Any relatively simple solutions for boosting natural gas pressure coming in to

coming in to the house? I spent some time with Google but everything I turned up was for large commercial installs. I'm at the end of the line and the gas company is telling me that on the coldest days of the year their report shows a pressure of just under three - I believe that's inches of water column. That's not good.

I'm researching switching from Oil to NG (even though Allentown just blew sky high and I felt it). I'd like to run a high efficiency NG boiler and possibly a small backup generator. Maybe 10Kw. The boiler company says no go below 3.5 and from what I could see at first glance the generator wants 7. All easily done on a normal medium pressure line, but not out there in the sticks!

Thanks for any thoughts -

 

If the gas company is only delivering 3inches of water column I don't see how you can increase it, sorry.

 

Could you post that report? I think that info is incorrect. I would think its PSI.

Gas lesson 101
How Does the Natural Gas Delivery System Work?


Mike NJ

 

Sorry for not responding right away. I guess email notices got turned off so I didn't see the replies. The info is accurate. We are at the very end of an old low pressure system. It's supposed to be 7 inches of water column but their engineering report said as low as "just under three". When I called to ask about ordering the service they asked what I wanted to do and as soon as I said "condensing high efficiency" they said "I don't think we can help you. I am still gong to try and get the actual report but once it became clear I wasn't going to have a solution for the current winter I stopped pushing them for it.

I do have a couple options. One is to go with a lower efficiency that apparently has more tolerance (and is probably far more affordable). They also said I can just run a bit of extra pipe to create a storage chamber. Apparently the borderline pressure is mostly a problem when the system first fires. So if you have some extra gas hanging out in the pipe you might get away with it.

Obviously that does nothing to help a generator that has such a relatively high requirement. I'd cross that bridge another time if I had to. It would be worth it to have the heat, stove, dryer and heat for the garage on gas. I've worked hard to get the oil boiler working the way I want it. It's now pretty damn quiet and balanced. But it's still right in the wrong place in the basement, needs to have the 100 year old chimney rebuilt and has an indoor oil tank that's fifty plus years old.

 

I have to get my formula book out. Its like .11 psi (1.7 ouncesPSI) at 3" W/C. I have to figure what the CFH is. Did they tell you this? It should be in a gas the gas report. (CubicFeet/Hour) At like 2 psi you get like 50"WC.

If you change the orifice at the appliance to a 1 at 3" W/C should get 152 CFH.

But I am not sure. I need to look in my books and I dont know this off the top of my head. Someone said you cant do it but with changing the orfice(maybe) and increase the pipe to get the volume possibly but I need to do it on paper to give you an accurate answer.

Mike NJ

 

OK Mike - considered this thread tabled until I get the actual report from the gas company. But it seems like the generator is probably off the table no matter what unless I can find one that has a low pressure option.