13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Finding the Fire

Finding the Fire

Bob Segall/13 Investigates

Indianapolis - Fire investigators say they want homeowners to know about a hidden fire danger that affects thousands of central Indiana homes.

The problem has already caused millions of dollars in damage to Indianapolis-area homes, and it's considered a main suspect in dozens of recent house fires.

"The scariest part is the average homeowner doesn't even have a clue," said Fishers deputy fire marshal Ron Lipps. "Until something goes wrong, you don't think about this sort of thing and by then, it's too late."

Lipps is talking about a natural gas pipe that has been installed in nearly all newer homes. Corrugated stainless steel tubing, better known as CSST, is a flexible gas line that has become the standard in new construction. Because it is more light-weight and flexible, it is much easier to install than traditional rigid black-iron piping. For that reason, CSST has become the gas line of choice for most builders and contractors.

But fire inspectors say the benefits also come with some risks.

"It's definitely not as thick, and I think that's where the problem is," said Greenwood fire chief Steve Dhondt. "We've had enough fires that this was the specific root cause that I would say it certainly has to be considered a risk."

"Like a Blowtorch"

The risk, according to fire officials, is how the flexible gas line reacts to lightning.

Lightning that hits close to a home can introduce a tremendous amount of energy into a flexible gas line. In locations where CSST comes into contact with other metal, fire investigators say the lightning creates an arc, bursting a hole through the side of the gas pipe.

"The hole is like a blow torch and it will sustain the fire because you now have a non-ending supply of gas coming through that hole," Lipps explained as he pointed to a photo of a flexible gas line recently damaged during a lightning storm.

The hole - about 1/4 inch in diameter - led to a Fishers house fire in early June, and Lipps says it is one of at least six lightning-related fires involving CSST in that community in the past six weeks.

"The bigger the hole, the bigger the fire," he added. "If you have the flexible gas line and lightning hits your home, bad things are just waiting to happen."

Fire investigators in Zionsville have also seen the problem up close.

In June, lightning hit homes at 9220 Rocky Cay Court and 3099 Huddersfield Lane, resulting in fires that caused massive damage to both houses. The Zionsville Fire Department's incident reports indicate both fires were linked to failures of the homes' CSST. The reports state:

"The fires appeared to have started in or around the flexible gas line. Causing an arc with the heating and cooling duct work causing a small hole in the pipe starting a gas-fed fire igniting floor systems..." [sic]

Damage from the two fires is estimated to be $1.1 million.

CSST has been installed in new construction for the past decade, which means up to 114,000 metro-area homes built during that time are at risk of CSST-related fires that could be triggered by lightning.

Yet most homeowners don't know what type of gas lines run through their houses and few have heard of CSST.

"I didn't know anything about it until you called me," Cheryl Lillemoe said this week when she was contacted by 13 Investigates.

Actually she did know. She just didn't realize it.

Lightning struck Lillemoe's Zionsville home in May 2005. The fire department determined the lightning traveled from Lillemoe's chimney to flexible gas line in her basement where it punctured a hole in the CSST. According to the investigation report, that hole was responsible for the fire that caused nearly $40,000 in damage.

"Nobody told me I had that kind of pipe and I didn't realize it was part of the problem," she said. "I thought the fire was just because of the lightning."

Lillemoe still has a section of CSST damaged in the lightning storm. The pipe is mangled and twisted and its yellow PVC covering shows signs of the fire.

Looking for protection

Home inspectors say many flexible gas lines are not properly bonded and grounded, which makes them more susceptible to damage from lightning strikes.

"Having proper grounding in the house is critical these days," said Steve Ambro, an inspector with AP Home Inspections and Environmental Services. "It's important because you want the lightning going into the ground and away from the gas pipes."

Dhondt agrees. He says fire investigators in Greenwood used to see multiple CSST-related fires after thunderstorms, but not anymore. That's because Greenwood was one of the first Indiana cities to require bonding and grounding for all flexible gas lines.

"It really helped correct the problem," Dhondt said. "For us, those types of fires have pretty much dried up."

Indiana's state building code recently added a similar grounding requirement for flexible gas lines, but many lines were installed before the code was updated.

Lillemoe went a step further by installing a home lightning protection system, a series of lightning rods and surge protectors to ground her entire house.

"This year we were hit by lightning again, and we decided that was it," she said. "Now we have the whole system."

Mark Benham, owner of Capitol Lightning Protection, says a lightning protection system will cost the owner of an average home approximately $2,000 to $3,000 for copper lightning rods, with an additional charge to cover surge protection for a home's main electrical system, phone line and cable or satellite television.

"When you consider the cost of a house fire, it's really a great value," he said. "The chance of being hit by lightning is slim, but it does happen, and this is like getting extra insurance for your home."

Settlement

In 2007, an Arkansas court approved a $29 million settlement agreement following a class action lawsuit against CSST manufacturers. The lawsuit alleged flexible gas line poses an unreasonable risk of fire due to lightning strikes because CSST tubing is not thick enough, and manufacturers failed to warn consumers about the danger.

While the four manufacturers agreed to the settlement, they all deny the allegations and insist CSST is safe if properly installed in accordance with local codes and manufacturers' instructions.

The settlement provided payment vouchers to help homeowners install a lightning protection system or to complete bonding and grounding of their CSST tubing. Under the terms of the settlement, the application deadline for filing a claim expired in September 2007.

How to tell if you have CSST:

Flexible gas lines may be visible along floor joists, above basements, in attic spaces, or connected to exposed appliances such as water heaters. They will often be covered with a yellow PVC material, although some lines are coated with a black PVC, instead. Click here to see what CSST looks like.  To see what a grounded CSST line looks like, click here.

Don't know how to tell if your home is grounded properly to protect against lightning strikes?

You should contact a licensed plumber who is certified to work with corrugated stainless steel tubing. To find out if a plumber is licensed in Indiana, call 317-232-2980 or click here.