Generator Gas Line Installation in Fort Worth, TX

Why Fort Worth homeowners add standby generators

For many Fort Worth households, the reason is Winter Storm Uri. In February 2021 close to 4.5 million Texas homes and businesses lost power at the peak, and a university survey found more than two out of three Texans went dark at some point, for about 42 hours on average. Gas-heated houses went cold too, because a gas furnace needs electricity for its igniter, controls and blower. A standby unit senses the outage, starts by itself and runs on the house gas supply, with no fuel cans or portable generator leaking carbon monoxide by the garage.

Sizing the line for fuel demand and run length

The generator's spec sheet lists how much natural gas it burns at full load, usually in cubic feet per hour; each cubic foot carries roughly 1,000 BTU. A whole-home unit often burns more than all your other appliances combined. We measure the path from the meter to the pad and count the fittings, because every foot and turn costs pressure. The manual also gives the inlet pressure the unit needs at full load, and the pipe is sized to hold it with every other gas appliance running. Sizing follows the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, which Fort Worth enforces with local amendments.

Older homes near our Riverside address, like the Oakhurst houses built from the 1920s through the 1950s, often still have steel piping laid out for a furnace, a tank heater and a stove. A generator seldom fits on it, so we usually run a separate line from the meter outlet.

Is your Atmos meter big enough?

Atmos Energy owns the meter; the piping past it is yours, and that's what we install. Only Atmos can say whether its meter will carry a generator on top of your other appliances, and only Atmos can change it. Check before you buy:

1. Get the totals. We add up your appliance ratings and the generator's full-load input.
2. Call Atmos. Use the number on your gas bill and ask whether the meter can carry the combined load, and whether a change or charge applies.
3. Settle the pressure. Atmos's request form for a new meter asks for the BTU load, the gas equipment and whether it needs ounces (about 0.25 psi) or pounds (2 psi). That choice changes the pipe size.

If Atmos must swap equipment, its schedule decides when gas reaches the generator. Never turn a locked meter on yourself.

Where the generator sits and how the pipe gets there

The maker's manual and the city's codes set the clearances. A common baseline is about five feet from operable windows, doors and wall vents; some models may sit closer to the wall itself, but not closer to those openings. Exhaust can still drift inside, so keep the unit clear of bedroom windows and foundation vents on pier-and-beam houses.

• Along the house: threaded steel pipe on the wall when meter and pad share a side.
• Through the yard: buried polyethylene gas pipe with a tracer wire. Before digging, an 811 call gets utilities to mark their own lines; private lines, like a gas line to a grill, aren't marked and must be located separately.
• At the unit: a shut-off valve, a sediment trap and the flexible connector the manual specifies.

Permit, inspection and the electrician

Fort Worth Development Services' plumbing permit application lists gas piping, the gas test and the gas release; its electrical permit application lists generators by kilowatt size, so most installs involve both. We pull the plumbing permit. A TDLR-licensed electrical contractor pulls the electrical permit, sizes the generator to your electrical load and wires the automatic transfer switch. That size sets our gas demand, so both trades work from one model number.

1. Model and pad location agreed by you, the electrician or dealer, and us.
2. Gas rough-in. Pipe runs from the meter to the pad and is capped.
3. Pressure test and city inspection, with the line holding pressure on a gauge.
4. Electrical work and inspection for the switch and wiring.
5. Gas release and start-up. The line is purged and leak-checked, and the generator runs under load while we confirm the pressure holds.

What you decide before work starts

• Whole house or essentials. Running central air takes a bigger generator and line than heat, fridge and lights.
• The exact model, since fuel demand varies.
• Location: clearances, neighbors, noise, drainage and service access.
• Future loads. Planning a tankless water heater or patio kitchen? Size for it now.

Price depends on distance, pipe size, route, trenching and the permit. New customers save $50; seniors, military and first responders save 10% (see coupons). We serve Fort Worth, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Keller, Saginaw and Benbrook, at a time that suits you.

Generator gas line questions

Plan your generator gas line

Call (817) 755-5621 with the model you're considering and a photo of your gas meter. We'll check the route, size the pipe and give you the figures Atmos will ask for.

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