Knowing how your gas is delivered to your home or business is helpful – especially during emergencies – because you are responsible for maintaining or repairing certain portions of the service.

A natural gas service connects the gas main to a customer’s gas regulator/meter.  The regulator is a special valve designed to reduce pressure, as well as shut-off flow in the event of a gas pressure increase.  The meter measures the demand or quantity of natural gas (as cubic feet) required by the appliances served in the structure.

A union or connection is where the meter is attached to the line or pipe entering the structure.  Customers are responsible for the union and all lines after the union, including those within the structure.  In some cases, the line from the meter to the structure is buried; however, the customer is also responsible for the maintenance of this line.

Our natural gas system is governed by Federal regulations, which recommend that customers with natural gas lines buried from the meter to the primary structure should be:

1. Periodically inspected for leaks
2. Periodically inspected for corrosion if the piping is metallic
3. Repaired if any unsafe condition is discovered

Plumbing or heating contractors can assist customers in inspecting and repairing the buried piping.

When digging near buried gas piping, customers should locate the piping in advance and dig by hand, not machine. A list of private services, courtesy of DigSafe, can be found HERE.

For more information on your responsibilities, please contact us at 866-933-3820 888-301-7700 866-933-3821.