LP Gas systems - Grounding, Bonding and lightning

[María Cristina Bernal]

According to NFPA 58, LP Gas systems do not require lightning protection equipment, grounding and bonding, then How are static electricity hazards and lightning strike risks managed?

 

[hillbilly1]

My neighbor experienced a lightning strike to a gas line first hand, he just happened to be in his basement when it struck, arcing to the termite shield burning a hole in the gas line. It was blowing a flame against the wall, which luckily was block, so he was able to turn off the gas before it caught his house on fire.

 

[Birken Vogt]

The pipes inside the house should be bonded to the service.

As the pipe leaves the house, before it enters the dirt, there should be an insulated union so the outside riser does not act as a ground rod.

The underground pipe may be steel or plastic. Either way it should be insulated from the dirt by a coating.

At the propane tank end of things, the tank and fittings are all metal, and are sitting on concrete blocks, in physical contact with the ground.

 

[hillbilly1]

The pipes inside the house should be bonded to the service.

As the pipe leaves the house, before it enters the dirt, there should be an insulated union so the outside riser does not act as a ground rod.

The underground pipe may be steel or plastic. Either way it should be insulated from the dirt by a coating.

At the propane tank end of things, the tank and fittings are all metal, and are sitting on concrete blocks, in physical contact with the ground.

Here, the underground pipe is bare copper. The past few years now, they have been using plastic coated copper.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Copper is not used much around here so that slipped my mind.

The coating is only for corrosion protection and I am not sure why copper started needing to be coated. Either way it should have an insulating union where it emerges from the ground before it connects to the house piping, which is bonded to the service of course.

 

[hillbilly1]

Copper is not used much around here so that slipped my mind.

The coating is only for corrosion protection and I am not sure why copper started needing to be coated. Either way it should have an insulating union where it emerges from the ground before it connects to the house piping, which is bonded to the service of course.

I think the coating is just for identification purposes, it’s been used bare around here for as long as I can remember. At least 50-60 years minimum.