Why Flexible Hose Connectors Should Have Thermal Gas Shutoffs

Most home gas appliances connect to black iron gas lines and manual gas shutoffs with flexible hoses. The weakest link in the gas supply to the appliance is the flexible hose, which is only rated up to 150° F.

When a fire occurs near the hose, it can easily be compromised – and if it is damaged, the resulting gas leak can feed and accelerate the fire.
For this reason, many countries require automatic thermal gas shutoffs be installed between the black pipe and the flexible hose.

The U.S. building codes require gas appliances to include manual gas shutoff valves. Adding a simple, inexpensive thermal gas shutoff fitting with the valve provides a level of safety that the manual valve alone cannot provide.

The diagram above illustrates the advantages of a gas installation with a thermal gas shutoff. Thermal gas shutoffs protect homeowners and first responders by isolating gas flow from the flexible hoses, which are typically rated at only 150°F. Manual shutoff valves are rated at 300°F, and the FireBag is rated at 1,697°F. With most home fires originating at the stove or gas range, adding this small thermal shutoff fitting to the gas line pays back in preserving lives and property.

According to NFIRS data, between 2008 and 2010, civilian fire casualties in residential buildings accounted for 81% of all fire fatalities. In that same time period, the highest rate of civilian fire fatalities came from appliance fires. Appliance fires produced 1,351 fatalities per 1,000 fatal fires, which tells us that multiple deaths occur in too many appliance fires.