Gas Pipe – Using Steel Wool Around a Gas Pipe Safely

gasmicepipe

There's a crawl space in my basement where the gas pipe to the stove goes through a hole in the ceiling. I think it might be a big enough hole for a mouse to get through so I'd like to stuff some steel wool in there, which has worked for me against mice before.

My concern is whether having steel wool against a gas pipe is anything to worry about. First, I'm in the US and am only assuming that pipe is steel, so I would think it's OK to do that but is there a reason I shouldn't?

The area is under cover, to the ground, but not insulated. Is rust of the wool a worry?

Best Answer

By gas pipe, you mean the gasline--not the actual chimney, right? If so, that is likely steel pipe. It COULD be copper, but you'd be able to tell if that's the case. If it's a steel pipe, stainless steel wool should be fine to plug it.