Drip Legs in California

[Bennett Price]

Are drip legs required for natural gas appliances in California (Oakland) (PG&E territory)?

[PLUMBGURU2]

On 01/19/04 Bennett Price [e-mail] asks

If water vapor is present in the natural gas supplied, the Uniform Plumbing Code (which has been adopted by the State of California) requires a drip pipe. Section 1211.5.

The only way to know if a drip pipe (leg) is required in a certain area is to call the local building department or gas supplier.

Doug

[kenny b]

Why dose it have to be required by a code to be considered done right. A drip leg or sediment tee should should be required on all gas piping as close to the gas valve as possible. It really says alot when they have to regulate commen sense. kenny b

[Blackbeard]

In my area, the gas company boasts that their gas is so clean that it is no longer necessary to use drip legs. They can boast all the want, but our inspectors still require drip legs.

The reason for code is so people have a written guide to proper installation. You have enough common sense to understand the need for a drip leg. But if you came from an area that didn't require the use of drip legs and had never seen one, you would have no idea that they were required.

Don't think of the codes as the RULES. the codes are not arbitrary. The codes have developed over the years by engineers and other tradesmen for guaranteed results.

If you do it by code, it's going to work properly. Not because I say so...and not because some pencil-head engineer says so...but because there are hundreds of years of trial and error that have slowly devloped into our current codes. And the codes are still improving every three years.

these are real improvements. The code from 3 years ago allowed me to use 1-1/2 nail plates to protect the pipes from damage. Over the years I've had several houses get nailed by the sheetrock man because he shot a nail into my pipes. The new nailplates aren't the perfect solution, but they added another 1-1/2" in height for added protection. And frankly, the newer nailplates ARE a big improvement.

Yes, the code is the law that you must follow. But that law is designed to help you and the homeowners. I'm pretty happy I haven't had a single call for damage to my pipes since I started using the new nailplates.

Code enforcement wants the same thing you want. They want a trouble-free system and satisfied homeowners. Because if something goes wrong and there's a lawsuit, you can bet your ass that code enforcement man is going to get sucked into the whole ordeal. We all want the same thing here.

[llump41]

Mine don't. I've never seen one, installed one or failed a gas inspection because it wasn't done. Just isn't required here.

[kenny b]

Blackbeard you missed my point. The code is a min. standard that is accepted. A true craftsman would have installed one regardless of it being required by the code or not. kenny b