What is this #2?

[jodil]

What is this pipe here for? Its at the back of the house at the patio and it is open.

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[kurt]

Most likely an old vent pipe for the fuel oil tank. There may be a tank, or not.

[caryseidner]

Kurt,

How about this one?

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[caryseidner]

A closer look.

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[StevenT]

I would say gas, but it could be water. Is there a dryer vent anywhere nearby? I don't see any pipe dope or teflon tape. If it was water, there would probably be more rust. If it's gas and there's no dope or tape (yellow for gas), it will leak too.

[kurt]

Hey Cary...

It's the old gas stub. Someone epoxied around it because it was probably leaking. I've never seen one doped, I've never found one leaking, and I've seen thousands of them throughout the City.

[Les]

I am with Kurt. Never seen a leaker and typically regulated upstream and not at meter.

[StevenT]

Maybe it's my eyes... they have been failing as of late, but I don't see epoxy on the pipe, especially on the threads of the plug. I have seen pleanty of leaking gas pipes. Whenever making up black pipe, the threads are always doped, for gas the dope I use is blue or grey. Don't get the blue on you hands, it won't come off for weeks.

Maybe it's a regional thing.

[fqp25]

Hi Steven,

I think the epoxy Kurt is referring to, is the epoxy around the pipe, to seal up the hole in the wall. There are some white blotches on the fittings, chances are there is some kind of thread compound on there, especially if it's not leaking.

It could be an old gas service entrance. Knowing that area, you'll probably never see more than 10psi after the meter.

Frank

[kurt]

Franks right. I was talking about the nozzle and the epoxy around the pipe penetration.

Around here, it's more like 4psi.

[StevenT]

Where I am it's also about 4-6 lbs. I see a trace of something on the street 90, but not on the plug. Anyway, if it doesn't leak, it doesn't leak.

[Steven Hockstein]

Originally posted by jodil

What is this pipe here for? Its at the back of the house at the patio and it is open.

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I am guessing that the pipe through the patio has someting to do with the capped wiring connection on the house. Maybe it is a conduit that was installed for refrigerant piping? The electrical connection could be for the 220V wire to the compressor?

It could also be for many other things. Was the gas meter removed from this location? Was there a natural gas A/C system? Is it conduit for gas grill pipe or electrical wiring?

[caryseidner]

Originally posted by kurt

Hey Cary...

It's the old gas stub. Someone epoxied around it because it was probably leaking. I've never seen one doped, I've never found one leaking, and I've seen thousands of them throughout the City.

Kurt,

You were correct! Before I had a chance to get back to my client, they had scheduled a UST removal contractor to get out there and evaluate. The UST guy carefully removed the pipe's cap in the basement (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!). Smelled and swabbed the i.d. for traces of gas/petro. Then we stuck an electrician's fish tape through the pipe. It extended all the way out into the parkway. He got out his metal detector and scanned the area where the fish tape extended to. No Tank, and based on the length and path of the pipe it certainly does appear to be an abandon gas line. Thanks again for your help. I owe you...again!

[jodil]

I ended up calling the seller and asking out of curiosity. He states that pipe is an emergency air source for an underground steel and cement bomb shelter...strange I inspected the shelter, but he said there is a knock out at the top of the ceiling in the shelter that can access this pipe in an emergency...So in case of a nuke you can breathe in radiation versus suffocation from running out of air...[:-crazy]