moving gas dryer

I want to clean out the vent in my gas dryer. To really do that well, I have to move it away from the wall.

To do _that_, sounds like I need to disconnect the gas line, and then reconnect when done. Is that really a big deal? There's all sorts of advice on how to do it on the web, e.g. in this USENET group at

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Doesn't sound like a big deal. I'm not that experienced but am pretty handy and careful, so I figure calling a plumber would be a waste of money, but wanted to hear what you guys had to say.

That being said, there _was_ an incident around here (suburb of Wash DC) where some guy blew his house to bits a few months ago. But I think he was actually putting in the line to the dryer himself.

Reply to
woger151
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Not a big deal at all unless you don't have a valve at the appliance. Just make sure to turn off the valve before you start and it is a piece of cake. I will assume that your dryer has an electronic ignition, so no pilot lights to relight.

If you DON'T have a valve at the appliance, then you have to shut off the gas to the house, then relight all of your pilots after you turn it back on. It would be a good time to install a valve at the dryer when you turn off the gas.

Reply to
Robert Allison

around here most gas dryers and stoves use flexible lines, so unplug dryer pull it out gently, disconnect exhaust line, vacuumn interior of dryer .......

to ckean the exhaust line i prefer to connect the dryer exhaust line to the output of my 5hp shop vac.

wrap rags to seal line, turn on vacuumn, see big cloud of dryer dust in air

Reply to
bob haller

Not really if you have a cap at hand for the pipe. Disconnect the dryer and screw on the cap. The amount of gas that escapes from the line is piddly. You can hold your thumb over the pipe while you screw around with getting the cap out of the package with your other hand, the pressure is about

2oz/sq in.

Admittedly, this is not the best way to address the problem, but at least you won't have to muck about re-lighting pilot lights.

Reply to
HeyBub

re: "If you DON'T have a valve at the appliance, then you have to shut off the gas to the house"

Be careful how you word that...there could be a subtle issue at play here.

In my house "shut off the gas *to* the house" would mean turning off the gas at the outside meter, which would mean calling the utilty company to turn it back on.

However, I can leave the gas "to the house" on and turn off a main valve *inside* the house, turning off the gas to all of my appliances.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

When I replaced my furnace, we found out that the main shutoff inside the house turned off the gas to everything except the furnace. We had to repipe the gas at the furnace since the new furnace's gas valve was on the opposite side compared to the old one.

It was late on a chilly day by the time we discovered that and didn't want to shut the gas off at the meter and then have to get the utility company involved to turn it back on and all that that would entail.

We opened all of the windows and the guy who was doing the piping used

2 caps. He removed the old pipe back to where he had to change directions and then capped the live section. He then measured for the next section and put a cap on it. He removed the cap on the live pipe and installed the new capped section. He continued this method of uncapping the live line and installing capped sections until he reached the valve at the furnace.

There was less of a gas smell than you'd get if your pilot light was out.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

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If I have to turn off the gas to the whole house, I have to turn it off at the meter. When I am done, I turn it back on. Why call the gas company?

Reply to
Robert Allison

And not advice I would give to anyone that was worried about disconnecting a gas line to an appliance.

Reply to
Robert Allison

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Think about getting a flexible gas line.

Reply to
MLD

A couple of years ago, the gas company shut the main line where I work to do some work on a valve. When they opened it again, they had to come and check everything inside to be sure pilots were lit and burners worked.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Probably has a flex line already. I'd check the condition of it and if there is any doubt about it's integrity I'd replace it. They can get kinked, damaged, etc from the dryer being pushed up against it.

Reply to
trader4

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I have never seen a hard piped residential dryer. How would you even install it in the majority of locations were dryers are installed?

Reply to
George

Sounds more like he was "heybubbed". NFPA 54 has required dedicated shut off valves for gas appliances for a very long time.

Reply to
George

gas lines in homes generally have at most a few ounces in pressure. theres very little pressure to release

Reply to
bob haller

When I first installed a gas dryer, about 40+ years ago, local code was hard piped. The theory being, the vibration of the dryer over time would cause the flex line to crack or leak.

I understand now flex is required for situations like earthquakes or even minor movement of the appliance.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I thought this group was about skipping the "right" way and proceeding straight to the "usual" way.

Reply to
HeyBub

I believe most folks are looking for sensible answers that reflect commonly used safe practices. There only seems to be one poster that always give bailing wire and duct tape suggestions.

Reply to
George

I always remember flex lines even in my parents house when I was a kid. And the gas company in the area where we lived was always extra conservative.

I do remember having to change out old flex lines maybe 20 years ago. I don't remember the details but I think the older lines were mild steel and there were corrosion issues. Now we need to use SS lines (which obviously could introduce other corrosion issues but apparently don't).

Reply to
George

I'm no pipefitter, but it was always drummed into to me to use a new flex line whenever you had to move a dryer or stove- the old ones supposedly took a set after a few years, and were prone to cracking if reused. Cheap enough to be considered disposable, I guess. Wonder if it is code-legal to have local hose shop make you a multi-layer rubber and braided stainless (or whatever) one, like for a gas grill?

Reply to
aemeijers

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