What is the Purpose of Propane Leak Testing?

According to NFPA 54 (2006), 8.2.3, “Immediately after the gas is turned on into a new system or into a system that has been initially restored after an interruption of service, the piping system, the piping system shall be tested for leakage. If leakage is indicated, the gas supply shall be shut off until the necessary repairs have been made.”

Proper threading of all propane piping, connections and fittings is necessary so that they may easily connect together during installation or modification. These propane connections are coated with a pipe joint compound that lubricates the fittings during the joining process and will dry after a short while. A propane plumbing system is at a constant pressure during normal usage. This means that as long as the tank has gas and is supplying the system with propane, there is an exertion of constant pressure on the piping and the pipe joint compound.

During normal pressurized usage, the pipe joint compound will expand and contract if the system loses pressure. The loss of gas pressure may result in the form of leaks. This is due to the expansion and retraction of the piping compound within the propane plumbing system.

Propane leak testing will indicate any leaks within the propane piping system due to interruption of service or out of gas situation. The leakage test is simply testing the integrity of the system plumbing joints and the seal of the pipe joint compound. This is the safety reasoning behind propane leak tests.

Often times, our propane customers will run out of gas when temperatures are the coldest. No matter what the temperature, if your tank is out of gas a leak test is necessary, as it is an interruption of service.

You can prevent from running out of gas by keeping an eye on your propane tank gauge. Additionally, we can place you on an automatic delivery schedule. This way you don’t have to remember to schedule each time.

These are just a few reasons for the purpose of propane leak testing. Contact us with the link below for more information or to schedule your propane tank repair with us today!