How concerned should I be?

[ruyaguilar]

So today I came down to the basement and noticed a small puddle of an oily liquid. When I looked up there was a black pipe. Based on the location and because is coming from the water heater I believe is a gas pipe that feed the kitchen burners. I noticed that the pipe was covered in this oily stuff and that the joist was also covered.

What is this? Should I be concerned? Should I replace the pipe? Is it due to condensation?

Pictures attached. Note that I covered the pipe with some foam insulation tu raise it and stop it from touching the joist directly. But the problem is there. You can see that the joist has oil.



Appreciate any help.

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[frodo]

trace the drip.

did it come from that 90 degree elbow? or is it running down fro upstairs.

I would look under the stove/ oven for some type of spillage.

gas is ..gaseous and is not a liquid.

that on the floor looks more like kitchen/meat grease

untill you find the source I would not use the oven or stove..JUST BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS

LP, and natural Gas have a distinked odor the smell like rotting eggs

look for spilled grease, upstairs that has run down the pipe

let us know what you find


that insulation, does it continue to the outdoors? rain water, wicking up the insulation perhaps???

 

[ruyaguilar]

I don't see a way that grease could have gotten there from the kitchen. There is no apparent spillage and even if there was I don't see a way it could have made it from the kitchen to the basement. The pipe coming from the kitchen is completely dry. Also the elbow is dry. I did find that the connection below the burners also has a very similar liquid around it. I have removed the insulation (I actually put that around the pipe after I found the liquid) is just a small piece I found lying on the floor of the basement. Now if it is not gas and it is not grease. Could this be somehow caused by condensation?

 

[ruyaguilar]

For some reason it did not let me add the picture to the other reply.

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[frodo]

how old is the piping ? new piping, slopply installed has pipe cutting oil on the pipe if not wiped off

must be condensation

 

[CT18]

Why is the gas pipe insulated. It looks like cutting oil, but don't know where it would be coming from.

 

[frodo]

it is natural gas, correct? not fuel oil

 

[ruyaguilar]

Thanks a lot for all the help. So let me answer some of the questions.
• The pipe is not insulated I put that on the pipe to hold in above the wood because it was touching it I should have removed it before taking the first picture. (Second picture is removed)
• Pipe is very old so no chance on pipe cutting oil.
• It is natural gas.
I like what you did with the picture Frodo. I am going to guess that there was a significant oil spill at some point that cause this and because the pipe was touching the jois that is where everything got accumulated and started dripping into the floor. I am also going to assume that everything else dried up except for this particular section due to the accumulation and the proximity to the air duct next to it.
I will clean it up and monitor it for the next couple days.
What do you think?