small gas leak in garage

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wpatters1229

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Joined
Dec 14, 2023
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Location
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I have a small leak where a pipe enters an elbow. I can smell a slight smell of gas when I walk into that area where the pipe is but then it goes away. I sprayed soapy water on the connection and saw about a quarter of an inch area with very small bubbles. I moved the pipe and they stopped. I decided to use an old trick using baking soda and super glue. I put a small amount of super glue on the area where the bubbles were and then dumped some baking soda on it and it formed a hard shell from the chemical reaction between the super glue and the baking soda. This elbow is not in an area where replacing it would be easy.
Any other ideas?
 
For heaven's sake, replace the fitting. Turn off the gas, unscrew the fitting, check the threads on the fitting and the pipe, and replace the fitting and the pipe if required, being sure to use a good pipe dope.

I would only use that "trick" on a water line that was leaking above my primary electrical panel that was located above my bed in a room where I just laid new flooring of exotic wood from the wilds of Africa that cost $10,000 per square foot! LOL!!!!!
 
You are crazy if you leave your patch as a solution. Don’t forget to tell your insurance company that you’ve done this.
 
The joint in question is an elbow that connects two very long pipes. I want to just replace the elbow but one of the pipes needs to be cut and then a union put in place. How do you get threads on the one end of the cut pipe? Can you do that by hand with a threading tool? To remove that whole long pipe would almost be impossible. i will have to look on YouTube to see if there is a way to get a tool on the end of that pipe before connecting a union.
 
wpatters1229 said:
The joint in question is an elbow that connects two very long pipes. I want to just replace the elbow but one of the pipes needs to be cut and then a union put in place. How do you get threads on the one end of the cut pipe? Can you do that by hand with a threading tool? To remove that whole long pipe would almost be impossible. i will have to look on YouTube to see if there is a way to get a tool on the end of that pipe before connecting a union.
Click to expand...
Post a picture
 
I think I found a fix. I bought a long compression fitting. The ones with the rubber seal inside that goes around the outside of the pipe. You slip each cut end of the pipe into the compression fitting and then tighten the collars that compress the rubber seal around the pipe. It is good up to 150 PSI which is many times more than what I need. This way I can purge the gas line, make the cut, and remove the pipe in question that fits into the 90-degree fitting. Replace that 90-degree fitting and then take the short piece and after tightening it into the 90, insert it into one end of the compression fitting and then the long pipe into the other end and tighten the two compression nuts. Check for leaks and it should work.
 
Call your local hardware and see if they can thread the end of your pipe. It wouldn't cost that much. Usually the fitting that you are talking about we
would occasionally use on a water line but not gas.
 
If I could remove the pipe I would but it is about 15 feet long and is impossible to get to. This is a 75-year-old home. I looked at several videos on this product and they all say you can use it on gas. Maybe I will try my method using this compression sleeve and then test for gas leaks. If none is found I will just monitor it. I do keep a window partially open nearby that would dissipate any gas. I can not afford to have a plumber do this and I do have the skills to do this.
 
I think what everyone is saying is that your proposed "fix" is FAR from acceptable to ANY professional.

But it is your house, your insurance company you will have to deal with in case on an incident, and your life. I personally would NEVER trust a device that has to seal gas based on the condition of the exterior of a 75-year-old iron pipe.
 
This pipe and the spot where I will have to cut the pipe are outside a wall and can be easily gotten to for monitoring. Just do not have any other option short of trying to rip apart the other end of the long pipe to unscrew it and replace it. The pipes are solid and not mechanically a problem. Some say if properly installed this should work. I have come across brass compression fittings like the long galvanized ones (3/4" IPS (1" CTS) Brass Compression Coupling Long (Lead Free)) but are hard to find. I know brass does not corrode with gas. I would think with proper clamping and the seal being good everything would be fine.
 
If you're set on using that style of coupling it has to be rated for gas. This is the only one I would use it at least has pullout prevention with a retaining ring. Best option is to thread the pipe and use a union as stated. Can you rent a pipe threader?
 
As Rickyman asked, it would greatly help if you posted a picture of the area around the elbow and the other ends of the "long" pipes. We may be able to assist you. As GReynolds929 asked, can you rent a pipe threader? If you can, and if you have room around the elbow in question, you very well may be able to thread it in place.

But what you are saying is that both legs of the elbow are on long pipes that would be very difficult to be unscrewed from the fittings on the other end. There is a difference between VERY difficult and impossible.

You did not post the brand or specifications of your mechanical coupling. But if it as you say, a rubber seal, even if it is rated for gas service, it will definitely not be fire rated. The Dresser coupling GReynolds929 suggested probably is as it has packing rather than rubber. So should a fire start in your garage from say spilled gasoline, the fire could possibly burn the rubber seal and provide the fire with some great fuel.

Just trying to save lives and maintain your homeowner's insurance.
 
I checked it yesterday for leaks as it is and none, so the leak is very small if at all. I used some silicone self-adhesive tape (the tape that sticks to itself and not the object) it is wrapped around the joint several turns and is wider than the joint. Seems to work. Just not able to get to either pipe to be able to use even a hand pipe threader. For now, it will have to do. If there ever is a fire this is the least of my worries. It is against an outside wall in a laundry room that is part of the garage.
 
The problem is solved. There is no way without totally re-routing the piping to get this on a pipe threader. Do not have the resources to pay a plumber. The leak has been stopped and with the low pressure of the gas, this will have to do. I understand your concern but I have also made sure the leak has stopped as it was barely a leak to begin with.
 
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