there was a big problem in mass recently with csst gas pipe. the brand(i believe it is trac pipe)that you have to peel off some of the yellow plastic coating for 2 convolutions beyond the fitting thus leaving a little bit of stainless showing, gives very specific instructions NOT to use dishwashing soap for testing. there is something in them,chlorine i think, that attacks the stainless and causes pinholes. you must use an approved bubble solution that will not harm the stainless. then after you test you are supposed to wash the joints down with plain water and wipe them dry. the company tells you right in their instruction manual about this. one house in the next town actually had pinhole leaks after 2 years and the plumber had to cut out a few inches at each joint and redo them.
the other problem was that a dog bit thru a piece of csst. no kidding.. they have the small piece of csst on display at the plumbing board in boston that the dog bit. it has 2 holes in it where the dogs teeth went thru it..

I knew something was going to happen sooner or later. When I got certified (Wardflex) last month to purchase and install CSST, they didn't mention that part about certain leak detectors eating the SS. Recent code changes here allows CSST to be used. You need to be certified by each manufacturer to purchase and install their product.
*westchester plumber*

Each plumbing inspector from each municipality, (40+) also needs to be certified, some are refusing to allow CSST, we do not have state code countywide.



Post Edited (08-07-03 21:57)

Could this product also be called Ward-Flex?

yes... some of the products have you leave the yellow coating on the csst and slide the brass nut on the pipe and put the split rings over the plastic coating,thus the coating is part of the seal. in other words no stainless shows after the joint is tightened, but only with some manufacturers.
that still doesn't help if the dog wants to take a bite out of the csst.
as far as i know this product is approved nationally. mass was the last state to approve it.
i've been using csst for a couple of years and it is the greatest labor saving product since pvc came in.

I still use b.i. A dog would have to chew a long time to make a hole in it.

You can have the b.i. Trac pipe is good stuff and yes they told us no soap.

You wouldn't think that soap would attack SS`would you? Bizzare. You can run over it with a backhoe without reducing its capacity, its impossible to kink it and reduce its capacity, yet soap does a number on it!

Yellow polyethylene, will not crush, isn't damaged by soap, and will withstand a trencher running against it, (but not across it, but then neither would csst), and won't rust like BI, even if SkotchKoted.