Gas hookup location for dryer?

[Jeffrey J. Kosowsky]

We just had a plumber run a dryer gas line for our new laundry room.

2 questions about the placement of the hookup:

1. The hookup runs vertically up the back wall and is about 40" tall. I would have thought the hookup should be down low since that is where the connection with the dryer is and am concerned that this will now look ugly. The plumber, however, claims that it is important to have the hookup at an accessible height so that you can shut off the gas. What is best practice here?

2. The hookup actually terminates behind the washing machine rather than the dryer because the plumber cut the pipes short by mistake. Is this a problem that is worth redoing so that the hookup is behind the dryer?

Thanks, Jeff

[wayne]

if you think about it if a fire started and you were able to get there quick enough would you want to put your hand over the flames to turn the gas off? Away from the dryer and easily reached sounds good to me. Who cares how it looks it is a laundry room?

Wayne

[Grandpa Koca]

Lazy (or "normal") practice is to put the shut off valve in the most inaccessible place behind the appliance, requiring you to pull it out of the way to shut the gas off so that you can service it. It is there for looks not convenience. The really smart placement for the valve is about chest high so you can actually turn it off without having to move the appliance. Sounds you like you have a forward thinking (right height placement) but lazy (behind the wrong machine) plumber.

[xrongor]

does this happen every time you hire someone to do something? i suspect so. tell the wife its fine and get on with the rest of your lives.

randy

[xrongor]

so when the dryer catches on fire and you need to turn off the gas, you think its smart to have the valve behind the dryer where you cant reach it because of flames shooting up?

i like where the plumber put it...

randy

[steve]

HE is correct, you would be wrong.

The cutoffs by code are supposed to be easily accessable...behind the dryer at floor level is NOT.

Did he? Or did he think that the dryer has 2 hook ups, electric and gas, while the washer has your water taps and there is little chance of the washer being pushed too far against the wall that might damage the gas line? Its where we run out ours....beside the washer hookups..

[LB]

Part 2: No, because last few feet will use a flexible "hose" (dryers do vibrate a little).

Part 1: Does not matter. Why? Because if you have a real problem you should immediately GET OUT of the house and call gas company (or fire dept if fire).

LB

[Joe Bobst]

Sounds like the best plan.

Check with your building inspection department. In our locality we have gas shut offs in the basement near water heaters, furnaces, stove and dryer supply runs. Good luck.

Joe

[Grandpa Koca]

Read my post, randy. I said for servicing it. If there's a fire, there's no fire marshall I know that would tell you to stand there and turn it off, they'd tell you to get out. I'll service my dryer a whole lot of times, but there only "might" be a fire once. And upon reconsideration, I don't have a preference whether its over the washer or dryer, flex line comes in all lengths. The only "real" reason to have it behind the dryer is to keep the flex line lengths shorter, but that may be aesthetics. So I'll agree with you that where the plumber put it is fine.

[Phisherman]

The shut off valve should be easily accessible--there will come a time when you will need to replace the dryer or service it. You can paint the pipe the same color as the wall.

No. (You may want to check the connections for leaks using soapy water.)