I am a homeowner that would like to know if I am stepping out beyond what I should be doing.
We are moving into a new (30 yr old) house that has a natural gas furnace and water heater. These are in an unfinished basement and I am looking to run (extend) a new gas line for our gas stove. (the current stove is electric and my wife would like a gas stove)
I have not run gas lines before but I am a fairly competent do-it-yourselfer. In our previous house I ran new water lines, drain lines, electrical work (although I pucker up when adding a breaker to an electrical box), along with the normal tasks of drywall, light carpentry, etc. (My drywall finishing skills leave a bit to be desired)
As a DIY’er I also realize there are limitations to things I should attempt. For example, I would never consider replacing a main electrical panel or replacing my own roof if it was a 12/12 pitch. (failing off a roof and jeopardizing my regular job is not a risk I would take)
Is running a gas line something I should consider attempting if I find out more on how to complete the job?
My plan was to use black iron pipe, a proper pipe dope and a short piece of flexible yellow gas line where the pipe goes through the floor. I’d add a shutoff at the end of the line and soap all my joints to check for leaks.
My first thought was to just call a plumber but I would never call a plumber to connect a gas stove to an existing line.
Thanks for the opinions,
Mike
Replies
Call a plumber to tap into the existing line and run the extension. Have him valve and cap the end, and you can install the stove at your convenience.
"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
Do you have a pipe threader, a tripod, a couple of wrenches, a test gauge, and an air compressor? Black pipe is fairly easy to do if you have all of the above and other common tools. Also, get a permit and an inspection.
Turn off the gas supply at the meter or regulator outside the house and let the pilots burn the gas out of the lines. Hopefully you have a cap or a tee where you want to extend from, or can add one. If you have to cut into the middle of a line to get a tee in, prepare to use a left-right nipple and coupling, and to thread pipe in place. I would build everything with the black iron, skip the flex tubing. Pipe right up to where the shutoff valve goes and install a cap. I use Rectorseal pipe dope and yellow gas line tape on the male threads.
Now for the test. Disconnect the shutoff valves at the other appliances and install caps. Disconnect the meter from the house and install your test gauge. Use an air chuck to pressurize the lines. The test only requires 10-15 lbs, but you can go higher than that. There should be no drop in pressure, not just for the required 10 minutes, but for hours. The inspector will want to see the lines under test for the inspection.
Once you get everything reconnected, call you gas utility and see if they will do low pressure tests on your appliances. You need to install gas shutoff valves with test ports if they're going to test for you.
If you're not willing to do all of the steps, slowly and carefully, get someone who will, and do not skip the inspection.
If you were able to dress yourself this morning I bet you can do it.
Just make sure you understand gas line requirements where they differ from water lines , like no unions unless proceeded by an appliance cut off. Use all new materials and intalled correctly it takes effort to screw it up unless you get a cracked elbow or coupling. Do a pressure test, just takes a few minutes and remember someone has to end up with that 1 in 1,000 fitting that has a crack or bad threads.
OK I'll sit back and watch the flack as the line begins to form swearing you will blow up your home and all inside.
Good advice so far.
When you go up through the floor, use a tee installed vertical instead of an elbow. Use the bottom outlet for a sediment trap (short nipple with a cap).
Keep all your pipes clean on the inside. The new ones and the existing. No chips, no pipe dope.
Good advice on the dirt leg. I recently added on to my system and had occasion to remove a dirt leg so I could continue piping from that tee. There was indeed crud in the bottom of the leg, 2 years old. My experience with NG is that rust slowly builds up inside the pipe and if you add onto piping that's a few years old or more there will be grit in the lines. May be true of propane also... water vapor in the gas, I think.
When I install gas pipe I keep my compressor handy and blow out the chunks of metal after threading each piece. When the job is done I send a long blast of air from each appliance termination out to the meter end, which invariably blows out crud.
The first thing you have to do that hasn't been mentioned is figure out the correct size of pipe you need. At the ultra-low pressures of regulated gas systems, fractions of a PSI, friction in the pipe on long runs gets to be significant. For instance, 3/4" pipe is good for 250 cubic ft. per hour 20 ft. from the regulator, but only 93 cu. ft/hr at 125 ft. You can find the table and calculation instructions in Taunton's "Code Check: Plumbing" book.
Since you're doing it yourself, think about anything else you might want to add in the future, a barbecue, a hot tub, etc. Size the pipe big enough, and instead of couplings and ells, use tees and plugs where you might want to add on. The cost is tiny, and it saves a lot of work if you do add more stuff.
Testing for leaks using soap bubbles is fine for the final connection of appliances. But for testing big modifications to the system, it isn't good enough. You can't be absolutely sure that you soaped and saw every possible problem, crawling around in the dirt under the house. That's why you have to cap things and test with compressed air. Code requires something like 10 PSI for 15 minutes, I really don't care. I left mine at 30 PSI over night. If it's really OK, it'll hold that. If it doesn't hold pressure, pronounce the expletive of your choice, pump it up again, and start checking everything with the soap solution.
But first before anything else, check with your local building dep't to see if they allow owner-builder gas work. If so, pull the permit.
-- J.S.
Edited 1/26/2006 3:23 pm ET by JohnSprung
I just did this same project and relied heavily on the instuctions at http://www.hammerzone.com They woked well for me. I was lucky in that I could tie into an existing T, which made it easy.Also remember that that once you get all the pipe installed, it is very diffcult to tighen things up more if you fidn a leak, so get it tight the first time.
Make sure that insurance co still covers your house if you do the work and are not licensed .
they are good at sliding out in some areas if you have trouble in the future
Thanks for the suggestions.
I called the municipal building inspector to ask if they allow homeowners to complete this type of work and they will issue a homeowner permit for anything except a boiler installation.
When (if) I do the gas line extension I will also replace a 30 year water heater at the same time.
Just so there is no misunderstanding, I am not trying to cut corners or avoid inspections by doing the work myself. If I can save a few hundred bucks and do the work myself in a safe way then I am willing to consider doing the work. If it is not possible to do safely myself because I lack specific tools or experience then I am happy to pay a pro to take care of the work. Also, by knowing more about what is involved I also find out why a pro might be a good value and what to look for when talking to plumbers to do the work.
So, I will be doing a little more investigation as to where the valves are located and what is involved with pressure testing the system to make sure it doesn't leak. I'll probably be back with a few more questions in the next few days.
Thanks again,
Mike
> .... because I lack specific tools ....
The tools you'd really need aren't all that expensive, and well worth having for future projects. Mainly just a couple pipe wrenches.
Don't even think about buying a threader, they're expensive and just for the full time plumbers. You can get pipe cut and threaded where you buy it. If you think 4" is the length you need, but aren't sure, buy one each of 3", 3½", 4", 4½", 5", etc. and you'll be covered. Cheaper than buying the threader, easier than going back to the store if you find you need a different size.
-- J.S.
I've done it without a threader but it's a PITA. It's hard to plan for multiple pieces of different lengths, and then go to the store and get them all... and be right, especially when going around corners etc. Most rental shops will rent a ratchet, a die, and a tripod, and with a sawzall or cutoff saw you can roll yer own.
You definitely need to buy nipples from the store, and buy extras. I don't think I can thread anything shorter than 8-10" with my setup.
Just the other day I needed a pipe clamp of a very specific length (it couldn't stick out at either end of the piece being clamped), so I made one.
I've got taps and dies up to 1", above that I have to measure and buy. So far, it's worked out OK by planning so that the dimensions on the bigger stuff aren't critical.
-- J.S.