A home I inspected over the weekend has a gas service line to the meter that is made of plastic or rubber, looking and feeling similar to automotive radiator hose. What is this called? Should it have some protection for the exposed two foot portion between the ground and the meter?
Check with your utility company, but rubber-hose gas piping is not allowed in any jurisdiction that I’m aware of. There are occasions where rubber can be used for connecting specific appliances, but that usually falls under commercial installations.