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Safety -- Make sure you are safe!

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  #1  
Old 2005-09-06, 7:39am
stephanielysik stephanielysik is offline
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Default Natural gas question....

Hi, I just switched from propane to natural gas...WOOHOO...anyways, here is my question...After each session, I have always bled the hose by shutting the tank down then running my torch flame until the hose is empty. I would then disconnect the hose from the tank. With the propane tank, it took 10-20 seconds to empty the hose. Now, Because the pressure of the household gas is much lower, the flame burns out almost instantly once I shut the main valve off. Is there something else I should be doing to assure that there is no residual gas in my flexible hose?? Also, should I disconnect the hose after each use? If you use natural gas, please chime in...any information would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Stephanie
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  #2  
Old 2005-09-06, 7:57am
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Dale M. Dale M. is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanielysik
Hi, I just switched from propane to natural gas...WOOHOO...anyways, here is my question...After each session, I have always bled the hose by shutting the tank down then running my torch flame until the hose is empty. I would then disconnect the hose from the tank. With the propane tank, it took 10-20 seconds to empty the hose. Now, Because the pressure of the household gas is much lower, the flame burns out almost instantly once I shut the main valve off. Is there something else I should be doing to assure that there is no residual gas in my flexible hose?? Also, should I disconnect the hose after each use? If you use natural gas, please chime in...any information would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Stephanie

Yes, flame should extinguish almost immediately....

No, there is no reason to have to disconnect hose each time you finish working. Continued connecting/disconnection will just wear out fittings and hose ends and you should test connection for leaks each time you reconnect. IF you choose to leave hose connected and there is no reason not to, you should still test for leaks occasionally.

Dale
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  #3  
Old 2005-09-06, 7:57am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanielysik
Hi, I just switched from propane to natural gas...WOOHOO...anyways, here is my question...After each session, I have always bled the hose by shutting the tank down then running my torch flame until the hose is empty. I would then disconnect the hose from the tank. With the propane tank, it took 10-20 seconds to empty the hose. Now, Because the pressure of the household gas is much lower, the flame burns out almost instantly once I shut the main valve off. Is there something else I should be doing to assure that there is no residual gas in my flexible hose?? Also, should I disconnect the hose after each use? If you use natural gas, please chime in...any information would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Stephanie
No and no.
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  #4  
Old 2005-09-06, 8:00am
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MikeAurelius MikeAurelius is offline
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Personally, I'd leave the gas line attached to the torch all the time.

Close off all valves certainly.

The reason I say this is that the natural gas line is always "active". It's not like the propane where you can disconnect it, remove the regulator, etc. and the line is "dead". But with a natural gas connection, you are hooked up to the house line, and it's only a valve away from being "on". If the line were disconnected from the torch, I'd be concerned that the valve might accidently be turned, even slightly, and there would be a leak in the house. By keeping it attached to the torch, you have the additional safety of the torch valve to keep the line closed.
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  #5  
Old 2005-09-06, 8:34am
stephanielysik stephanielysik is offline
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thanks for the info. I was assuming that I should keep it attached, but thought I should pose the question "just in case". My real concern is whether having any residual gas in the flexible tubing would degrade the hose over time? Is natural gas less likely to do this than propane, or is this just not a concern altogether?

Thanks,
Stephanie
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  #6  
Old 2005-09-06, 10:27am
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All hose does degrade over time, it's just natural.

Replace it every year or so, just to be safe.
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  #7  
Old 2005-09-06, 11:29am
stephanielysik stephanielysik is offline
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Thanks Mike...I can rest easy now!!!

Stephanie
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  #8  
Old 2005-09-06, 7:35pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeAurelius
All hose does degrade over time, it's just natural.

Replace it every year or so, just to be safe.

Based on how much usage? Because I really haven't used it all that much if I had to break it down into year(s). Thanks
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  #9  
Old 2005-09-07, 5:01am
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MikeAurelius MikeAurelius is offline
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It depends on a lot of factors, but rubber does get brittle over time, starts to develop small cracks, which turn into larger cracks etc.

Even "T" grade hose is affected over time with exposure to the elements in fuel gas.

Personally, I'd replace hoses that are in a general traffic area at least every two years. You can go much longer if the hose is always mounted under a bench, out of sunlight, and away from being kicked, stepped on, moved. Hoses like this can last 4-5 years.

The biggest issue is exposure to the elements, even just plain sunlight.
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