[Greenbuilding] copper pipe and underground propane leak

[Clarke Olsen]

>
     There is now a copper tubing with a plastic sheath for propane  
delivery.
     That may be the answer to soil corrosion problems.
     Clarke Olsen

> Reuben Deumling wrote:
>> Two years ago I buried a 45' copper line from my propane tank through  
>> the
>> foundation into my crawlspace. The line was two feet below grade.  
>> Yesterday
>> I discovered 120 gallons of propane missing from the tank,
>
>> <snip>
>> My question is whether anyone on this list has heard of a big leak  
>> like this
>> (~1gal/hr) developing suddenly underground?
> I have: A motel unit in Kamloops, B.C. exploded a few years ago,  
> killing
> two people--a construction worker and his young child--who were renting
> the unit while working in town. The explosion also set the building on
> fire.
> It is likely the leak started that day while the man was at work, since
> it's likely he would have known to say something about the odour if it
> had leaked before he left for the day.
> As in your case, the copper line ran through the foundation and into a
> crawl space under the motel units.
> The authorities investigating this incident came to realize that the
> copper pipes had been corroded by sulfur which is naturally present in
> the soil here: moisture in the ground mixes with the sulfur to create
> sulfuric acid.
> Up until that point, no-one realized this was a problem. Now, no-one
> around here uses copper pipes for underground gas lines, but use  
> instead
> the plastic pipes intended for gas lines. Ordinary black plastic pipe  
> is
> slightly porous, by the way, so should also be avoided. Use the plastic
> piping designed for gas lines.
>
> Chris Green.
>
>
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