlon or abs pipe.

If you have the room for a ditch witch and have to go a fair distance make sure you go rent one and save your back the trouble! Plus its a power tool so it enhances the fun factor of digging a hole

When I built my house out in the boonies, I was talking to a gas company about putting in a line. I told them I had the equipment to dig the trench myself. They would just need to put the line under the road from the service line. They told me no. They had to do it all or nothing and it would be up to 2 months before they are able to do the job. After 3 months, of waiting I put in propane.

bump.

Im running a gas line from the meter on the side of my home to the garage (the run will be about 35ft). I want to run the line above ground for a span of about 15 ft (along the side of the house and deck, then go underground. Should i use iron pipe for the entire project? or will the yellow jacket flex pipe work (sleeved underground of course). I am having trouble finding the specific code book. Does anyone have a link. I have a gas fitter friend who i can leverage for help but i want to collect some knowledge before i approach him.

Home natural gas hook up
 

I signed on and put deposit of $500 in Feb. 2014, paid balance of $5800 in July 2014 and still now do not have natural gas. Many, many phone calls and promises that they will be here in two weeks, or when the muskeg freezes or when the ground thaws out or when we get certified to do that type of connection, but still no gas. If a private company who has competitors operated this way, they would be out of business long ago. The gas co-op has a monopoly on the area, they do what they want. A truck comes and I see them doing something for a hour ,they leave and a month later they are back again for awhile. In 50 plus years of different types of deals ,this is the most frustrating and poorly operated, I have ever dealt with.

with all due respect, your comments have nothing to do with my question....please delete and start a new thread. Im looking for information about residential service in Edmonton....not muskeg country....lol

Trenching a Natural Gas line
 

Have a plastic line made to order, with steel risers on each end. Then you just drop it in the trench.
When we lived in Edmonton we used a company called cancon to build the underground pipe assemblies. They're just on the other side of the whitemud from millwoods. (If I remember correctly)

Drake, for the portion of the line running along side the house use steel and it must be painted, for the underground portion it can be polyethylene with manufactured steel risers, sleeved CSST or Type K soft copper (sleeved at the riser at minimum. Steel when used underground needed welded elbows and wrapping with polymer tape, it's a bit much of a hassle compared to the ease of the alternatives. I've not used steel in a buried gas line for somewhere over 17 years. Yellow jacket along the house would look like crap and the sun would deteriorate the jacketing.

Thanks Caber, i was hopeing you would "pipe up".

I called Cancon....thanks for the suggestions. Very helpful and knowedgable folks over there.

X2

While at it you can put the electrical line in the same trench but it needs to be, I believe it's 3 ft down with sand and a preasure treated board over it, then the gas line on top of it at the 18" mark or lower.

Caber has described the correct and best way to do this so I really can't add anything :) Caber is a licenced gas fitter and so am I. while your at it maybe add an outlet for a natural gas bbq since you have a great chance to do it while the line is being worked on :)
Your installer should know all of this anyways and since your just digging a trench just tell him what you want. :)

6.15.4 can/csa-b149.1-10 natural gas code states piping shall be no less than 15" under ground additional cover shall be required on farmland.