Medical Gas Installation Wichita Falls, TX

The medical gas system in a hospital or health care facility serves a critical role in providing patients with breathable air, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The proper installation of a facility’s medical gas piping network is a vital component in the process used by doctors to administer treatments and save lives.

 

Medical Gas Piping

A successful medical gas installation begins with a proper design. Piping systems are generally governed by the National Fire Protection Association. Its Health Care Facilities Code 99 standard provides guidelines for pipe sizing, acceptable materials and proper installation.

Medical gas can only be distributed by seamless copper categorized as Type L or K and manufactured to ASTM standard B819. Hard temper copper is generally used for ½” sizes and larger, but soft copper may be specified for underground applications to eliminate joints. Copper produced for medical gas piping must be cleaned, capped and have a blue or green marking to identify its intended use in a medical gas application.

 

Installation

Installation of medical gas piping should only be completed by trained and certified medical gas piping installers who fully meet the American National Standard for Healthcare Facilities. Specifications are extremely detailed and include a requirement for silver brazed joints without flux. Scale protection on the inside of the pipe requires a constant flow of inert gas during the brazing process. It is important for installers to keep any particulate matter from entering the pipe during the construction process.

 

Identification and Testing

When the installation is complete, medical gas piping must be identified with color-coded stickers that are non-removable. The testing phase of the project is critical to verify the operational integrity of the piping network, especially since loss of life may occur if the system fails.

Depending on the jurisdiction and local codes, the following tests are routinely performed before the system in placed into service:

• Pressure test
• Contaminant test
• Concentration test
• Cross connection test
• Flow test

Inspectors may also choose random fittings to extract and inspect for scale. They will also measure the depth of the penetration in the joint to determine structural integrity.

 

Selecting a Contractor

At James Lane, we recognize that a reliable medical gas piping system is a vital component in virtually any health care facility. We have extensive experience in every aspect of medical gas piping installation, design and maintenance.

Every job begins with a pre-construction consultation to ascertain the priorities of the Facilities Manager and the Administrator. We address any compliance or operational issues and answer questions relating to the medical gas installation process. Over time, we have found this method helps lower costs and reduces the number of expensive change orders.

We encourage you to speak directly with one of our process piping estimators to learn more about our installation and maintenance services for medical gas piping systems.