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A gas tech had told me that we have a wrong type of adaptor connected to steel elbow. See image below.

The gas tech pointed to the elbow joint, but did not tell me what kind of joint I needed to use. Does someone have any idea what can be wrong with it? What kind of adaptor is needed? Thanks.

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  • I'd consider replacing the entire valve. The other end should be a compression nipple. Not sure what it is given the amount of putty on there.
    – DA01
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 18:42
  • In some jurisdictions. "If you have to ask what's wrong, you aren't qualified/licensed to fix it!"
    – DJohnM
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 3:03
  • So I guess this may not be a DIY kind of job? It may need to have licensed contractor to come replace? On another note, this pipe goes to a dryer, would it be a major problem or small problem. Is it dangerous to use without having black steel?
    – Ty Yang
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 19:25
  • @TyYang The galvanized pipe could corrode, and either fail outright, or cause corrosion particles to flow throughout the system. An outright failure means a gas leak, whereas particles in the line could lead to clogged orifices. If you're not comfortable; or you don't have the tools or knowledge for, working on gas lines, it's best to leave this job to the pros.
    – Tester101
    Commented Feb 18, 2015 at 4:58

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The elbow looks good, but what happens after that seems to be a mess.

Highlighted pipe image

Circled in red appears to be a flared adapter, which is connected to the valve using far too much dope to tell exactly what's going on. I'd assume by the large amount of dope, that it's the wrong type of fitting.

Circled in orange appears to be a galvanized steel nipple, which has tape dope in the threads. First off, that should be a black steel nipple, not a galvanized steel nipple. Second, it's atypical for a gas fitter to use tape dope. This would lead me to believe that the nipple was installed by an amateur.

I would expect to see a short black steel nipple threaded into the elbow, followed by a valve threaded onto the nipple. The valve should either have a flare fitting, or a flare fitting should be attached to the other side of the valve. The supply piping (commonly a flexible fitting), should attach to the flare fitting.

If this was in my house, I'd remove everything back to the elbow. Then I'd install the proper fittings.

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