Gas leak?

[galaga]

I just did a test a few days ago,found out a lot small gas leak in my laundromat ,some are pipe fitting ,some are OEM in water heater ,dryers.
I spent near 20 hrs with a plumber fix most pipe fitting leak,cost me near $1000.Some are very small.
I found out both AO Smith water heater main shuoff valve leak,polit valve leak,almost all Dexter stack dryers shuoff valve leak,those are from original factory.Those are very small leak but it is still leak.
Does anyone ever put a meter and see if your store leak any gas?

[mmurra]

Galaga - how did you test for the leaks? Mark

[galaga]

Soap water first.
When I test the pips and fittings,I turn off all valves ,turn off main valve to gas meter,add an air gage to the line,use air compresser add air ,only put about 3-5 psi ,wait 30 mins ,see if the number change .
You can find the test kit in most hardware store.
If you want to add compress air,you have to turn off valve go to dryer,water heater,gas meter since they are designed for less air pressure.
I spoke to a gas company's tech ,he told me they turn off valve before meter,use marker mark the glass in front of inpeller on meter ,wait 15-30 mins ,if the inpeller won't move,you have no leak.

[MrMachine]

I just did a test a few days ago,found out a lot small gas leak in my laundromat ,some are pipe fitting ,some are OEM in water heater ,dryers.
I spent near 20 hrs with a plumber fix most pipe fitting leak,cost me near $1000.Some are very small.
I found out both AO Smith water heater main shuoff valve leak,polit valve leak,almost all Dexter stack dryers shuoff valve leak,those are from original factory.Those are very small leak but it is still leak.
Does anyone ever put a meter and see if your store leak any gas?

Galaga,

Yes, I have also been down this road. Similar tests.....pump air into the lines and put a mercury gauge on the main gas line for about 30 minutes. If there is a leak, the mercury in the gauge will drop, and Con Ed will shut me down.

I had built a new store in 2003. The store had been mercury tested and passed. Then, in 2008 another store in my building had a fire, and Con Ed shut the gas to the whole building. In order to get service resumed, each business had to be "blue carded", meaning that each business had to re-apply for gas service and be pressure tested.
The plumber said that most of the stores would fail the test, especially the laundromat because we have so many fittings and valves. I told him that my store was new, and that it just passed inspection only 5 years ago. He said that there are always leaks that develop over time.
He was right. Con Ed did the test, and it failed. We then went through the nightmare of trying to find the leak(s). It took hours and a lot of plumbing time, but we eventually found all the leaks.
The amazing thing is that 2 years later we could have new leaks.

[galaga]

That laundromat is an over 40 years old store,I am the 4th owner.Machines have been changed,not pipes,we had to use a 3' pipe wrench and add a 3' pipe to remove some large fitting .
I was told by gas company's tech ,if you don't turn off valve to gas meter,you get too many air in gas line,you may damage their meter .
When plumber tols me almost all OEM valves in Dexter dryers leak,I did not believe him,I went to test them myself ,yes ,they all leak from center of valve ,not from the fitting.
I was wonder ,do I save enough maney to find gas leak in the long run,cost me $1000 so far ,we are not done yet.

[Adamski]

Galaga,

It's not about stopping the leakage to save money ... it's about NOT BLOWING UP YOUR LAUNDROMAT.

[mmurra]

I was hoping for a simpler test. Mark

[laundryboy2]

It is not a simple test, especially in a large store. Any time the Gas Co. shuts off your gas, they will test 'your' side of the meter before resume service.

Had this happen to me in a 5500sq ft store with lots of gas lines. Was once a dryCleaner and Laundromat. If your ever planning a new facilty have shut-off vales for differnt banks of dryers/waterheaters/HVAC units. I had 3" vales that leaked (re-pack and there fine). My system had no leaks at the equipment, it was the fittings and valves on the main lines throughout the store. A real pain!

[bo]

They make a sniffer tester for natural gas. Handheld ,looks like a freon detector that the AC techs use.

[galaga]

I have a nice commercial quality gas tester ,cost me $200-300 a few years ago ,use a few times ,find out put a prusser gage ,soap and water is a lot easier!
DO NOT ASK YOUR GAS COMPANY TO DO A TEST ,if your system leak,they may turn your gas off.
Do it yourslf after store close ,just buy a gage kit ,I let my friend use my test kit now,when he is done,I can post a picture.
You just disconnect a 3/4" pipe from dryer or anywhere in your store to put a gage or if you do not like spend $10 for a kit ,do the meter just I post how to do it before.