So I put a very simple propane system in my cabin 13 years ago. It's a crawl space and we, used 1/2" copper tubing and it feeds 2 heaters and a water heater. The propane company used the same size copper to run from the tank to the edge of the house where they made the connection to my system. We buried it from the tank to a few feet under the house. It sprung a leak a few months ago when I wasn't there and leaked all the gas out of the tank. I finally found the leak and it was in the part that was buried, but on my side of the connection, so it's my responsibility to get it fixed.

I can replace the line from the gas company's connection to the T in the system, and that would be the easiest fix. My concern is that if the copper failed once, it seems likely it would do it again. The only reason I can think of that it failed is some type of corrosive effect of the particular soil that I have. Running copper in the ground is pretty standard, and it doesn't usually fail in just 13 years, but this one did. I have thought of replacing the system with black iron, but I will still have the copper line that belongs to the propane company, and I doubt I can get them out there to change anything. Is there a better type of pipe to use? The big advantage of black iron is that I know how to do it. Anything that requires special tools and skills wouldn't have that going for it.

So what do the propane experts say? Just replace the copper and hope it works, put in black iron, or use something else? Thanks for any ideas.

I'm no propane expert, but I wonder if the braided stainless steel lines would help you out just for the section that's buried.

If you were using grade M copper,which is what is usually used in residential applications, you should prob try to find some grade L. There is also a grade K which is the thickest and most expensive but is sometimes hard to find.

I just had the same problem. Ran a new line from the tank to the house but this time we used a coated copper line. I use economy gas . Make sure to have a leak test done after the repair.

Maybe a pvc pipe slit and put around the copper portion that’s underground?

could you use one of them plastic jackets, sorta like what the old newspaper came in (only thicker). I know they make some and use them on water lines under foundation. They're red or blue. Pour an inch or 2 of sand in ditch run line and cover 3-4 inches of sand and the back fill with dirt.

Stainless tubing?

They do have copper that has a yellow sleeve around it

I had thought of something like that. The only issue with it is that it will be harder to find the next leak if it's inside of something. I was thinking maybe to use short sections of the PVC so that we could slide them back and forth. I don't know what the propane company would say about that. The line at my house is a copper line just like this one, and it's been buried 26 years without an issue.

A couple of years back, the propane tank that I rent from the propane company developed a leak in the regulator connection and I lost about 100 gallons that time too. That tank is 49 years old, but they don't want to replace it. So 2 of the last 3 years I have lost about a half tank of gas. I wish I had left the wood heater in it.

Thanks for all the replies.

Thanks, that is good info. I think I bought a roll of about 35 feet when we installed it, and I'm sure they gave me the cheapest that you could use. The line the propane company used looks the same as what I used, but it may be thicker. I will have to use whatever the hardware store has, as they will have to make the ends for me. I don't have a flaring tool.

Don’t rely on that either. I had a small piece of corrugated stainless (>10”) that ran from black iron low pressure from the house to my tankless water heater. I started noticing a smell. Checked it and it was riddled with multiple pin holes. AND the house was built Jan 2018

I don’t doubt it cactus. I was referring to heavy wall seamless tubing. We have some on some of our platforms that’s been holding 1000 psig of sour gas for 20+ years.

I have one run to a pool heater that we put into a red sleeve before it went in the ground 10 years ago.

I dug out the bad section of tubing and it was much worse than I expected:



One spark at the wrong time could have turned the camp house into a moon rocket. I'm thankful that the Lord protected us, but I think I would be smart to tear out the whole system and replace it. If the line corroded this much in one place, it could be happening in other places.

Anyone have any idea what could have caused this?

Looks like a type of dissimilar metals reaction to me. You probably have dissimilar metals in contact with each other and the pipe being buried and wet allows dor the final part of the formula.

I would replace the entire pipe.

. Cloud iron ore be the cause this?

Although, I had a copper water line develop a leak on top of the water heater, this was in the open air in the garage with nothing around to cause it. So I guess it could be a manufacturing defect in the copper.

I’d just go back with copper. Had to be a fluke of some kind or else the line on their side would have corroded too, as well as people all over that section of the county where the ground is the same. Besides, it’s lasted 13 years up to now.

Highly acidic soil can be rough on copper. I've found a few old pennies over the years and some are in decent shape while others, from a different area are mostly unrecognizable other than they appear to be a coin.

Thanks for all the replies; why would you use copper again instead of pipe? It used to be common to use what is called black iron pipe for LP gas. The first house I bought used it and it was never a problem. It was hung to the rafters and never made any contact with the ground. It seems like it is no longer used in new construction, but I figured that was because it's harder to install. Is there some other issue with it that I don't know about?

It would only take 4 pieces of pipe for the house, so the time and expense won't be much of an issue. Just makes me wonder if there is some issue with it since it's seldom used now.

I would guess it could.

I've seen copper water lines under houses that were held to floor joists by nails with pin hole leaks all over it. Dissimilar metals contact and water could be all it needs to cause a leak.