Electric/Natural Gas regulations.

[Korndogg]

This spring/summer I will be running natural gas and 220 to my garage. Does anyone know off the top of their head what the regulations for the trench are and if the lines must be separated? My plan was to run some pvc for both lines to the garage. One for the electrical and one for the gas hose.

[Lash]

They can be in the same trench. Usually you can run the gas, backfill to just over the pipe/tube, run the electric, backfill the remaining. IIRC, min. Depth is 36". I don't know the requirement for type of fill though. It just can't be any stone.
I can ask Casey B. tomorrow to be sure.

Gas hose? I assume you mean the orange poly gas pipe?

[Korndogg]

Yeah, the orange/yellow poly. I just didn't want to say pipe because people might think I meant steel pipe. I was going to use sand for backfill. I never did any trenching for resi so I never had to know the codes.

[Lash]

I don't think you can use sand. It should be stone.

[Korndogg]

Ok. Well if you find anything out let me know thanks. I'm going to ask around at work tomorrow too. My electrician buddy i going to help me out with getting a panel in there and all of that but I figured I would ask around just so I can get everything I need before spring.

[jbiscuit]

Nice. Hot Dawg?

[Korndogg]

That's the plan. I wanted to do it this last year but there was too much other stuff with the fence and deck with me being laid off.

[jbiscuit]

Awesome. You'll love having the Hot Dawg. I keep mine at like 42-44 which when it's -15 outside that's a huge difference. Will heat up my 32x26 to 60 in about 20-25 min too for working out there. Did some maintenance to the snowblower this morning in a sweatshirt and my slippers :)

[Korndogg]

Yeah I plan on keeping it around 40 also. I need to do a little bit more insulating like on the ceiling and garage door still.

[awsomeears]

I hope to do the same next year, that's after I spend a billion dollars on a Ton of Concrete ;-/

I'm not even sure of the code, but I plan to run both as well, just be sure wherever you tap off of is close to the gas meter, just encase both furnaces call for heat and the inches of WC" can't keep up for the demand. I will be running 3/4 pipe but plan to install a 95%furnace but insulate the hell out of my garage, the condensation from the furnace will just be gathered in a drum.

[OxmanWI]

Are you running the gas hose or are you having someone come out? I'm looking at the same for my garage, as I want to get a How Dawg or Mr. Heater to keep the temps above freezing in my garage during the winter months.

[Korndogg]

Yeah I will be running everything.

[Lash]

Forgot to tell you that I found out that the minimum separation for gas and electrical in a residential install is 1' horizontally and 1' vertically. Don't forget you also need a tracer wire on the gas line. Minimum depth is 18", but I would go as deep as you can.

[Korndogg]

Sweet. Thanks man. I've heard 1' down and over and also 2' down and over so I wasn't sure what it was.

[Lash]

I'm pretty sure any electrical not inside ridged metal conduit has to be 18" or more also. Don't quote me that though. I still haven't looked into trench fill.

[OxmanWI]

Korndogg, when you do this in the spring/summer take pictures. Or better yet, let me know maybe I can help you and learn a thing or two. I really want to do this also for my garage. I've got three quotes so far from contractors in my area, all of them over $2000!

[Korndogg]

Sounds good, I'll let you know.