BBQ gas line install, exterior
I wanted a gas hookup for my BBQ in Sept 2012. George came promptly, at a convenient time. After inspecting the house, he gave us two options: fishing over a bathroom and using a mix of CSST and black pipe pipe (required to go through the two concrete walls) to get the BBQ hookup through the house, or alternately, go 100% external to the house starting at the outside gas meter, around the wall (and up high, due to the driveway), to the BBQ. A rough estimate had both runs at about the same price, so we took the 100% exterior option (George conveniently mentioned that, since we're non-commercial, we are allowed to paint the yellow CSST line if we want it to match the red brick). He lined-up the line with the existing electrical so it looked fairly tidy.
We went with a 1/2" connection.
We also had an old shutoff valve for our gas dryer. Being paranoid, I prefered a new valve that could be operated without special tools. George installed a new valve here without charge, which was appreciated.
Subsequent to George's work, we had new eaves installed by another company. Unfortunately, they punctured the CSST line. My wife called Enbridge to shut-off the gas (the puncture was before the shut-off valve, unfortunately). Aside from the obvious red tag for the puncture, they did tag George's work for two minor items: 1) Missing take to indicate that the connection to the CSST was leak-tested (it was leak-tested: I was talking w/ George while he did it; probably why the tag was forgotten...). 2) The CSST was not properly grounded. The contractor hired by the eaves company also did not properly ground the CSST, so I imagine this is common. The purpose of grounding the CSST is to reduce the risk of arcing and punctures in the case of a lighting event. In the case of external CSST, it's not 100% clear to me that grounding necessarily makes it safer (since the grounded CSST is now more attractive to electrical charge; besides, it's pretty well grounded just by connecting to the metal exterior gas meter). Grounding wouldn't be too hard if I wanted to do it, since the water intake (inside the house, of course) is in the same corner of the house and easy to access; I haven't bothered to do this, since I regard it as a pretty minor issue.
Overall, quite happy with the installation. George was friendly and helpful.
In terms of the cost, we did not check multiple quotes, so I can't comment. My sense is that it's probably par for a ~68ft of CSST installed ~12' up.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $775.00
- Company Response
Hey Tim, thank you for taking the time to write us a very thorough and honest review. I really appreciate your feedback and, moving forward, I will add this to my completed job checklist to ensure that it does not get missed.
I always perform pressure tests on all my installed gas lines whether it is 2 ft. or 100 ft. Safety is my number one concern which is why I apologize for missing the grounding wire on your line. If the issue has not been rectified, please contact me via email or phone and I will return to the grounding line at no additional cost to you. I stand behind my work and take pride in ensuring that all my customers are 100% satisfied.
Thanks again, George