Do Natural Gas Pipes have to cycle like propane?

Question

I have a 4-plex with natural gas piping into furnaces and hot water heaters in the building. An Inspector said that two of the apartments have a pipe jumpiing between them (well, actually, illegal flex hose). We have traced all the lines to the separate water haters, furnaces, and stoves, and can't figure out for the life of us why the previous owner (did some piping himself) connected the two together.

The two upstairs apartments used to be on one gas line, which was split into two, but the pipes appear to all be run correctly and all of the target devices are accounted for.

Do natural gas pipes have to cycle like propane does, with some type of backfeed, or could the jump pipe serve some other purpose? No one has lived in these two apartment for years, so it does not make sense that it was to steal gas from somebody else's apartment to save money.

Answer 1

My friends dad use to work at the largest Trans Continental Natural Gas line Meter Station. He explain to me that sometimes they Flush the Lines with Pigs or Air to rid them of trash or gunk. It is allot more technical, but yes Natural Gas is moved around. But that Home Fix and Patch sounds just like what it appears to be, an attempt to siphon off gas or someone was trying to reduce gas consumption. That should be removed and capped off properly. It is a very dangerous attachment and could only cause problems as it serves no purpose and is quite illegal.

Answer 2

It sounds just like you said , someone was trying to run gas lines off the other apartment to save on their own gas bill.
The line should be removed and capped off properly.

Answer 3

not sure bout the cycle but every dwelling should have its own gas meter this is illegal and unsafe as if theres a leak up stairs they have no way of turning gas off if they cant enter the dwelling down stairs