Matt, there is more than three ways (Black iron & galvanized pipe with threaded fittings, Black iron & Galvanized pipe with mega Press fittings, Black iron pipe with welded fittings, CSST, K & L copper with brazed fittings ,K & L copper with yellow pro press fittings, coated steel pipe for underground installations , polyethylene gas plastic with risers for underground installations , stainless steel tubing with Swagelok fittings for high pressure (CNG ) and they have some kind of weird flexible inlaid braided PEX material in Europe).Last I checked, I think that’s more than three. Eric did a pretty good job on explaining the mega press but he did leave out some important info, like preparation ( cleaning burrs and marking stab depth with a sharpie ) . It’s also required to go back to threaded fittings when tying in components and appliances (furnaces, , water heaters and all stationary appliances need to be tied in the old fashion way , shut off, Union and sediment trap tee) . Hope some of this information helps. My expertise comes from 35 years in the gas utility industry and in my retirement I consult from time to time when gas incidents happen.
I always think what you just said, more information. They shrink it all for these quick vids as opposed to a tutorial. But preparation is key, no matter what system you go with. I love propress/mega but honestly when dealing with gas I prefer the option just to black w/threads. Because of 2 jobs that were commercial building with an outbreak of leaks at the csst fittings I have no confidence in the system although I have been forced into learning and installing this.
@@williammorris3303 , I am with you. Black iron pipe has passed the test of time (first manufactured in the early 1800s). I look at the mega press fittings as just an addition, to a already great product (Black iron pipe/steel pipe).
Black pipe and threading has always been a go to. Threading pipe is no big deal if you invest in an electric pipe threader. I have a Milwaukee cordless pipe threader that threads up to 2" pipe. Its like butter , i can thread a 1" pipe in 3 minutes. I thread black pipe and i also use the flash shield plus gas line csst. So i use black pipe coming in from meter then i run the csst flash shield plus over to furnace, water heater, stove , ECT and attach it to 1/2" black pipe with drip leg, union. If its a small house i run 1/2" csst , if it's a bigger home i run 3/4" csst. It just depends on how many fictures and what the BTU is on each. The flash shield plus already has a built in lightning arc protection so the manufacturer does not require it to be bonded, But in some townships i work in they still require it to be bonded with #6 grounding wire to breaker panel. I am a licensed master plumber in 3 different states and owner my own plumbing business for 20 plus years and i will never use the propress method on copper pipe or gas lines. I do use sharkbite fittings on mobile homes only , or i might use a sharkbite cap temporarily on water line to pressure test it then i remove it . I use uponor pex also for water lines . If customer has copper inude copper, if customer has Pex then i use pex. If i do nee home construction i give customer cost in copper vs pex. With uponor pex the manufacturer offers a 25 year warranty if your certified which i am. Just my two cents on the matter..
15 years ago we ran 1-1/4" black iron as the main trunk through our 1 story home. Longer house so we opted to have 2 tankless heaters with high btu requirements. The threading and wrenching took years off my life. Nice to see press fitings becoming the norm in gas after water line fittings paved the way So efficient
In commercial applications press fittings have become the norm. Megapress is extremely impressive with durability. Most projects also save on labor with these fittings, the most expensive phase of the project
Residential must last much longer than commercial. This is not good. My 100 year old house has original piping, try that with an O-ring. Ain't happening
I had to fix frozen pipes on a radiator line, threaded pipe that had to have gone in as the house was built. The plumber used the press pipe on the repairs, so much easier than a series of short pieces and a Union. If your power goes out on the coldest day of the year, get a generator because your boiler pipes than never froze before will in that scenario!
Sizing of pipe is very important which is another value to using a knowledgeable plumber. In 1980 I installed a tankless 100K btu Rinnai tankless water heater still in use today and had to redo galv. feed at great expense to 1-1/4" to handle the size of burner. One time lesson. Ray
A good thread job is a ton of fun though. Easy, straightforward, repetitive, moderately physical. Love a good threaded pipe job. Mega press almost always makes more sense but some people refuse to spec it.
Manufacturers have won the war regarding press fittings in plumbing & hvacr with pushing pressed fittings to sell the expensive tool & fittings. As the plumber attested, only 10 yrs of field testing vs. 100 for the threaded fittings so we really don’t know how well pressed fittings will stand the test of time. Good video discussing the merits & disadvantages of both. Thank you.
Installers are looking for shortcuts. By the time the fitting fails they long gone. And who cares about a parts warranty on fittings. That is not what's expensive.
Ive scene those press fittings corode from being dripped on from a condensate line into the press seal flap area.. granted that water is super acidic but still, i'de rather have a threaded elbow than a pressed elbow any day just from the wall thickness aspect
Threaded has the disadvantage of only being able to add to the end. No cutting in a t without using a union and threading while in place or removing both halves and taking to hd to get threaded. Perhaps you can rent that crimp tool as a homeowner to cut in a t on black iron pipe.
Yep, all supply houses rent the press tools. In my early days we’d thread in between studs or in a ditch sometimes on galvanized water lines. Luckily we had the rigid pony threader so we didn’t do much by hand. Though when we used to cut and thread pipe for entire houses we’d automatically add unions ever so often. This made any repairs or changes down the road much easier.
@@joshcowart2446 yes I still do the old school way I have used flex but not a fan it can be damaged to easily I tread 90% of my pipe and mega press most the add ons. I’ve not bought the Milwaukee battery pipe threader but I’ve been seriously considering buying one .10:22
I need to run a line for propane underground from my garage to my house. Runs is about 100'. What's the best type of pipe to use? I do have an 1 1/4" schedule 40 flexible conduit that I thought burying then put the gas pipe through it. It would add a nice layer of protection
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned that black threaded pipe comes sold prethreaded in 1 foot increments and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 inch increments I believe.
Recently did 3/4 mega press and found the fitting would spin after being pressed. And very easily. Is that normal? I don’t remember that happening on 1” and above
I would never let CCST be installed in my home. I personally know two homes that caught fire after a lighting strike. As an electrician I don't care how well it's bonded, you can't predict the direction of a lighting strike. CCST is a product prone to failure.
I’m assuming you are talking about the yellow tubing they first showed? If so I can attest that lightning hit my home about 10 years ago and it hit the exhaust vent of my furnace. Lightning fried my HVAC and arc’d a whole in my condescending coils. Even welded the cover plates of the unit together. It was crazy. But the most dangerous thing that I never noticed until the hvac people came out was that current must of also traveled into the yellow gas tubing I had in there and a pinhole formed as a result and I was leaking gas for a couple weeks. I was very lucky it didn’t go up in flames
You are correct. We have about 50 to 100 years of natural gas left , maybe a little longer if we start blending hydrogen (which I don’t see it happening). So at some point, we will be looking at a world of heat pumps and induction stoves.
@boby115 Don't fall for the scare mongering. There is plenty of gas. From a national security aspect you would want gas as a backup. But we live in clownworld hence the demonizing of gas.
They also have black flex gas lines. Not sure of what manufacturer company makes it or even if they still make it but I’ve come across it a couple times and took the old fitting to the supplier and they matched them.
@@plumbbuild6517 , The yellow CSST is the older version (still sold today), that absolutely needs to be bonded . The black CSST, sometimes referred to as Counterstrike or Flash Shield needs no additional bonding but a lot of states & municipal codes require it anyway (which is not a bad idea).
@@boby115 thanks for sharing I was sure if it was older or newer. I been plumbing since the 80s but have ran flex gas much at all I thread all my pipe I go with what I know and trust. Thanks again for responding
@@jonerlandson1956 It does. Supposedly the HBNR is better, and even the normal buna-n in the water line pro-press fittings will last as long as the pipe. (I'm not entirely convinced.)
In my opinion gas tite or csst is only good in small remodel situations. If you’re remodeling a room and adding a gas appliance it’s real easy to run an individual line over and down the wall. Other than that I don’t think it’s a good product. It’s the only product where in walls you aren’t allowed to strap it. This is so if a nail goes in it can push it out of the way If you’re doing a complete remodel or new construction, black iron is the only way to go. I trust mega press for gas much more than I do pro press for copper. One issue they both have that bugs me is it’s so hard to make them look nice. Especially mega press. You’ll have the pipe plumb and then when it presses it will kick it off or it will come out of the fitting at an angle.
Yes, I agree, plumber from down under here-really sure the phenomenal that you’re describing is deflection and in general, it will deflect back towards the centre of the tool if you’re using Jews by themselves and typically outwards away from the tool if you’re using a set of closing teeth and a collar adapter to crimp large diameter lines say three or 4 inch-keeping all of that in your head when you’re standing on scaffold and trying to push the tool into an awkward space whilst being partly off balance sometimes makes for an interesting afternoon… but such as the pleasure of the lives for those of us that turn the wrench🤣🤣
I offen chose the method and product that put more money in my labor pocket rather than the material pocket for the supply house. If I wanted to minimize labor, then why be in the plumbing business. Of course, I'm talking all other factors being equal like total job costs and time not being a factor. o o
CSST sucks, requires the electrician to bond the gas line and from what i heard will melt if a high enough voltage(Lightning/surge/fault) does come in contact with the gas system
@@ignacio8597, K & L copper is excepted by the national and international fuel, gas code (fittings must be brazed , Pro press, gas fittings, yellow, marking and flare fittings for soft L copper). Local and State codes can prohibit it’s use, this is usually due to the higher Sulfur content supplied by some natural gas, utilities (if your utility is supplying their natural gas with higher sulfur content they’re doing a piss poor job of cleaning it and kind of ripping off the consumer in my opinion).
@@boby115 🤣🤣🤣 standard over in the UK . Soft solder the stuff is standard aswell. Can get pro press copper fittings tho. We dont havd issue with sulphur.
@@D_pawson , so what you’re saying is , your utilities are great about eliminating the likelihood of copper sulfate in your copper gas lines but your code authorities are a bunch of idiots that allow soft solder that melts at 600° F /316° C or does your house fires burn cooler in the UK(🇬🇧) ? 😂
Csst at a dollar a foot min is far from the cheapest way. I don’t not like it, I didn’t even want to get that certification, I was forced by my employer. I have seen this leak abruptly at the fitting after years of being in service. I haven’t had any leaks on my installs “yet” I just resisted installing it for so long I don’t have any in service for “years “ yet
What about iron threaded pipes etc to be applied to Biden’s new regulations for gas stoves? How will those regs affect basic plumbing for gas appliances?
