TracPipe®, a division of Omega Flex, Inc. and the leading producer of CSST, would like to take this
opportunity to respond to the recent story aired by ABC’s Good Morning America. It is obvious from the
title of the story “Beware of Exploding Homes,” that it was intended to create concern and alarm among
homeowners. The GMA piece contains gross misstatements of fact and fails to address the central issue
of CSST, the need to bond the gas piping to the buildings electrical system. Here are some important
points to remember:
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Not one person has ever been hurt in a fire caused by lightning damage to TracPipe®.
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TracPipe® CSST is safe. Like all gas piping products, it must be properly installed. The product
must be installed as instructed in the TracPipe® Design & Installation Guide, including a bonding wire
between the TracPipe gas piping and the building’s grounding electrode.
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In 2006, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission evaluated the TracPipe® CSST in
regards to lightning. We provided the CPSC with thousands of documents, including specifications,
drawings, and correspondence. After reviewing these documents, the CPSC issued a finding that no
further action was required – in other words there was no evidence of defects in the product.
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Lightning is a tremendously destructive natural force. If a house is struck by lightning, there will be
damage to the house, including electrical, telephone, cable, and appliances.
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If lightning strikes a house, it will travel through all metal objects in the building searching for a path
to ground. If the TracPipe has not been bonded to the building’s electrical system, it is possible for
the lightning to jump or arc to another metal conductor. The arcing may burn a pinhole in the side
of the piping – but there is no “explosion.” The bonding wire between the gas piping and electrical
system will eliminate electrical arcing to or from the CSST. The bonding is required by the
National Fuel Gas Code and in the TracPipe® Design & Installation Guide. It is also possible that
other gas piping products (iron and copper pipe) will fail as a result of a lightning strike – when not
properly bonded.
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Florida has the most lightning strikes in the country - about 12 strikes per square kilometer per
year in some places – but it also has the most stringent building codes and practices, including a
requirement for bonding. The result is no TracPipe® CSST lightning fires in Florida.
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Fires caused by lightning damage to homes are rare. The National Fire Protection Association
statistics show that from 1999 to 2002, there were about 8,000 fires each year caused by lightning in
both residential and non-residential buildings. Compare this to the annual average fires in the same
period caused by cooking equipment (126,800), heating equipment (65,000), or electrical wiring or
lighting (45,700).
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We have introduced CounterStrike® -- a type of CSST that has a patented jacket designed to
significantly decrease the potential for lightning induced damage. The new version of CounterStrike®
CSST has been tested in a independent lightning laboratory and those tests show that the new
CounterStrike® increases the resistance to lightning damage by at least 5,000% and as much as
35,000%over standard CSST.
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TracPipe® CSST is built in accordance with ANSI LC-1, a product standard issued by the American
National Standards Institute and now administered by CSA. All gas piping installations must also
comply with the National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54). Unlike iron or copper pipe, TracPipe and other
brands of CSST must comply with the stringent design criteria in the ANSI standard and pass rigorous
testing of its products.
Below are inaccurate statements made in the GMA story on CSST, and a correction or clarification for
each statement. As is typical with most news stories, the most important information was omitted, that
CSST is safe when it is properly installed.
No.
1.
GMA Statement
CSST pipe can “explode” into flames
Fact
False. There has never been an “explosion” of TracPipe®
CSST. TracPipe has never caused a house to “explode.”
2.
CSST is cheaper than black iron pipe.
False. CSST is made from a 300 series stainless steel, and is
more expensive than an equivalent length of iron pipe. Unlike
iron pipe and copper pipe, CSST is design certified and tested by
an independent standards agency.
3.
CSST cannot carry an electrical
charge caused by lightning.
False. CSST could carry an electrical charge from lightning
without damage. But if it is not bonded, the unequal electrical
properties of the CSST and other metal systems in the building
may cause the arcing of electrical energy to or from the other
system, and the possibility of damage. CounterStrike® CSST
significantly reduces the likelihood of arcing.
4.
“Because CSST is so thin, electrical
energy lingers longer there.”
False. The phases of a lightning strike are measured in
milliseconds, and the mass of the conductor is insignificant.
5.
Lightning is looking to “get out through
the path of least resistance.”
False. Because lightning energy is so powerful, it will seek all
paths to ground.
6.
Lightning can blow out a hole in the
gas tubing.
False. Without the presence of another nearby electrical
conductor, the CSST will not be damaged by lightning. Arcing
damage will only occur when the other near-by electrical
conductor has a different electrical resistance. That can be fixed
with a bonding jumper as required in the D&I Guide.
7.
“The fix can be very expensive.”
False. Bonding the CSST line to the electrical system requires a
bonding jumper wire, and a clamp. The cost should in practically
all cases should be less than $200. Unlike other CSST,
CounterStrike® does not require any additional bonding.
8.
The caption in the story reads
“Lightning Rod?”
False. CSST does not attract lightning, any more than metal
water pipe or duct work “attracts” lightning.
If you have any questions, you can go to our website, www.tracpipe.com, or call us at (610) 524-7272.
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