Street gas pressure (posted by Craig Martin)

[ASKNACHI]This question was posted on AskNACHI.org by Craig Martin (from Carpentersville, IL). [/ASKNACHI]What is the street side pressure for natural gas?

The street pressure is typically less than 60 psi but it is regulated down as it enters your gas meter to 2 psi or less depending on the service type you have.

The delivery pressure at the meter is usually 1/4 psi or 7" of water column which is reduced to around 3.5 inches by the appliance, in multifamily residences the pressure is sometimes 2 psi.

Lewis, I have 2 psi service to my Single Family Residence.
Craig was asking what the street pressure was.

Sorry about that, I’m taking breaks here when ever editing my new website makes my eyes cross.

I believe the street pressure varies in different locations provided by different suppliers, it seems the pressure can vary from 1/4 psi to 60 psi on the street side.

" ** Moving Natural Gas Into the Home **
Natural gas runs from the main into a home or business in what’s called a service line. Today, this line is likely to be a small-diameter plastic line an inch or less in diameter, with gas flowing at a pressure range of over 60 pounds to as low as ¼ pound. When the gas passes through a customer’s gas meter, it becomes the property of the customer. Once inside the home, gas travels to equipment and appliances through piping installed by the home-builder and owned by the customer, who is responsible for its upkeep.
Most gas meters are connected to an inner or outer wall of a home or business. In some instances, however, meters are located next to the point where the service line meets the main line. In this case, the piping from the meter to the structure is the customer’s property, not the gas company’s. These are called “customer-owned” lines and their maintenance is the responsibility of the customer.
When the gas reaches a customer’s meter, it passes through another regulator to reduce its pressure to under ¼ pound, if this is necessary. (Some services lines carry gas that is already at very low pressure.) This is the normal pressure for natural gas within a household piping system, and is less than the pressure created by a child blowing bubbles through a straw in a glass of milk. When a gas furnace or stove is turned on, the gas pressure is slightly higher than the air pressure, so the gas flows out of the burner and ignites in its familiar clean blue flame."
http://www.aga.org/Content/ContentGroups/Home_Page/Limelight/How_Does_The_Natural_Gas_Delivery_System_Work_.htm

I just applied for a new service a couple of weeks ago, on the application was a selection about what delivery pressure was required, 1/4 psig was one option, 2 psig was another, there were more, I imagine that is the delivery pressure on the house side of the meter, where the gas company gives up ownership.

I even called my Gas Company, but they wouldn’t tell me, without scheduling with a construction rep, what the line pressure was, they probably thought I’d dug up their line and wanted to fix it with duct tape.

Thank’s for pointing out my error Mike, there may be some places where !/4 psig is the delivery pressure, but would there be a regulator in place or only a meter?

Higher pressure is used in the gas mains to compress the gas so the size of the main doesn’t have to be so large. Pressure in the street will be dependant on a numbre of factors. Size of main and total load for that particular line. I’d be surprised if any gas was actually delivered to the residence at 1/4 psi (appx 7" water column) but I suppose it’s technically possible. There has to be a regulator somewhere to maintain a constant pressure to the home.

Note: As gas is transported across the country the pressure can be as high as 1200 psi.