Gas Pressure Basics for your Fire Pit
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Gas Pressure Basics
Gas Pressure is very critical to the installation and operation of your fire features. If the pressure being supplied to our appliances is not correct the units will not operate correctly. If the pressure in the gas line is too high, it can cause damage to the unit, and if the pressure is too low it can cause small flames and nuisance drops outs. Today we will talk about gas pressure basics.
The pressure of a gas is the force that the gas exerts on the walls of its container, such as a gas line. We measure the gas line pressure with a monometer, which will read pressure as inches of water column (inch WC) or can be measure in millibars (MB). Most Residential gas deliveries will deliver gas to the meter at high pressure.
The meter will then reduce pressure to 1/2 lb pressure to supply all appliances in the building. Propane systems are much the same in that the gas leaving the tank is at very high pressure, the regulator at the tank will reduce pressure to around 2lb or 56” WC which is still too high for normal appliances. In this scenario, there will be another regulator in front of the appliance to reduce pressure once again to 1/2 lb of 13” WC. One pound of gas pressure will measure 28” WC. While the Propane system operates at a true 1/2 lb or 14” WC, natural gas on the other hand actually operates at ¼” lb or 7” WC, but is still referred to as 1/2 lb.
Fire pit pressure
Most firepit appliances are built to be operate at ½” pressure with a maximum delivery to the fire feature being 7” WC for natural gas and 13” WC for a propane system. The pressure is too high on either system it can damage the gas valve, make the valve hum or chatter, cause very tall flames, and make noise much like a jet engine. On the other hand, too low a pressure will cause very small flames, shrink pilot flames, which cause dropouts. If the natural gas pressure or propane is too high a regulator must be installed before the fire feature for proper operation of the unit.
These regulators can be used with natural gas or propane and most of them are adjustable. Meaning once installed the pressure within the line can be adjusted up and down on the outlet of the regulator. Below are typical DreamCast Firepit operating pressure specifications for manual lit units. Please double check your manual for your specific model.
Useful information about gas fire pit pressure
Natural Gas Nominal Operating Pressure:
- 3.5” WC (minimum) to 7” WC (maximum) 6” WC recommended for optimal operation
Propane Gas Nominal Operating Pressure:
- 11” WC (minimum) to 13” WC (maximum) 11” WC recommended for optimal operation
Hopefully, this helps with understanding how important gas pressure is to the installation, operation, and safety of your fire pit appliances.
Gas sizing guide
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View our handy Gas Pipe Size and BTU Supply Chart to get a better idea of how much pressure you can supply to your fire pit for both propane and natural gas.
DreamCast has fire pits that range in BTU from 55K to 250K for both propane and natural gas. Check out the different fire pit models available here.
Remember gas line pressure measurement is a crucial part of a proper install for any gas burning appliance. Should be check before any appliance is connect to any gas line. Fire pits should be installed by a local gas professional to your local codes.
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