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I'm trying to install this GE gas range, so I attached everything and tightened all the nuts. Unfortunately, there's gas leaking at the base of the stove (where the flare connects to the stove).

I first tried without teflon tape at the base, and then I wrapped the flare with some teflon tape, but the leak is still there.

What else can I do? The flare fitting going to the gas range is 1/2".

enter image description here

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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Michael Karas ♦
    Sep 21, 2019 at 20:57
  • Does "How can I blow myself up?" count as a comment?
    – Valorum
    Sep 21, 2019 at 22:25

6 Answers 6

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Stop, turn off the gas, ventilate the house, and hire a pro.

If you applied teflon tape to a flare fitting, you are NOT the person to be installing your gas range. You fundamentally don't understand what you are doing, and doing this wrong can blow up your house. That tends to impair the "learn from your mistakes" method of learning. This is not the place to be "figuring it out as you do it the first time."

Removing the teflon tape from the flares won't magically make you competent to safely complete the job correctly, so my advice is let a pro who knows what they are doing do it.

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  • 51
    @rbhat I imagine much of the community will agree that gas fittings, especially on indoor appliances, are not the sort of thing to DIY without proper training. So far your description suggests that something has gone wrong enough with your project that it now demands skilled professional input on-site to determine what went wrong and how to properly fix it. The only correct answer to your question at this point that you should accept is "Hire a skilled and experienced professional".
    – TheLuckless
    Sep 18, 2019 at 19:03
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    @rbhat "The leak was there so I applied teflon tape." My point, exactly. That is absolutely NOT how you fix a leak at a flare fitting.
    – Ecnerwal
    Sep 19, 2019 at 0:24
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    Gas is definitely one of those things that do not have a good margin for trial an error. It's much worse than electrical, because problems will get very bad, very very fast.
    – Nelson
    Sep 19, 2019 at 2:10
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    @Nelson At least with poorly done electrical, the fire hazards have very little potential to explode. Gas leaks on the other hand...
    – JMac
    Sep 19, 2019 at 12:07
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    @JPhi1618 To add to an earlier comment about gas safety in the UK, you are not even legally permitted to turn the gas supply back on at the meter after turning it off, unless you are competent to check for leaks with the proper measuring equipment - not with your nose. But if somebody wants to ignore the consensus of advice here, don't forget WE aren't going to be affected when something like this ends up as a news item: heraldscotland.com/news/…
    – alephzero
    Sep 19, 2019 at 17:56
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Repeating the comments : Do NOT use any pipe dope or tape on flare connections . They are metal to metal seals and anything on the metal sealing surface can cause a leak. Pipe threads (tapered) require dope/tape to get a good seal. I analysed a house fire once and the primary cause was a leak caused by dope on a flare fitting.

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    "anything on the metal sealing surface can cause a leak" - anything except sealant paste certified for this specific gas type (natural / lpg / etc) and connection, I'd say. That was what was used in my home, by a certified pro.
    – Mołot
    Sep 19, 2019 at 15:26
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Everyone else is right. It’s supposed to be a metal-metal seal, so tape won’t do anything. Glue or caulking would not fix it, and trying to welding it or solder it won’t end nicely. Basically, Either the seal or a thread is damaged and you should get a professional to fix it. If not, your leak could not only destroy your home and possibly your neighbor’s homes, you could kill yourself and anyone living in your house.

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  • Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Thanks, but it isn't really helpful to add a "I agree with everyone else" answer. And, you should probably take our tour so you'll know how best to contribute here.
    – Daniel Griscom
    Sep 19, 2019 at 20:18
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    welding it?!!!
    – Michael
    Sep 20, 2019 at 2:16
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    Yes, I mentioned it to make sure that, for the record, it is stated that you will most likely die if you attempt to weld it, as some idiot will probably ask “well, why don’t you weld it?”
    – lockheed silverman
    Sep 20, 2019 at 2:21
  • Fear mongering just like everyone else here, but have an imaginary +1 for threads could be damaged.
    – Mazura
    Sep 20, 2019 at 2:33
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As others have indicated, there is a very real danger that you have damaged the fitting in an attempt to fix it. Further attempts to fix it can cause things to get worse. And you can solve the immediate problem, but have it corrode or fail over time. Even if you live in an area where you don't have to have a license to work on the gas connection, there are a lot of indications that you really need someone who knows what they are doing to fix this problem. (I live in farm country where everything, including gas line installations is often DIY. I've also seen some really, really bad DIY work. I also have known "professionals" that were so bad they were dangerous.)

Either your propane supplier, or the gas supplier, if natural, should be able to point you in the right direction for a competent installer/repairman. If your candid, they will often steer you away from the jerks as well.

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Not sure where exactly your are describing your leak is. And I am not familiar with the exact type of flare fitting used in your photo, but down here we typically use gas-rated gaskets to seal the fittings. It is not clear from your question whether this fitting supports it and if it does, whether you have the gasket, but usually it is all that's needed:

https://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Gaskets-Connection-System-Fittings/dp/B01NCJ44XC

Looks approximately like this:

Gas pipe

The black ring inside is obviously the gasket. If you tighten the fitting enough, there are no leaks.

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I'm still alive and nothing's blown up... yet.

After watching this tutorial and calling the shop that sold me the parts, I found out that the reason for the leak was that the flare-end of one fitting was attached to the stove.

So I took apart everything, cleaned everything well, and then attached both "flare-end" fittings directly to both ends of the hose for a metal-to-metal seal. Then I put some teflon tape over the threads that don't have flares. Once everything's tight, I opened the gas valve and double-checked with soap water. No leaks anywhere.

I was surprised that nowhere in the internet does it clearly mention that the flare-ends are attached directly to the hose. I found out about this from the video above and taking screenshots of both fittings (#1 & #2). The video's far from great, but it quickly cleared that up. Then I confirmed the information with the shop.

And finally, for anyone that wants to try this, when all is said and done, you're basically attaching a hose to two ends. I'm far from a DIYer, and I was able to do it. As long as the connections are tight and there are no leaks, then it's definitely doable.

I'll take pictures of the final installation for reference.

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  • I'm glad you're ok, but you probably need to make sure this post can't be traced back to you or you may have just invalidated your home insurance. Certain types of work are prohibited by unlicensed workers.
    – Nelson
    Oct 2, 2019 at 3:46

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