Domestic/Commercial Gasfitter means a person who installs, tests, maintains and repairs propane and/or natural gas lines, appliances, equipment and accessories in residential and commercial premises.

What do these workers do?
(Source: BC Work Futures)

Install gas line. Gas fitters install line from the municipal mains supply to new construction. This includes fitting the lines through new walls and foundations, which sometimes presents a technical challenge. Line can only turn through a certain radius and must have strain relief built into it so that building movement, whether through settling or earthquake, will not rupture it.

Install and adjust gas appliances. Furnaces and water heaters, as well as industrial boilers and heaters, must be installed and tested before being lit. Some large gas appliances can only be lit by certified Class A gas fitters. To learn more about gasfitting licenses, see the Licenses section of this profile.

Start up and shut down industrial heaters or gas supplies. Certified gas fitters run through start-up and shutdown checklists on very large gas appliances or mains supplies. During start-up, they detect any leaks and more importantly are able to start the appliance and quickly test for excess flow. Large lines and appliance feeds carry a huge amount of gas that, if left unregulated, could create an explosion hazard.

Detect and repair gas leaks. Gas fitters track down loose or leaking fittings, mainly using special gas sniffers but sometimes with detergent solutions at joins and other suspected leak areas.

Read blueprints and specifications. In new construction, gas fitters use blueprints and and their own knowledge of the appropriate code to install a system. Gas fittings include flow control devices, meters, and safety shut-offs. New piping technologies allow plastic hose to be laid instead of steel line, which means that trenches for supply lines do not have to be dug. Plastic hose is pulled through a small tunnel that is bored from the surface with custom pipe-boring equipment.

Read the full Domestic/Commericial Gasfitter Profile (36kb pdf).

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