Ten Minute Job on the gas line

[Stormin Mormon]

Friend of mine is redoing the floor in the laundry room. The pipe with the natural gas for the dryer is a bit of a ways out from the wall, and he'd like me to move it closer to the wall. So it's less likely to get bumped, kicked, etc. Also better for hookup.

I went over and looked. The floor is in rough shape, there is a hole in the floor right near the wall, which means I don't have to drill a hole through.

I went and looked into the cellar. The pipe is not going to be easy to work on, but nothing much ever is. I got my bucket of pipe wrenches, and started to get to work. Turn off the gas (nearest valve is the main meter for the house) Use the gas range to flare off the pressure. And start to take some pipe part. Take the pipe apart, back several fittings and joints. And then run the pipe back to the hole in the floor, closer to the wall.

I didn't have the lengths of pipe I wanted so I had to mix and match the pieces I had. Finally, I've got it all back together with generous doses of pipe thread sealant. And it's all good.

Noticing that where the pipe comes up, is on the far side of the washer from where the dryer presently is. If there wasn't a flex line long enough, I could run some black iron along the back wall, to where the dryer is. At the moment, electric dryer. But, gas at some time in the future, I guess.

Oh, yes! He'd forgot to mention that what he really wanted, was the pipe through the hole in the floor over behind the electric dryer. Hope that's not too much work.

I went to the cellar, and spec it out a bit. Need some pipe I don't got (brought my nipple tray, and don't have 3 foot and 1 foot lengths. Snow is in the forecast for next three days, we will pick up the job Friday, which is is next day of relative calm.

- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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[bob_villa]

Blah...you're starting to sound like micky!

[TimR]

You did it the easy way.

Picked a hole in the floor easy to get to.

Made up your length of pipes by joining whatever what was at hand.

Would it have been that much harder to do it the right way? Picked the spo t where the pipe should come through first, measure the amount of pipe need ed, buy it in long enough lengths that your only joints are an elbow and a union? I can't believe the cost of materials for a job like this is signif icant; mostly this is a labor job.

Every single joint in a gas pipe is a chance to make a mistake connecting i t and a chance for a future leak. I would leave as few chances as possible , knowing that the result blows up the house.

Mostly, I would be hesitant to leave my work on public view. Even if it is perfectly safe and perfectly acceptable practice, a line in plain sight wi th a bunch of joints for no apparent reason kinda screams Joe's Garage rath er than trained careful professional, don't you think? We musicians say "e very gig is an audition." You never know who will see your piping job and a sk who did it.

Hate to pick on you Stormy but sometimes you're too nice to your customer a nd do it the cheap way, when you know (or should know) it would be better t o do it right even if it costs.

[Stormin Mormon]

whatever what was at hand.

the right way? Picked the spot where the pipe should come through first, measure the amount of pipe needed, buy it in long enough lengths that your only joints are an elbow and a union? I can't believe the cost of materials for a job like this is significant; mostly this is a labor job.

make a mistake connecting it and a chance for a future leak. I would leave as few chances as possible, knowing that the result blows up the house.

public view. Even if it is perfectly safe and perfectly acceptable practice, a line in plain sight with a bunch of joints for no apparent reason kinda screams Joe's Garage rather than trained careful professional, don't you think? We musicians say "every gig is an audition." You never know who will see your piping job and ask who did it.

too nice to your customer and do it the cheap way, when you know (or should know) it would be better to do it right even if it costs.

If you go back and read my post, I think I said how I got the pipes together, and the customer only then told me he wanted it in the more distant place.

[Moe DeLoughan]

AFAIK, he's neither trained nor licensed to do this work. He's a handyman/jack of all trades. I have no idea if his work would pass inspection. Anyone hiring him does so to save money by not hiring a pro. When it comes to natural gas, I personally think hiring a pro is the most prudent move, but I know there are a lot of people who are perfectly comfortable going the DIY or handyman approaches.

[TimR]

I'm confident I COULD do my own gas work. I work slowly and carefully and check everything multiple times. My plumbing DIY doesn't leak and my elect rical doesn't blow fuses.

But I don't do gas. There are some things where it's worth hiring the pro, preferably a licensed and bonded one. I lived in a Wisconsin town where o ne blew during the night. The house was gone, just a hole in the ground, a nd half of the houses on each side were gone.

Not that pro's don't screw up sometimes too - but he's done 1500 similar jo bs and this would be my first one. The odds are better.

[Stormin Mormon]

What date was that? I want to write in my journal, make it look like I was some where else.

- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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[bob_villa]

On Thursday, December 11, 2014 2:56:50 PM UTC-6, TimR wrote: I lived in a Wisconsin town where one blew during the night. The house was gone, just a hole in the ground, and half of the houses on each side were gone.

Tim, are you sure that wasn't LP that blew? It's higher pressure and more apt to have been DIY in rural areas.

[Stormin Mormon]

< sob > you've outed me, again.

I'm going to hide under the bed all night, the license bureau will be knocking.

- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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[clare]

When I did the gasline for my natural gas BarBQ I called Union Gas in for an inspection and the inspector asked how many years I'd been doing gas-fitting. He said it was one of the better jobs he'd seen in the last 20 years. I'm not a gasfitter or a plumber but I know what needs to be done and where to find out how. I DID have my motor vehicle propane service licence a few decades ago.

Unlike Stormy I don't take shortcuts and I never have to be ashamed to have my work seen by a pro.

[clare]

The last few suspected gas explosions around here were in homes that were professionally piped, and as far as has been determined, not modified in any way by DIY. The last one was only a couple years old, and there wasn't enough left of it for inspectors to find anything to blame it on. (mabee chinese pipe or fittings?)

[Stormin Mormon]

Unlike Clare, I'm not OCD, and I don't strive for perfection at the expense of practicality. I know when not to waste several weeks having a gold plated length of pipe machined by eskimos living in Switzerland who machine to .001 inch specs.

- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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[Tekkie®]

TimR posted for all of us...

You are making a mistake he knows the "right way". KF him