Gas Line Installation and Repair for Natural Gas and Propane in Kitsap, Pierce and Mason Counties

Natural gas versus propane in the West Sound

Natural gas around here is patchy. Cascade Natural Gas has mains through the more built-up parts of Kitsap County: Bremerton, Port Orchard, Silverdale, Poulsbo, Manchester, Keyport, Gorst and the corridors between them, plus Belfair and Shelton in Mason County. Puget Sound Energy supplies gas on the Pierce County side, through Gig Harbor, University Place, Tacoma and Puyallup. Step a mile off those corridors and there is no main at all.

That is why so much of our gas work is propane. Cabins on Hood Canal, acreage in Olalla and Seabeck, the Key Peninsula, Tahuya and Grapeview all run on a tank in the yard. Propane is delivered at a different pressure and has a different energy density than natural gas, so the pipe sizing, the regulators and the appliance orifices are all different. An appliance converted from natural gas to propane without the right kit will burn yellow, soot up, and eventually fail.

We size and install for either fuel. On propane systems we coordinate with the tank supplier on the first-stage regulator at the tank, install the second-stage regulator at the house, and run the line in black iron, CSST or underground-rated poly to each appliance. On natural gas we work downstream of the meter, and we handle the utility paperwork when a new meter or an upgraded meter is needed for added load.

Sizing the pipe for everything on the line

The most common mistake we fix is an undersized line. A homeowner adds a tankless water heater that needs a large volume of gas when it fires, ties it into a half-inch line that was sized for a furnace and a range, and then wonders why the shower goes cold when the furnace kicks on. The pipe cannot deliver enough gas to both at once.

Before we run anything, we add up the input rating of every appliance on the system, measure the longest run from the meter or regulator, and size each section from the code tables. A Rinnai tankless by itself often needs three-quarter-inch pipe all the way back to the meter, and a whole house with a range, dryer, furnace, fireplace and tankless may need an inch at the trunk. We also check whether the meter itself is rated for the new total, because a meter that is too small is the utility's job to upgrade.

Drip legs, shutoff valves within reach of each appliance, and the correct flexible connector with no part of it running through a wall or floor are all part of the install. On tankless units and generators we set the pressure and confirm it under full fire with a manometer, not by eye.

Black iron, CSST and underground poly

Inside most homes we run threaded black iron pipe. It is tough, it is what inspectors expect, and it does not care about nails or mice. Every joint is doped with gas-rated sealant and tightened to a proper engagement, and the whole system is capped and tested before a single appliance is connected.

Corrugated stainless steel tubing, CSST, is faster to run through finished spaces and we use it where it makes sense, such as a fireplace on an exterior wall or a range relocated across a finished kitchen. CSST has to be bonded to the electrical grounding system to protect it from lightning, and that bonding is something we see missed on a lot of older installs. We correct it when we find it.

For BBQ islands, fire pits, pool heaters, detached shops and generators, the line goes underground in polyethylene gas pipe with tracer wire, risers at each end, and the right depth and bedding. A properly buried poly line will outlast the appliance it feeds.

Gas leak detection and repair

Gas leaks announce themselves with the mercaptan smell, a hissing sound at a fitting, dead grass over a buried line, or a gas bill that climbed with no new appliance. Small leaks at old unions, corroded fittings in a damp crawlspace, and flex connectors that were kinked during an appliance swap are the ones we see most. The pre-1980s homes near PSNS often have original black iron with fittings that were doped with compounds that have long since dried out.

We find leaks with a combustible gas detector and soap solution, confirm them, and isolate the section. If the leak is at one fitting we repair the fitting. If a line has multiple weeping joints we recommend replacing the run rather than chasing leaks one at a time, and we show you the detector readings so the decision is yours.

After any repair the entire system is pressure-tested with air for a timed hold, typically with the gauge reading well above operating pressure. If it holds, we purge, relight the appliances and check each one for correct flame. If it does not hold, we keep looking. We do not reconnect gas to a system that is dropping pressure.

Permits, inspections and the utility

Gas piping in Washington requires a permit and an inspection in nearly every case: new lines, extensions, appliance additions, and most repairs beyond swapping a flex connector. Kitsap County, the cities of Port Orchard, Bremerton and Poulsbo, Pierce County and Mason County each issue their own, and we pull the right one for your address. The inspector sees the pressure test before any wall closes.

When you add significant load on natural gas, the utility may need to set a larger meter or upgrade the regulator. We tell you early if that is likely and help with the request to Cascade or PSE so the meter is ready when the piping is. On propane, we coordinate tank sizing and regulator setup with your propane supplier so nobody shows up to a system that cannot be connected.

What we hook up most often

Gas ranges and cooktops are the top request, usually during a kitchen remodel. We bring the line to the range location, set a shutoff and a drip leg, and connect with a range-rated flex. Water heater and tankless connections are next, often as part of a conversion that needs the line upsized. Dryers, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and fire pits round out the residential work.

Standby generators have become a steady part of our schedule since the extended outages of the last few winters. A generator needs a dedicated, properly sized line, often with its own regulator, and it has to be tested under full load because a generator that starves at the worst moment is worse than no generator at all. We work alongside your electrician so the gas side and the transfer switch are ready at the same time.