111
votes
How can I repair this gas leak on my new range? Teflon tape isn't working
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 ...
- 200k
54
votes
Accepted
How to convince plumber that there is a gas leak?
The other answers here are good from a technical point of view about how to verify a leak, but to answer the question of "how to convince a plumber", I'll second a comment by @manassehkatz: ...
- 1,173
39
votes
Accepted
How to (safely) permanently turn off natural gas?
I would not take the pipes out because of the demo cost and the fact that having them available may increase the value of the home for resale. Call the gas utility and have the service turned off and ...
- 102k
38
votes
Can I safely connect barely reachable flex gas pipe?
I would heartily suggest hiring a professional.
Where I live what you are doing is actually illegal.
Your territory may have different laws, but guessing with gas is never a good idea. It goes bang!
...
- 10.5k
36
votes
Do Gas Ovens have actual fires?
TL;DR Danger!
It sounds like it is only partially burning. it can be normal to smell gas when the oven starts. Smelling it for more than a minute is an indication of a leak of some sort.
If the smell ...
33
votes
Accepted
Is it possible for a gas fired boiler to consume more energy when heating intermitently versus having heating at all times?
Your dad is likely right (as usual? :-)). With modern equipment, slow but steady wins the race.
I assume we're talking about a modern high efficiency condensing gas boiler. If that's not the case and ...
- 2,303
29
votes
Accepted
Disconnecting a gas stove (New Zealand)
With a little more research and a better photo of the floor connection, it turns out that the floor connection had the mark “BS669”, which means its a bayoneted valve that auto-seals on disconnection.
...
- 676
25
votes
How can I repair this gas leak on my new range? Teflon tape isn't working
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) ...
- 8,271
24
votes
Why do gas water heater exhausts have an air gap before the chimney?
The actual amount of combustion air - i.e., air flowing past the burner to provide oxygen and leave with less oxygen but more CO2 and possibly other combustion byproducts - is very little. The gap ...
23
votes
Accepted
Do Gas Ovens have actual fires?
Yes, gas ovens light a flame to produce heat. The other answers saying to get this looked at are absolutely correct.
Here's a visual demonstration with my own oven, viewed from the under-oven broiler ...
- 1,173
22
votes
Should I replace two 75-gallon (gas) water heaters in series with a tankless heater?
We live in the Midwest in a large home that was built 20 years ago. At the time, we installed two 75-gallon gas water heaters, and the plumber did this in series, not parallel
That is the correct way ...
21
votes
Do Gas Ovens have actual fires?
In a properly working gas oven, you will definitely see a pattern of blue flame all along the perimeter of the burner, plus an orange-red glow from the electric igniter. These are very distinct.
If ...
- 1,010
20
votes
Accepted
Does my furnace suck air from outside?
I think some of the answers here are confusing because they don't really address that your furnace has two different air intake/outlets.
One is for the combustion system. Air is pulled in from ...
- 418
20
votes
Propane stove/oven soot/carbon smell
This sounds very likely a "gas" stove which has not had a propane conversion. Propane is run at a higher pressure than natural gas so all burner orifices must be down sized. Often stoves ...
- 4,523
20
votes
How can I verify that a gas clothes dryer only needs a belt repair?
As part of a house purchase? Make your offer on the house assuming you'll need to buy a new dryer, and this one is total junque that will need to be hauled away. It adds negative value in the current ...
- 200k
18
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to transport a gas water heater lying down?
I recently purchased a direct-vent water heater, and after consulting the salesperson I learned that certain markings on the carton indicate which sides are acceptable for transport. Every unit will ...
- 129k
17
votes
How to convince plumber that there is a gas leak?
You have to use a lot of liquid detector and large leaks can blow right through without making bubbles; however, typically a leak this large would be easily detected by the Mark-I human sensors you ...
- 35.1k
16
votes
Does my furnace suck air from outside?
The answer is that it should have a fresh air source! This is an absolute for gas furnaces.
Some systems use the “leaks throughout the house” to get the air. The filter in the furnace is for dust to ...
- 102k
16
votes
How to convince plumber that there is a gas leak?
Try to fan the area with fresh air to the point the detector detects nothing then immediately use the detector to zero in on the area where the gas begins to appear.
Try using saran wrap to isolate ...
- 34.2k
16
votes
Should I replace two 75-gallon (gas) water heaters in series with a tankless heater?
Option (0) would appear to be to "address this" by fixing the defective installation, without replacing anything major, since it's very likely an installation problem or a simple part ...
- 200k
13
votes
Is there really any difference between yellow and white PTFE tape?
The colors mean something, but the meaning has changed over the years so some info may be old. The CURRENT standard is:
White = single density tape and is ONLY good for small fittings up to 3/8 in. ...
- 14.8k
13
votes
Accepted
Why do gas water heater exhausts have an air gap before the chimney?
This is a draft diverter.
If the heater was connected directly to the chimney, the hot flue gas would rise, creating draft in the heater. While that is a good thing, the amount of draft would depend ...
- 316
13
votes
Can I safely connect barely reachable flex gas pipe?
If the pipework broke there, who's to say what its condition is like further inside the wall? That apart, you're asking what to do. That means you're not qualified or experienced. O.k. There's a way ...
- 5,198
13
votes
Is it safe to transport a gas water heater lying down?
A water heater can be transported laying on its side, as long as it's not violently bounced or rattled. I would keep it in any packaging if possible until it's being installed.
I called a plumber ...
- 24.9k
12
votes
Why do gas water heater exhausts have an air gap before the chimney?
manassehkatz covered a lot, but the simple answer is constant air flow
The draft will change in the chimney as exhaust vents towards it – especially when going from cold air to hot. A draft hood is ...
- 23.9k
12
votes
What kind of gas shut off valve is this and how do you use it?
Looks like a plain old adjustable open end wrench (or an open end wrench of the correct size) will operate it. Wrench on the square bit of the red part, turn the whole red part, probably 90 degrees.
A ...
- 200k
12
votes
Doping threaded gas pipes -- which threads are the "last" threads?
It's been awhile since I worked with gas pipe, but my understanding was that your area marked as (1) are the last 2 threads.
The reason is so there is no ribbon or tape hanging off the threads that ...
- 24.9k
11
votes
Can I safely connect barely reachable flex gas pipe?
I hate working with gas - and would strongly recommend getting a pro to fix it.
The pipe does not look in good shape either - I suspect the "proper" fix will be to replace the last piece of ...
- 9,996
10
votes
Does a gas pressure test lose pressure without leaks?
1/10th PSI (1:50 change) might well be temperature-related (the compressor heats air as it compresses it, and that cools down to room temperature when in the pipe) but simply waiting longer should ...
- 200k
10
votes
Accepted
What is a safe procedure for removing natural gas pipe after full service disconnect (meter removed, house intake capped)?
Any pressure in the pipes disappeared instantly when the meter was removed. Disconnected gas piping poses no special hazards, it can be removed and disposed of just like any other steel piping.
Any ...
- 2,518
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