CSST Failures

Practice Group

CSST Failures

Yost & Baill attorneys serve as national counsel for major insurance carriers in Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing failure cases throughout the upper United States. Commonly referred to as “CSST Losses,” these cases involve electrically induced breaches of flexible gas lines in almost any type of building.

CSST gas lines were introduced into the North American building market in the early 1990s and serve as an alternative to traditional copper or black iron gas pipes. The advantages of CSST gas lines come with unique risks. CSST lines have very thin walls which, in combination with the corrugated construction, allow the line to flex and bend around corners. The flexible nature of CSST lines decreases the installation costs and allows building owners to bring gas to areas of a building that may have otherwise been impractical to do. Unfortunately, the thin CSST line wall is also the product’s Achilles heel.

Since CSST’s introduction into the North American Market, a causal connection has been made between CSST gas line failures and direct or near by lightning strikes. Generally speaking, a CSST gas line can have small holes burnt into them due to electrical arcing events that occur between the CSST lines and other metallic surfaces in a home or building. Because the CSST line is often installed in floor joists, the typical failure results in a gas fed fire that is hidden in the floor or ceiling of a building. If you have a building fire claim where there was lightning activity, you should be looking for CSST lines in the building.

For more information about Yost & Baill’s CSST Failures practice, please contact Kelly Micheletti at (612) 244-2927, or click the photos to learn more about our practice group.

CSST FAILURES PRACTICE GROUP

Kelly Micheletti David TaylorTeirney ChristensonCatlin Pegelow