Reconnecting Gas Dryer

[DaveR]

I disconnected my gas dryer for some construction work and now ready to re-connect it.

The dryer, flex hose, and fittings were all replaced three months ago. I have a few questions:

1. Since these connectors are almost brand new, I assume there is no reason to replace them? Or should I play it safe and get new connectors, or even replace the flex hose?

1. Do I need to install new pipe dope or teflon tape when reconnecting? I believe pipe dope (some green stuff) was used when the plumber did the original install, but assume it is dried out now so I need more.

2. What kind of wrench should I use to tighten the connectors? Is there any danger of overtightening, or should I go as far as I can?

I realize I should do the dishwasher soap test to ensure there are no leaks once I'm done.

Any advice would be appreciated.

-- Dave

["Blattus Slaf]

Connectors are ok. Hose is ok.

Use teflon tape.

It's easy to overtighten and destroy the fittings.

And keep your nose open.

[DerbyDad03]

Hmm, seems a bit incongruous to say these 2 things in the same post:

1 - Connectors are ok. and 2 - It's easy to overtighten and destroy the fittings.

How could any of us, sitting ~24" from a computer screen, know if #1 is true, especially in light of #2?

Only the OP can determine the condition of the hoses and connectors. The rest of us can only speculate.

[Stormin Mormon]

Use lots of soapy water in your nose?

[hallerb]

if the flexible line was twisted bumped or got any other abuse in transit your better off replacing the line.

[autobus_prime]

D:

If you don't know what you are doing, you need to hire a plumber. If you aren't locally allowed to work on gas, you need to hire a plumber. With that said, you will probably do what you will do, and so I think it's best to say why a plumber will do what he will do.

A plumber will:

-replace the flex hose and any damaged or doubtful adapters. It's cheaper than an explosion.

-never use teflon tape. It is not for gas lines. Small pieces can break off. Some tf tapes are allowable for gas - read the label. Rectorseal is preferable.

-properly tighten the connector, but not overtighten it.

-not use dish soap to check for leaks. Instead, he will use a leak- checker fluid, which costs only a few dollars at a plumbing house and is made to be the proper consistency for reliability.

But again, gas is not a place to make mistakes. Propane is particularly dangerous.

A P

["Blattus Slaf]

He said they were working fine before he disconnected them. No reason to think he destroyed the equipment while disconnecting it. But then you never know what people are capable of.

[Oren]

I can't imagine much damage, after just three months or so.

OP parts are recently new.

-- Oren

[DaveR]

Now that you mention it, I initially left the hose connected to the dryer side and tried to get it through a door but the hose wouldn't fit, so it got twisted around a bit as I disconnected it while the dryer was in an awkward position.

So to play it safe I guess I should invest in a new hose.

As far as the fittings are concened, how would I know if they are damaged? The connectors were extremely tight; it took quite a bit of force to remove them.

What is the ideal tool to use to ensure that the fittings are properly tightened, but not overtightened?

[DaveR]

Thanks for the advice. To be honest I planned to re-connect the dryer temporarily, to use for a few weeks. Then after the construction is done I planned to hire a plumber to check everything including replacing some old leaky water valves.

[mkirsch1]

Frankly it's always bothered me when all the instructions say is, "do not overtighten." That leaves it open to opinion. Your idea of overtighten is not my idea of overtighten, and both are probably completely different from the manufacturer's idea of overtighten.

Ideally, they'd provide a torque spec, but then you'd need to rent/ borrow/buy an expensive torque wrench, or rig up some Rube Goldberg contraption with a scale to measure torque.

From a technical standpoint, you want the joint tightened to the minimum torque where it doesn't leak: Use a standard wrench, and gently increase the torque little by little until you don't get any bubbles when you slather soapy water on the joint. Obviously, with natural gas involved, this is not an ideal method because you could well have the house full of gas before you get the joints all tighened adequately, so you need to GUESS. Use your best judgement. Don't noodle-arm the wrenches, but don't go HULK SMASH on them either. Unless you're a total wimp or a massive body builder, your idea of tight-but-not-too-tight will be close enough.

[mm]

My mother always used to say, Don't use too much. That bothered me quite a bit until I decided to replace it in my ears with "It's possible to use too much." That still left the determination in my lap, but at least it wasn't an annoyingly vague instruction..

So just read it as "It's possible to overtighten."

And a crow-foot thingy to go on the end.