To my surprise and dismay, I found out that the previous homeowner didn’t put a shut-off valve on the gas line going to the gas kitchen stove. There is a shut-off at the hot water heater, but otherwise that’s it. I am putting in a new stove and want that valve installed.
I’ve done a lot of plumbing but just wanted to check here: is it OK to shut the gas off at the main gas meter, install the shut-off valve at the stove, and then turn the meter back on? Seems like it would be OK, but don’t know if there is some gas company kind of thing that needs to be reset, etc. Shutting down the meter is the only way I can stop the gas from coming up into the stove.
Thanks,
Michael
Replies
go for it...
remember you will have to bleed the air from the lines before ya try to relight the water heater and furnace...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
This is OK to do -- just remember that all your pilot lights will go out and need to be re-lit. This may involve some line bleeding, depending on your setup.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Sure it is not in the cabinet to either side or basement/crawl space below the stove. If it were me doing the job I'd forget to look in these two spots.
Wallyo
Michael,
To get the gas flowing on the meters we have you have to take the cap off the regulator and push the spring in after the valve is turned back on.
KK
Can you explain pushing the spring in on the regulator? Not sure what you mean. I've looked completely down the line for a shut-off and there's nothing. I looks like the former owner cut into the iron gas pipe and then ran copper directly to the new location of the stove. At the stove, it goes from copper to a regular flexible hose to the stove.Thanks.
oooops!!!!
are you plannig on removing that section of copper line anad replacing it with iron???
how was the take off done from iron to copper???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Yes, I am going to put in pipe to replace the copper (since I am moving the location of the stove yet again as part of a remodel).They put in an elbow in the iron pipe and then have what looks like a compression fitting attached to the copper. It almost looks like a hood is over the fitting that goes into the pipe, if that makes sense. Seems secure enough. Is running gas through copper against code?
that sounds like a saddle.....
ouch...
something else to get rid of... you may be getting into this a might deeper than you reckoned....
fall back to the nearest threaded iron fitting and go to where you need to be....
copper for any kind of gas lines is not allowed here...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Just a few years ago they started allowing copper on gas up here in WA.
No soldering or brazing though.
Flared & Propress¯
I don't suppose I should tell the OP how to put the valve on while the gas is live heh ;-)
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.”
Fred Dalton Thompson
Ever bleed a gasline, then light the furnace, only to realize the cap on the drip is loose and not all flames have yellow tips?
Can't say I've done that , but I have cut a "dead" line & then did some soldering around that paticular opening to have that pretty little backdraft thing go on inside the pipe though.
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.”
Fred Dalton Thompson
with our high sulfur gas and propanes...
the umpteen ways to to put together copper configureations....
I think they're trying to protect the sign carriers......
sur tell him how to valve up in hot mode....
we'll watch from back here....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I've actually worked on live gas lines so know some of what to expect. Pretty much like working on a live water line -- cut the line and screw on the valve as quick as you can. Are there secrets that I'm not aware of? (Stupid question, of course there are.) Can you share? I promise I won't implicate you if the house blows up.:)Thanks.
I have shut my gas off before when I was doing a major re-pipeing (black iron of course) and had to pull the stinger out (a little bit) of the regulator to reset it (btw my regulator is around 30 years old so new ones may be automatic now) , no problem. It is also a good idea to get a dedicated wrench and wire or tie wrap it to the gas line with enough slack that you can turn off the gas but not loose the wrench in case of an emergency.
If I was working alone I would shut the gas off. Much easier and safer than trying to fiddle with getting pipes together quickly and a 3/4 pipe at 4-6 psi lets a lot of gas in the room pretty quickly even when you have plugs handy.
Cut and put together the piping prior to installation to make sure you have all the angles and runs correct then use lots of "Rector Seal (the yellow stuff in tubes)" then turn on the gas and check for leaks when finished.
I have done it hot but don't recommend it.
Jim
Never heard of such high pressures in a house. Usually it is only 1/4 psi. Some places maybe 2 psi but mostly 1/4psi.
roger
I agree, 4 to 6 psi is pretty rare on my large volume systems as well.
6" to 9" of water column is pretty standard.
6 inch of water [4 °C] = 0.216 763 750 962 pound/square inch
Up here in this part of Canada (maybe the only part) we have the choice of of 2 pound system as well. Comes in handy sometimes especially when running copper. We can run copper up here in Canada.
roger
We "can" run 2 pound systems, but the gas co will make it sound like it takes an act of congress.
Have done quite few on commercial buildins cause of the length of the run so we could use a smaller pipe.
If I remember correctly we can run 5 pounds in commercial and I believe apartment buildings.
In Ontario I don't think we could run 2 pounds in houses for any reason. Would have been nice when doing some retro's.
roger
Highest I've worked with so far is 20 psi. Connected load of about 60,000,000 btu.
Not really any different than 2, or even 1/2. Just bigger numbers and a few more safetys.
But our utility gets real cranky if we turn the gas back on and pop the regs.
vent well and have nothing around that will spark....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Sounds like a flared copper fitting...... the only legal fitting besides a valve for copper gas lines.
I'm pretty sure code requires a shutoff behind the gas stove in an easily found and accessible location. In an emergency, that's where people look.
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
At the meter there is a regulator. On this is a cap that unscrews under which is a spring that adjust the pressure. Push on the button in the center of the spring to reset.Shutoff is right by meter.KK
Lord tunderin' geesus boy!! don't screw around with the regulator. Unless you have a guage to set the pressure correctly, leave it alone.
If you want to bleed off some gas, crack open a line where the gas comes into the range. Better yet, just turn on all the top burners until you smell gas.
roger
roger,You misunderstand. The meters we have need to be reset after they have been turned off. Popping the little button does this and does not change the pressure. You can also do it by working the system "hot" and doing a certain thing at the valve but I'm not gonna tell the rookies how.Been doing gas a long time.KK
I'm not saying reset bottons don't exist but I've never seen one. Grew up in So Cal and didn't see one and have gas here in northern CO and don't have one on my house.
Is the reset there so if the gas supply is stopped and started again you won't have un-lit pilots?
When you turn off the gas something moves in the regulator so even if you turn it back on no gas will flow. Don't want to blow up the house after an outage. Newer meters reset themselves. Under the regulator cap is a little button to pull or push or pop to reset.KK
I think what he's referring to is a "surge valve" works like an earthquake valve, but instead of motion it shuts off on a large surge of gas.
I've only seen them on commercial applications though.
Never had a problem with shutting the gas off, it was when I turned it back on when it tripped.
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.”
Fred Dalton Thompson
How comes stoves don't have an ODS or tip shut off?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Our commercial kitchens will have break away connectors on the stoves that shut off when it breaks or is burnt.
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.”
Fred Dalton Thompson
Me too. Nice to learn something new everyday.
thanks
roger
if there is some gas company kind of thing that needs to be reset, etc
In the Five Buroughs?
Proabably fifteen sets of quintiplicate forms to be filled out.
And ConEd probably has to be present.
And you'll need a Gas-certified Plumber to meet code, probably.
Oh, and baksheesh all around.
But, that's a guess.
Or, you could just follow the advise here <g>.