In the back yard that is. Lets put it this way. When a totally blind person can see the gas leak, it's time to fix it. This one is about a half inch to an inch above the ground (on my side of course). Have no idea how long it's been leaking like that. Anyway, it was the gas technician from the city who came out and helped me find it. So here's what I want to do for the repair, but first some other information. I don't know who ran this line, but here's what they did. They have the standard 90 coming off the meter. The pipe goes down into the ground which is standard. But where the leak is and where the pipe broke off (after the gas technician tried getting it out) there is a coupling. That coupling is what came apart. Then, there is the piece on the other side which goes into the ground. My question is why wasn't a piece of pipe run all the way down? Why put the coupling there? For now, the technician put a rag on top of the pipe to keep moisture out of it. I should say stuffed then laid the rest on top. I plan to take that coupling and the remaining piece of pipe off. Ain't digging fun? Then, it's time for a trip to home depot for a measurement. Or, I could just cut the pipe (black pipe that is) myself. I've got the cutter to do it with along with a talking tape measure so it shouldn't be too bad. Threading isn't a problem either. The pipe is 1 inch. Then I plan to coat the pipe threads with plenty of the pipe dope. Then comes reassembly. Finally, a call to the city will be in order for them to come inspect it and hopefully turn the gas back on. One other thing, the gas technician tells me that if I'm replacing 5 feet or less I don't need a permit to do it, so lets hope it's less than 5 feet. Now for some questions. Is there anything I should be aware of when digging along the pipe? Is there anything else I might have missed? Any input is appreciated. Oh, and in case someone asks "why don't you have a licensed plumber do it?", my answer is I don't want to pay a rediculous price for them to do it when I could do it myself for a fraction of that price.
Shane
