I have an old 1" black iron gas line strapped to the ceiling joists in my basement. Upstairs a 250 pound person slipped and fell hard on the flooring above it. The fell right where there is a union below.

Do you think that type of jarring could cause a joint to leak or otherwise damage it? Do threaded joints loosen when jarred like that?



Edited 2 times.

No worries- the wooden joist absorbed the blow.

that's what I was thinking (hoping) too.

Is that the function of a joist, to absorb weight?

Do you think the blow of a 250 man falling hard would be any more forceful than say regular foot traffic by multiple people or say something like a bed, refrigerator, couch etc placed directly above a gas line like that?

The function of a floor joist is to carry the load between two walls in a 2 story and above and for a one story to carry the load between beams in the floor framing. The beams carry the load to the concrete foundation footings.

Check your local code regarding the use of unions on gas piping. Most codes limit the use, and, or placement of unions. IMO.....A flexing union, might be more prone to leaking, compared to a coupling.

so your saying what occurred would be more likely to make a union leak?

(im not familiar with a flexible union, these are not on flex piping but rather black iron.)

This union is not at a appliance. It was cut in by a service plumber during a repair. Only way to shut it off is to turn off the gas at the meter. I don't know if they are allowed in my area but it is in an accessible location.

Is this something I should be concerned about?



Edited 3 times.

You can make a simple bubble test on the specific union to check for leakage.

I don't think a 500 pound person from above would be able to cause the union to leak.

Sorry for the confusion. I was referring to the act of flexing a union.

I agree NC, and I'll try to find out why there is restrictions against unions. If for no other reason than to satisfy my own curiosity.

I've seen similar setups in Monticello and those real old, 3 story houses. I'm sure you will be ok. If you are still worried, just paint the union.

Best Wishes

Wheelchair...Could you elaborate on painting the union?

It makes no difference. NONE of those are going to loosen a properly tightened union, and if it were NOT properly tightened it would already be leaking.

NO! So just relax and get paranoid about something else.

When tight unions do NOT "flex".

I've seen black gas pipe joints that were spray painted to ensure they were sealed. I would only suggest this as a temp measure.
If there is truly a dangerous venting, there will be a paint bubble that would indicate a needed repair.

Best Wishes