Thousands of Ohio gas customers living with defective pipes
More than 17,000 defective gas pipes have been installed in Ohio. Now the installer -- Columbia Gas of Ohio -- is checking each location to see if there are any issues of leakage...The thickness of the pipe wall is what's in question. Texas-based Polypipe was the manufacturer, Columbia says the pipe wasn't allowed to cool thoroughly enough, leaving the wall of the pipe thinner than normal.
Thousands of Ohio gas customers living with defective pipes
See Chris Tye's News Report from WKYC
LORAIN -- More than 17,000 defective gas pipes have been installed in Ohio. Now the installer -- Columbia Gas of Ohio -- is checking each location to see if there are any issues of leakage.
"What we are concerned about is the longevity of this pipe," said Columbia spokesman Ray Frank.
"Maybe, instead of lasting 100 years, it'll last half that time."
The thickness of the pipe wall is what's in question. Texas-based Polypipe was the manufacturer, Columbia says the pipe wasn't allowed to cool thoroughly enough, leaving the wall of the pipe thinner than normal.
"We have quarantined the remainder of the product," Frank says. "Some of that pipe has been shipped off for further analysis and testing."
In the meantime. Columbia will check each of the 17,000 Ohio sites (and the 11,000 outside of Ohio) to make sure there are no signs of leakage.
Sixty percent of impacted Ohio customers have been tested, and the rest will be complete in upcoming weeks.
If you are a Columbia customer, you don't need to do anything. But, if you smell gas or are planning to puncture the ground to install a basketball hoop or a new deck, contact the utility.
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