(1) Are there long (6+ feet) flexible connectors for connecting a dryer to gas?
(2) Can a gas pipe be extended by a DIYer, or is this a job for a plumber?
Best Buy Just delivered our dryer. They were supposed to do the hook-up but couldn’t because the gas pipe ends 5′ above the floor. The flexible connector wasn’t long enough to reach the port at the bottom of the dryer.
They said I need to go to a hardware store because Best Buy doesn’t stock a connector that is long enough. However, that makes me wonder if there is a good reason they don’t stock it. For example, maybe it is not safe to use a flex pipe that that long, or they simply don’t exist.
I figure I can always extend the gas line by adding more pipe, but my husband thinks it requires hiring a plumber.
Please advise us on how to proceed!
Janet
Replies
You can certainly handle that job if you have a few special tools, some basic skills, patience and a friendly plumbing supply house nearby.
For example, the first thing that needs to be done is to shut off the gas. Do you know, for sure, how to do that and what tool is required? Do you know how to re-light all the pilot lights in your house, when you turn the gas back on? Have you re-lit every one of them before? Don't assume anything when it involves gas.
From your description, the question that pops out is...why does the gas line end five feet above the floor? BTW, flex lines are meant to be protected from damage by the appliance they serve. That's why they're only made in short lengths. Your job will require a permanent piece of pipe and a shut off valve.
This is a job which could turn out to be a real headache for an poorly prepared DIYer, so don't let your ego kid you about your abilities, not on a gas line.
A plumber could handle it all in a short time. Probably cost you $200-$250, maybe less if you shop around.
It would be worth your time to check with your gas company or your LP supplier about this before proceeding.
Edited 8/9/2009 12:38 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
>>>From your description, the question that pops out is...why does the gas line end five feet above the floor? Just guessing...perhaps the original installation was for a stacker?
I don't know why it ends there. Certainly, the Best Buy employee was surprised. He pointed to the threads on the pipe and said if I couldn't find a longer connector, then the last section of pipe needed to be replaced with a longer piece (as opposed to adding on). You made a good point about the pilot lights, etc. We just bought the house so I am not that familiar with its underpinnings. You're right, and DH is right: Time to call the plumber. Thanks for the advice. Janet
HD sells threaded black pipe that will fit to that existing run. Also pick up a small tube of GAS thread sealant. They have small toothpaste-type tubes of Rectorseal for a couple of bucks.I just repiped all that black pipe on my pool heater when my old heater went kaput and I replaced it with a new one. Easy to do, a couple of wrenches and there you go.After you make up the connections drip a little soapy water on them, turn on the gas, and check for bubbles.Although it's simple, if you at all feel overwhelmed by gas pipe certainly sub it out.
Be careful with the Home Despot black pipe, I had some that measured .020" undersize, no wonder I couldn't get a leak free connection!
Your picture makes it clear that you can do this easily.
It shows a shutoff before the point where you can tie in to extend the iron pipe.
Go buy a 3' length of black iron pipe at Home Depot, and a 1/2" x 4-foot flexible gas appliance connector and a tube of pipe dope that specifically says it's for natural gas piping.
1. Shut off the valve in your picture, using a crescent wrench. It's a quarter-turn valve.
2. Using 2 pipe wrenches, unscrew the 1/2" nipple just above the end cap.(One pipe wrench "backs" the side of the joint you don't want to loosen, the other unscrews the one you want to loosen.) This will give you a starting point, which will be a female thread to accept the new 3-foot piece of iron pipe.
3. Apply pipe dope to the male threads only.
4. Using 2 pipe wrenches, screw in the new piece.
5. On the other end of the new pipe, tighten on the brass adapter that comes with the flex connector.
6. Connect the dryer with the other end of the flex.
7. Turn gas back on and soap test all joints for leaks by brushing on a soap solution made from dish soap and water. Any leaks will bubble.
Looks to me that the valve is already in the shut position.
Right you are.
It had better be!
After borrowing a plumbing book from the library, I feel this project is DIY-able. But DH felt strongly about having a professional do the hook-up, so I called a plumber for an appointment.The plumber said that he doesn't install a drip leg for anything that uses flexible pipe (e.g., dryers and cooktops). The use of drip legs dates from a time when the gas supply contained water and impurities, but gas is a lot purer now so a d.l. is no longer a requirement (in this community, at least).He still installs a d.l. with stationary appliances like water heaters, because the oil used to cut the pipe threads can contaminate the gas. The flexible connectors don't have that problem. Come to think of it, that doesn't explain why the dryer hookup doesn't need a drip leg. He still has to add more black pipe for the flex connector to reach. I'll have to ask him about that when he does the hook-up.Janet
A little gas history:
Drip legs date back from the time when gas was manufactured from coal or oil. The coal was "cooked" at a central plant and the lighter gases that were driven off by the cooking process were collected, pressurized, and distributed by piping to houses and other buildings within a city. Such gas had water vapor in it that had to be collected at various points in the piping. Drip legs were the last protection before the appliance.
"Natural gas", as we know it today, is natural in the sense that it is collected in its natural state from deposits in the earth. Depending on the purity of the source, it is processed and purified as needed to deliver a very pure, clean product that is free of water and other contaminants. (Like sulfur--which is why copper pipe can be used for gas lines in many places.)
HOWEVER, gas codes still require a "sediment trap" on certain appliances as a means to collect crud before it reaches the appliance's gas control valve, where it could foul the valve and prevent the valve from closing fully. A sediment trap looks just like a drip leg; it just serves a different purpose.
Your plumber is almost right in his assessment of when a sediment trap is code-required. They're not required on appliances that are considered "attended" appliances--things like kitchen ranges, dryers, outdoor grilles and lights. But they are required on furnaces, water heaters and such that are out-of-sight, out-of-mind, and that operate automatically. The use of a flex connector has nothing to do with whether or not a sediment trap is required. (ref. International Fuel Gas Code, section 408.4.)
Having now looked at your photo, I'd say that you and your DH can do this job without concern for safety, if you follow the simple steps which others here have given you.
You'll need a large pair of vise-grip pliers. That's it for special tools, though it would be nice to have a large crescent wrench to use to tighten the nuts on the flexible line, instead of using pliers.
Black pipe from HD or plumbing supply, teflon tape approved for gas line threads (I think it comes in a yellow plastic container/dispenser).
After connecting all fittings, using several layers of teflon tape on the threads, open the gas valve and dribble some liquid dish soap over each of the threaded connections.
No bubbles means you're ready to light the dryer's pilot. Follow the instructions attentively.
Edited 8/10/2009 3:10 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Just for clarification of other readers: For gas the tape itself is yellow. No white teflon tape, no matter what color the dispenser, on gas lines.
Thanks for clarifing that point. Your memory is working better than mine today.
Now let's see if I can remember how to wire the new lighting fixture I got here. Is it green to black or black to white or green to white? I guess I'll find out when I flip the switch. ;-)
Just touch the wires to your tongue one by one. When your eyeballs start bouncing around and you feel a filling or two pop out of our teeth, that's the wire gets tied to the fixture's black wire.
.....and frying pans are black.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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My frying pans used to be black. Still a bone of contention after 20+ years of marriage. First week after we got married and my wife moved in, she tossed my set of "old crusty black" cast iron pans for a set of bright shiny new ones. Why if I wasn't so crazy about her I'd have put her out of the house right then and there. I should have bought all that copper flat stock a couple of months ago when I couldn't afford it. Cause now even though I can't afford it, I can't afford a whole lot more. Argh.
When I was a kid, ma couldn't always afford a sitter so she'd have take me to work with her at the restrant. I was a dishwasher at 8. One time I had all the pots and pans in the sink, and REALLY gave am a good scrubbing. Man, the cooks were PO'ed at me, I scrubbed all the seasoning off the cast iron.Have the same problem no with MY wife ruining MY pans.And the circle is completed.Don't feel bad , can't afford copper either. I could rivit and solder all my scraps together and maybe come up with a few square.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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This is a new one on me: yellow teflon tape?
What's the difference between the white and the yellow?
The International Fuel Gas Code and the Uniform Plumbing Code simply state that thread compounds--pipe dope--shall be resistant to the action of chemical constituents of the gas conveyed, but do not reference any applicable standard, i.e. ANSI, AGA, CSA, etc.
White teflon tape has been used, trouble-free, here for at least 20 years that I know of.
Do you have any more info that you could pass on for my, and others', benefit?
Thanks.
I looked this up at one time.Some manufactures use different colors for different THICKNESS of tape. And I don't think that some of thinner one are not listed for gas by the manufactures.But, at that time, I did find some white ones that where listed..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Thank goodness the search function worked the first time I tried it. This is an excerpt from a post I made way back in the yonder days:
From: Mongo 9/11/2006 10:54 pm
To: alfie (12 of 31)
78535.12 in reply to 78535.1
Only read this if you have insomnia:Originally PTFE tape was made in both a single density and double density type. The single density type was typically made in 1/2" x 520" rolls and commonly distributed in all hardware stores.Double density PTFE tape was made in 1/2", 3/4" & 1" widths and typically distributed through the Plumbing, HVAC and Mill Supply stores but rarely found in the hardware.Many jurisdictions adopted the double density tape as the standard for sealing threads on natural gas lines. Later, in an effort to insure the double density tape was being used the industry began making the double density in a yellow color to distinguish it from its single density counterpart.Recently the ASTM(American Society of Testing & materials) and ANSI(American National Standards Institute) adopted new standards for PTFE tape and instituted a color coding system to identify the different grades.White..Single Density -for NPT threads =/< 3/8"
Yellow..Double Density -for NPT threads >3/8" but =/< 3/4"
RED... Triple Density -for NPT threads > 3/8" but =/< 2.5"
Green..Oil Free PTFE tape for use on Oxygen lines
Gray...Type N for use on stainless steel linesCopper..PTFE tape containing copper granules,,used as a thread lubricant but may not be used as a thread sealer.PTFE tape is only approved when the proper type is matched to the size of the joint and when three full wraps are applied under tension and wrapped in the direction of the thread.While Teflon tape is commonly used by the homeowner and some tradesmen for all thread joints it is best to only use it on "Non-permanent" joints, such as attaching the shower arm, an angle stop or other joints that will require periodically changing out.PIPE DOPE is the preferred thread sealant for permanent joints, such as threaded water lines or gas lines, but you must be careful when selecting pipe dope. You must read the labels carefully and be sure the product you select is specifically labelled as suitable for the application that you intend to use it for.In the hardware stores we commonly find either the Gray pipe dope or the white "teflon" pipe dope. The white teflon pipe dope has a small advantage because it contains teflon granules that work as a thread lubricant which aids in making tight joints.Most tradesmen rely upon Rectorseal which is a nearly universal pipe thread dope which is listed for Potable water, Non-potable water, Steam, Natural Gas, Propane, Gasoline, High pressure Air, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, and most industrial gasses & chemicals.While RectorSeal is difficult to find in the hardware or big box stores it can be commonly found in any Plumbing, HVAC or Electrical supply house in sizes ranging from a 4oz can to a gallon bucket.Rector seal is made in both a hardening and non-hardening formula. The hardening type is most commonly used on steam piping while the non-hardening type would be most suitable for the typical residential application. The non-hardening type also has the advantage that it will not dry up and get hard in storage.
Thank you for that roundup of PTFE and pipe dope info. Clears up several questions I had not taken time to get answered before.Where would one use copper tape? As a lubricant for compression and flare fittings?BruceT
I've never even seen copper tape! Plus I've never seen it used by others in residential, or in the little bit of commercial that I've been involved with. All I ever use is white teflon tape, yellow teflon tape, Teflon pipe dope, and Rectorseal.
Only addition to that article:Rector Seal is now found everywhere too.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
The ultimate irony? The local plumbing house has stopped carrying a bunch of stuff, Rectorseal among them. Reason? The box stores now carry it. That the box stores are 25-45 minutes from here they seem not to care. So they now drive their customers to the box stores, where we fall into the "well now since I'm here, I may a well pick up some PVC, some copper, some..."I ran into that earlier this summer when I installed a new pool heater at my house. Went to the supply house for Rectorseal, 50' of soft copper, and black pipe nipples and fittings. "We have no Rectorseal, and since this is for your own house, you don't get a discount."Huh?Well, I left everything on the counter and went to HD where they had everything, and it was about 60% of the cost at the supply house. If I'm forced into the drive I may as well make the best of it.Seems like the supply house is just throwing more grease on the already slippery slope!
Is 6 turns of single density the same as 3 turns of double density?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Thanks.
Very informative. It appears that chemical composition of the the PTFE products is all the same, except for the oxygen-free and copper stuff. So, apparently there is no worry about degradation of the tape by any component of natural gas.
Interesting comments about how teflon is favored for joints that might need to be taken apart, but paste dope preferred for permanent joints.
The ASTM and ANSI standards you listed are not referenced in IFGC or UPC, so this must be a case where codes have not seen fit to include them. It seems that it is more of a local jurisdiction rule in some parts of the country.
Unless you are in Chicago, where no tape is permitted for gas lines, pipe dope only.
I assume that five feet from the floor is where the original washer was hooked up? with a shut-off valve?, if so there shouldn't be any problem hooking up the new washer with a longer flex connection. If you can't get the size you want, get two and hook them together. Are you sure that you can do this, if you have any doubt get help from a pro.
Shacko and MSA1,I didn't see your responses before posting my last. I tell DH about connecting two together, but he will almost certainly put the kibosh on it. He is such a worrier, but at least he puts his money where his worries are. Thanks for the advice.Janet
Just buy two three footers and a coupler. We did that in our basement.
Yes I could have repiped but I get lazy when I get home from fixing up other peoples houses.:>)
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
I had to redo WH connection that was done that way.It was being sold and the FHA inspector required it to be changed along with added a discharge pipe to the safety.But, ignored other problems such as a busted hot water line and a ceiling light hanging by it's wires..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Who says the dryer has to be installed "right side" up? The door is on the front and there is nothing mechanical to prevent it from working.
Assuming that the gas connection is on the bottom of the dryer, a short connecting tube should now fit. Shame on Best Buy for not figuring this out.
~Peter
The door is on the front and there is nothing mechanical to prevent it from working.
On many or most dryers, there IS "something mechanical" to keep it from working.
The dryer slides or rollers are usually designed such that the drum sits on the slides or rollers. If you turn the dryer upside down, it won't work, because gravity will draw the drum off the slide rather than onto it.
If it were mine I'd bring the gas pipe down the wall to behind the dryer with a drip leg, then hook up flex gas line and DONE!
Build a platform to raise the washer and dryer up about 24" to a more comfortable working height.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt