tustin, ca gas quality

[flmgrip]

hello

anyone in the tustin/SoCal area with a Phill fueling station ? any problems with the gas or did Sempra ok the quality... this is a major factor for me to have a station at home...

thanks

[cngmike]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

tustin should be ok the main thing that would keep so cal gas from oking it is h2s.

[Timon]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

I'm in Tustin and SoCal gave me an OK although I never went ahead and purchased Phil.

If you go ahead and get one you'll need a building permit. Before you apply for your permit make sure that you talk to BJ. I've worked with him when I was planing to get a Phil and he has already gone over all of the information. You'll be ahead of the game starting with him. None of the other plan checker/inspectors are up on Phil. I talked to him a couple months ago when he was doing an inspection for me and at that time no one else had applied to install Phil so you may be the first.

BTW, I live in Tustin Meadows and am one of two CNG vehicle owners. I have the GX and the other one has a Crown Vic.

If you need more information PM me.

[freedml]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

Go ahead and send them the 'request' form. It doesn't cost anything and then you'll know for sure. The only problem area I know of is north of LA where the gas comes directly from a transmission line and hasn't been fully 'scrubbed' yet.

[freedml]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

Was he going to treat Phill like the 'appliance' it is approved as or make a Federal Case out of it like they did elsewhere in OC?

[flmgrip]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

I'm in Tustin and SoCal gave me an OK although I never went ahead and purchased Phil.

If you go ahead and get one you'll need a building permit. Before you apply for your permit make sure that you talk to BJ. I've worked with him when I was planing to get a Phil and he has already gone over all of the information. You'll be ahead of the game starting with him. None of the other plan checker/inspectors are up on Phil. I talked to him a couple months ago when he was doing an inspection for me and at that time no one else had applied to install Phil so you may be the first.

BTW, I live in Tustin Meadows and am one of two CNG vehicle owners. I have the GX and the other one has a Crown Vic.

If you need more information PM me.

i contacted fuelmaker and it sounded like fuelmaker is assigning me an installer and i thought he will be taking care of the permit etc... i will be moving into a brandnew townhome with 2 car garage so i would doubt there is any permit issues. who is BJ ? how to contact him ?

feel free to pm me too or post more info, i will be touching base with you shortly.

the main reason i am asking here on the board about it is because i think it will socal longer than normal to get back to me because of the holidays.

i want everything lined up and ready to go and only buy the car if i can fuel at home.

thanks so much for the responses so far

[Timon]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

BJ is one of the plan checkers / inspectors and is the only one that has gone throught the Phill information. Even if the installer is going to pull the permits you want to talk to BJ letting him know what coming. You also want to make sure that the installer ask for BJ when he goes in to pull permits. Using BJ will make the permit process much easier. Even though BJ is on top of this it's still going to be the first Phill installed in Tustin so expect some issues to show up.

Tustin uses OCFA for fire protection so I'm sure they will also get involved but chances are good that OCFA has already seen a Phill installation in one of the other cities they serve. FYI, I know for a fact that at least one Phill has been installed in Irvine but I don't think they use the OCFA.

I'll PM you some additional information including BJs direct phone line and my contact information. BJ was expecting me to be the first but when I talked to him last I told him I could not justify the cost. Your going to get my slot.

[Adrian]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

I live fairly close in Anaheim Hills and have used a Phill for over 2 years. I'm actually on Phill # 2 since the first one stopped compressing at close to 6k hours. I use it to refuel my 3 Civic GX's. When I had it installed, the installer took care of the permits and it was no big deal. So Cal Gas ok'd the use and switched me over to the lower NGV rate after I submitted the application and a copy of the city permits. The Installer's name was Michael with Dr. Drain (909 210 4731) and was very reliable and professional, not to mention the lower of the several bids I got from Fuelmaker approved installers. I would suggest getting a few quotes, some installers were significantly more expensive than others. Adrian

[Curtis]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

I told you these guys were great! That's why we call this a community. Everything is just like I explained to you.

And Michael, there are two lines that serve So Cal cities that are pumping "well grade" gas. One comes out of Bakersfield, the line you referred to. It serves areas like Valencia and Woodland hills (I think was one of the others). The other comes from an off-shore rig and serves some of the ocean front cities around Santa Barbara.

[flmgrip]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

thanks guys !

[flmgrip]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

just wanted to give an update... i received my approval today from SoCal to have a home-fueling station installed... green light, yeah ! timing is working out great for me and soon i will have my brand-new GX with thanks to curtis...

install is not cheap, almost $2k and phill an other $2k (asuming and hopeing i still will get the $2k incentive), but in the long run i MIGHT save some money, but i KNOW that i do what i can to save the world

[Curtis]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

You should call Fuelmaker and have them send out another installer and get a second, or even third quote. The installers in my area charge less than $1000 for a simple install. Some of these guys think they have a license to steal.

[flmgrip]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

yeah... i got three quotes all just around $2k.... i know it's a rip off... the one i picked for the install is one recommended here from this site and had the lowest bid too... and he's willing to cooperate with some HOA issues and some other little install (water filter) i have to do....

[Michael]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

Here is some information regarding the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and the installation of a Phill unit. The OCFA does service the city of Tustin, so they will want to do plan check and inspection, and they will want to charge a fee for this. Originally, their cost for these services was over $900.00 dollars. It was reduced to over $600, when I got involved. I attended several meetings of the Board of Directors, and with the help of Annabel Cook from American Honda, a Deputy Fire Marshall with the OCFA, members of the OCFA Board of Directors, and several CNG vehicle owners, we were able to get their cost reduced to 1.5 hours of labor at $145 per hour, for a total of $217.50. This change took place in January, 2007.

Your installer will have to complete a check-off sheet at the OCFA office when he/she applies for the permit. The check-off sheet was the way the OCFA reduced their cost by putting the bulk of the plan check work back onto the installer. Via the check-off sheet, the installer will verify that the unit is the appropriate type, has all the appropriate safety features, and will be installed per code.

After the installation of the Phill unit is completed, the OCFA will send an inspector out to verify that the installation was done correctly and to sign-off the permit.

One of the things that my OCFA inspector insisted on was a sign with red lettering which reads "CNG COMPRESSOR EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT" and a red arrow pointing to the electrical receptacle where the Phill plugs in. My installer satisfied this requirement by writing on the wall in red permanent marker. It works, but it looks sloppy. If you care about how the signage looks, you might want to make your own sign. OCFA wants the electrical disconnect point clearly labeled in case a fire fighter needs to find it in an emergency.

I do not live in Tustin, but I do live in a city served by the OCFA. My Phill unit was installed and inspected in May, 2007. With the exception of the sign issue mentioned above, there were no glitches in the installation or inspection.

I hope that this is helpful.

In your service always,
Michael M

[flmgrip]

Re: tustin, ca gas quality

i have layed the groundwork for the next phill install in tustin.

i have to say that i am proud that i achieved approval from the HOA and the city of tustin, it was a lenghty and painfull process with an happy outcome.

anyone interested in installing a phill, come talk to me to get tips, but most likley you can just get the permit and go... they do know about the phill now... i made sure of that!