Generator Gas Line Installation for La Vernia and San Antonio Homes

Why Uri sent people shopping for backup power

National Weather Service records show nine straight freeze days in the San Antonio area during Winter Storm Uri, February 12 to 20, 2021, with a low of 9 degrees on February 15. Outages knocked SAWS pumping stations offline, and a boil-water notice followed on February 17. Without power a gas furnace can't run its igniter or blower, and on acreage around La Vernia or St. Hedwig the well pump stops too. A standby unit starts itself on the house's gas supply.

Sizing for fuel demand and run length

The spec sheet gives the generator's fuel use at full output, and one major maker says to size the supply for full load. On natural gas, cubic feet per hour times 1,000 gives BTU/hr; on propane, multiply by 2,500. The sheet also lists the inlet pressure range the engine needs, in inches of water column.

Every foot, elbow and tee trims what a pipe can deliver, and the manual charts allowable length by size, so a far-off pad on a country lot may need larger pipe. We add the generator to every gas appliance that could burn during an outage. Existing pipe rarely has room for that, so a generator often gets its own line.

Natural gas: can the CPS Energy meter keep up?

CPS Energy sizes a meter to a home's maximum demand, the input of all gas equipment that might run at once, and its service standards list gas generators among the items counted at full input. A whole-home unit can exceed your meter's capacity. Its standards also say to request added load only after inspectors release the job, and CPS doesn't size the owner's piping; we do.

1. Total the load: your appliance ratings plus the generator's full-load input.
2. Utility review: CPS, or your gas company outside CPS territory, decides after inspection if the meter and regulator must change.
3. Wait for its crew. If the meter is locked during a swap, leave it alone until they turn it back on.

Propane: your supplier sizes the tank

On acreage in Wilson and Guadalupe counties, propane is common. There, run length also means run time: how long the generator can go before the tank gets low. Tank size and regulators are your propane company's call, under Railroad Commission of Texas LP-gas rules. Give them the generator's full-load propane figure, the other appliances on that tank and how many days of outage you want covered. The generator must be set up for propane too, and your supplier and a registered installer plan the route and pipe size.

Clearances and the pipe route

The manual and local code set placement, and local code wins. NFPA 37, the fire standard for stationary engines, calls for at least five feet from any window that opens, door or wall vent; the maker bars wooden decks overhead, and some models are tested for closer spots. Exhaust can still drift in, so we keep the pad away from bedroom windows and suggest an indoor carbon monoxide alarm.

• On the wall: threaded steel, if the meter and pad share a side of the house.
• Through the yard: buried polyethylene with a tracer wire. On CPS service the trench stays open until that pipe is inspected and approved.
• Before digging: call 811 at least two business days ahead. Point out your well line, septic tank, drain field and any propane line, which are private.
• At the generator: its own shut-off, a drip leg to catch debris, and the flex connector listed in the manual.

Permits, inspection and the electrician

In San Antonio, the city's Development Services Department issues a Plumbing, Gas and Sewer permit for the gas pipe and an electrical permit for the wiring, each pulled by a licensed contractor registered with the city. Other towns and county land differ, so we check yours. If one is required, the plumber doing the work pulls the permit. Your electrician matches the generator's kilowatts to your electrical load and installs the automatic transfer switch; that choice sets our gas demand, so both trades plan from one model number.

1. Agree on the model and pad spot with your electrician.
2. Gas rough-in to the pad, capped.
3. Pressure test with the meter isolated, since test pressure can damage a CPS meter, and inspection where required. See gas pressure test.
4. Electrical work and inspection.
5. Gas on: the line is purged and leak-checked, then the generator runs under load while we read its inlet pressure.

Generator gas line questions

Get your generator line planned

We serve La Vernia, Floresville, Seguin, Schertz and Cibolo and east San Antonio. Cost depends on distance, pipe size, trenching and permits. First-time customers save $50 and seniors, military, first responders and healthcare workers save 10% (terms on the coupons page).

Gas leak? Get outside, call 911 or your gas supplier, then call us at any hour and we send our on-call plumber right away. For a generator line, phone (830) 475-2604 with the model and your meter or propane tank label handy, and we'll size the line at a time that suits you.

Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily · 24/7 emergency service