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Gas Fitting · OutdoorGas Line for Fire Pit or Fire Table
A gas line for a fire pit or fire table is a buried run from the house piping to the feature, sized for a burner that can draw as much gas as a furnace. The underground section is polyethylene gas pipe with a tracer wire, brought above ground at each end through a proper riser, with a shut-off outdoors and a certified burner on the end. It is TSSA-licensed work, and the best time to do it is before the patio is laid.
Underground is where this job differs from a barbecue line on a deck. The buried section is polyethylene pipe approved for gas, laid in a trench at the cover CSA B149.1 requires, with a tracer wire beside it so the line can be found again, since plastic pipe is invisible to a locator. Polyethylene is not allowed above ground, so each end comes up through a factory-made riser that makes the change to steel. Before any digging, a locate request goes to Ontario One Call, and private lines such as pool, sprinkler and lighting wiring are found separately.
Sizing is the part that decides whether the flame looks like the brochure. Fire pit and fire table burners commonly run from about 50,000 BTU an hour to well over 100,000, and a house system delivers gas at low pressure, so every metre of pipe costs some of it. A run sized for a barbecue will light a large fire ring and give a low, lazy flame. We total the load already on the meter, measure the developed length to the feature, and size the pipe for the burner's full rated input.
Two details at the feature are not optional. A shut-off valve sits outdoors within reach of the fire feature, in addition to the one where the branch leaves the house, so the gas can be closed without going inside. And the burner is a certified appliance with a rating plate: gas appliances in Ontario have to be certified or field-approved, and a home-built ring of drilled pipe in a stone surround is neither. Certified units come with tested clearances to seating, railings and anything overhead, and those clearances decide where the feature can sit.
If the meter cannot carry the added load, that gets settled with Enbridge before the trench is dug; the options are covered under gas line upgrades. Timing matters as much as sizing. A trench across open lawn is simple, and the same route under finished interlock means lifting and relaying stone, so the line or at least a sleeve should go in before the hardscape. Barbecue quick-connects and outdoor kitchens are covered on gas line installation; for a fire feature, send us the burner model and the distance.
Plan the gas line when
- A patio, deck or pool surround is being designed and the fire feature's location is still on paper
- You are tired of swapping propane tanks under a fire table that could run on natural gas
- The landscaper's quote includes a fire pit but says the gas connection is by others
- An existing fire pit burns with a low or uneven flame because it shares an undersized line
- A fire feature was built from a kit or by hand and nobody can show a rating plate for the burner
How it works
We need the burner's BTU input, the distance from the meter or the nearest suitably sized pipe, and what the route crosses. Utility locates are requested before a dig date is set, and the quote is written.
The trench is dug to the required cover, polyethylene pipe and tracer wire are laid, risers are set at both ends, and the new line is pressure-tested with air before it is backfilled or connected.
The outdoor shut-off and the burner are connected, the joints are leak-checked, the burner is lit, and the pressure at the appliance is checked with it running at full input.
Common questions
Can a propane fire table be converted to natural gas?
Often, if the manufacturer makes a conversion kit for that model. The orifice and sometimes the regulator are changed and the rating plate is updated; drilling out an orifice by hand is not a conversion. Check the manual or send us the model number before the line is priced, because a table with no approved kit cannot be legally connected.
How far from the house can a gas fire pit be?
As far as the pipe is sized for. Distance costs pressure, so a fire pit at the back of a deep lot needs a larger pipe than the same burner beside the patio door, and the trench is longer. The practical limits are the meter's capacity and the budget for trenching, not a fixed number of metres.
How much does a gas line for a fire pit cost?
The trench drives it: its length, what it crosses, and whether lawn or stone has to be restored. Pipe size, risers and any meter upgrade come next. We do not publish a flat figure for outdoor runs because two yards are rarely alike. What gas line installation costs explains the factors, and the quote is written after a site visit.
Do I need a permit for a gas fire pit line?
The gas piping is certified under the gas code by the licensed technician who installs and tests it, not through a building permit. Do I need a permit to install a gas line in Ontario covers the cases where a municipality gets involved, such as a structure built around the feature.
Can the fire pit share a line with the barbecue or pool heater?
It can, if the shared pipe is sized for everything running at once. A pool heater is usually the largest gas load on a property that has one, and adding a fire feature to its line without resizing starves both. We size the common section for the combined input and branch to each appliance with its own shut-off.