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I am renovating my kitchen and will be switching from gas stove to induction cooktop. The gas stove is currently hooked up to a 3/4 inch iron pipe coming through the subfloor (below it is a drywalled finished basement). The wall where the old stove is located is coming down, so I cannot have the pipe sticking out.

Can I simply remove the valve, cap it off with a 3/4” iron cap and Rectorseal, and then 1/4 turn the whole assembly at the lower elbow so it is tucked away into the joist space? Or should I remove the pipe down to elbow and cap it with an threaded plug? The subfloor will be patched and then covered with a new hardwood flooring. Thanks.

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  • Am I to understand that the difference in your two proposed solutions is just where to cap the gas? One idea is for the cap to go where the valve is now and you'd just tighten (or loosen) the 90 in the picture until the (now) vertical pipe is low enough to cover. Your second idea to be replacing the 90 with the cap. Do I have that right?
    – Dean MacGregor
    Sep 14, 2020 at 12:30
  • @DeanMacGregor That's right. With the first idea, I would tighten to clear the subfloor. But most importantly, if I seal it and tighten it properly, is it okay to have a live line capped off like this inside joists space? I've seen other posts where people said hidden gas lien must be soldered. I just cannot find a good source of how that is done. And frankly, if I can secure it just as well with a compression fitting, I'd rather do that. There is no shut off to this line (besides the meter shut off) as far as I am aware. Thanks.
    – David
    Sep 14, 2020 at 14:01
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    The critical point here is whether a gas line termination must be accessible, I think.
    – isherwood
    Sep 14, 2020 at 14:22
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    I'd really suggest that you talk to your local gas company and/or building inspector to ensure that whatever you do is to code. If there is any problem and it were to leak and cause an explosion that would be bad at least, fatal at worst. The last thing you want is for the insurance company to figure out that you did something not to code and add insult to injury by denying claims.
    – FreeMan
    Sep 14, 2020 at 16:09
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    I don’t see how a properly installed plug or cap would be any mor a concern that the property installed elbow and stub up you currently have.
    – Kris
    Sep 14, 2020 at 16:47

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Either of the solutions you mention will work, but I recommend, if you have enough room, completely removing the elbow and installing a cap on the horizontal line in the floor. This way there are fewer connections, therefore fewer leak points. Of course, make sure you leak test any joints you move or work on.

There is nothing wrong with a gas line terminating in a floor, other than the difficulty of trying to use it for something in the future. But it's no more dangerous than having any other gas joint in the floor.

The ideal solution would be to find where that branch line begins, and cap it there. That way you remove all potential leaks after the origin point. However, I'm not sure that would be easy for you, as you stated that the basement is drywall-finished.

For your reference, here's a link to Minnesota's gas code. It says nothing about gas line terminations. It mentions that gas valves must be accessible, but that doesn't apply to your situation, as you will be removing the valve.

https://up.codes/viewer/minnesota/mn-fuel-gas-code-2015/chapter/4/gas-piping-installations#4

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    Thank you, finally a practical answer. I am aware of how to do it properly, with proper tools, shut it off, seal it, leak test it. Quite honestly, I’d rather do it myself than trust a plumber to do a meticulous job. I’m sure most will but so can I.
    – David
    Sep 16, 2020 at 14:40

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