Locating Pipes in wall

[D J]

Folks,

I am getting a new gas line in my house. So far everything is electric (heat, water heater, cook range everything). You can understand my aggression to go for Gas due to the electric bills.

I called up the utility company and they will run the gas line to my house for free. Now, I have to run it inside the house (no basement).

I located a nipple outside the house, which is generally used for Gas. One plumber also said the same.

problem is, I don't know if previous owner(s) really ran the line already or it was just for something else.

I need to find out if the metal gas pipes are already running in my house so before gutting the wall, I can save some money.

any ideas on how to locate it without much disturbance to walls? would infrared cameras work?

Thanks, DJ

[Speedy Jim]

You may be able to use a metal detector (treasure hunting) to locate within wall.

But I'm very suspicious. Why would a previous owner have run gas lines thru the house when there wasn't service?

If you do find any, you'll need to verify by pressure testing. (I imagine the utility will want evidence of testing before they will set the meter anyway.)

Jim

[BobK207]

Jim-

The previous owner or builder could have the run the gas line for "future use" or when access was available due to other work because "now is the time to do it".

It is not inconceivable that someone would run gas line or conduit and then not use it for a long time.

But the existing needs to be pressure tested and located before "hotting".

OP-

Is you house slab on grade or crawl space construction?

Some of the higher end "stud finders" can locate power runs, fresh water, drains & gas lines.........my stud finder identifies them but not with super good reliability.

IR cameras display temperature differences, if the gas line is in an interior wall it might not cause enough temperature difference at the wall surface for the camera to pick it up.

I'd suggest the stud finder & then SJ's metal detector suggestion next.

If you don't have a decent stud finder these are pretty good multifunction units. It generally get me pretty close & I verify with drill or ice pick.

I think mine is the 500 or 520

cheers Bob

[EXT]

IF, and that is IF that is a gas line, it must go somewhere. Look for a capped pipe where the kitchen stove, dryer or heater would be installed. If the end is buried in the wall, it will be impossible to locate. If you have a crawl space follow the pipe and see where it goes. If your house is on a slab, the pipe should not be under the concrete like water pipes but should run within the walls and or ceiling to the point of use. Also what size is the pipe, you really don't want a line that is less than a nominal 1" size if you are going to have multiple uses, which would be a little less than 1

1/4" in outside diameter.

[Norminn]

Check with the municipality to see of they have original plans or permits on file for the home. Our town has blueprints on file for our condo, with all wiring, plumbing, etc.

[HeyBub]

As one poster essentially said: the other end of the pipe has to be somewhere. If you can find another capped pipe, it should be a simple matter to discover whether the two ends are connected (Hint: use a 12-volt transformer and a doorbell).

Just thought of something: If you take off the existing nipple, does water come out? If so, that's not the pipe you want.

If you could feed some sound into the pipe, maybe a stethoscope could track its path? Have someone flog the exposed pipe with a reciprocating saw (no blade). That should generate sufficient din to be heard down the block!

[aemeijers]

Bingo! I don't remember the exact years, but there was a period of a couple 3 years 20-30 years ago, where you couldn't GET new gas service in parts of the country. Any houses being built at the time had to make other arrangements in a hurry.

I don't remember the cause- something related to the first oil crisis, probably.

-- aem sends...