26
If the water on the floor is from the water heater I would fix that problem before I do anything else. If it is coming from the tank then it probably needs replaced. You can raise the tank as high as you want but if you do I would also replace the copper flex water lines and the flexible gas line. Once those lines get older, the flex gets hard and rigid and ...
25
Your gas dryer vents its combustion products outside along with the moisture from your clothes, so it is vented to the outside.
Your oven doesn't vent out mostly for sake of having limited combustion. There are ventless heaters available. However you run it, though, any natural gas burning device will create water vapor and carbon dioxide. If it ...
16
You are looking at a union, with an elbow to the left and a valve to the right.
Put one wrench on the biggest "nut". Put the other wrench on the smaller "nut" immediately to the right of it - you'll notice both of them are more worn than the other ones.
Hold the smaller one still while unscrewing the larger one.
Here's a cutaway view, if this image link ...
14
...natural gas...
...I'm not sure what the different parts are here...
Those two statements together equal "call a gasfitter".
Removing the appliance will leave the gas line unsupported, and that will lead to failure at the supported end off to the right.
The cap you want to install must be properly sealed or it will leak. Maybe now, maybe later. If ...
13
No gas shut off for either line, flex is not suitable for a stationary appliance unless it's approved CSST, duct tape on the flue, draft hood is crooked, pressure relief should terminate in a conspicuous location, those flex lines, globe valve, saddle valve, crooked seismic strap, it's old, it's leaking, plus all the problems not visible from the picture. ...
12
If you have threaded iron gas pipe coming into the house, expect a MUCH MUCH larger job that it looks like if you do that - you have to start at the loose end of that pipe and back every joint out, one at a time, until you get to the siding.
The typical way of handling that situation with solid siding (clapboards, shakes, etc) is to cut a notch in the ...
11
There is a reason most countries regulate gas-related equipment strictly, because they don't want buildings to explode. If there is no electricity or gas involved, fix it! If it's under - let's say - 50 Volts, go on! If it's 110-230 V, watch out, but you'll be probably okay. If it can leak gas, and fill up the inside of a building, or kill everyone through ...
9
Yes, it is a typical for the gas stovetops to light all of the burners even when only one is needed. Note that this applies to stovetops that do not have a standing pilot light. The oven often will have its own ignitor that operates independently of the stovetop.
The reason for this may be in order to reduce the complexity of the stovetop design. With all ...
9
The possibility of the natural gas line transmitting the fire is extremely close to zero. Yes natural gas requires air, about 20% mixture of gas and air (more air than gas). Getting that mixture in a closed pipe, along the entire pipe, would near impossible without some pre-mixing first before the fire.
Also if fires could be transmitted via the gas pipe ...
8
The thermopile in your fireplace puts out millivolts, nothing near the 120V the light switch was designed for. It's probably just a matter of finding a switch with a low enough on resistance. A generic low voltage switch from a electronics store, or ripped out of a toy, would probably do it (for example a 12V SPST). Really here the smaller the better, but ...
8
There are two types of tubing most people think of, when you say "flexible gas tubing". The first and more common, are flexible gas connectors.
These guys are typically 3-6' long, and are used to connect appliances to the gas piping. They are only to be used as a short link between the fixed piping and the appliance, and so are considered a "connector" and ...
8
This appears to be a simple misunderstanding of how a gas dryer works. The gas dryer creates heat by burning air and the gas together, then blowing the heated air and combustion mixture through the clothes and then out the dryer vent.
In other words, the combustion gases are vented to the outside, per code, along with the moisture from the clothing. Since ...
8
You would need to find out who the authority having jurisdiction is. Often time, it is the city, county, or township where you are located. In some cases, it might be the state as well (in MN for electrical, for example).
The wording is a little ambiguous, however. They could mean:
You (the owner) pull the permit, but put down that the contractor is doing ...
7
Sounds like a liability issue. If they hook it up and the line breaks or leaks, they can be held liable. They probably want a gas flex line (something like this) installed between the copper and appliance.
If I were you, I'd get a gasfitter out to have one installed and hook up the appliance (which means future deliverers will install it). You don't want to ...
7
99% sure this will be a thermostat that needs batteries. A fairly common approach to getting "smart" features without changing from old two-wire (heat only) mechanical thermostat wiring. I've lived with several variants - the batteries and method to get to the batteries can be less than obvious, depending on the design. If new batteries don't solve it, then ...
7
No, that's not a valve. It looks like a drain, as might be useful if the fitting had been installed in a fire sprinkler or steam line, or functionally just an odd-ball tee fitting.
6
If the pressure you're measuring is the static pressure, that is the pressure in the line with no gas flowing, that pressure is the same everywhere in the line. You cannot increase that pressure by removing unneeded gas pipe. Instead, you can try having the gas company adjust or replace your regulator.
If you're measuring the pressure while gas is flowing, ...
6
It is (very) surprising that the gas company (Xcel) says "everything's fine." This document from a different gas company certainly calls out non-blue flames as an issue that needs to be resolved. As does this site. And Xcel themselves.
Happening on all appliances does seem a bit less likely to be "and suddenly the air adjustments on all three went whacky" ...
6
A gas pipe is filled with nearly 100% flammable gas—at least under normal conditions.
Propane and natural gas need to be mixed with air (or oxygen) to be combustible. The ideal combination for natural gas is 1 part fuel (by volume) to 9.7 parts dry air. A mixture of more than 15% (1 to 6.67) natural gas is not combustible!
So, no. Under normal ...
6
Being in the plumbing industry most of my adult life, if you are going to go to the trouble of raising the heater just a few
inches, you might want to look at relocating the heater entirely. I have never seen a "smitty pan" save a home from
a major water leak.
5
I've checked the National Electrical Code and there are no specific references to receptacles installed near any type of fireplace. Your biggest concern is likely the heat produced by the fire, but that's a concern for the ampacity of the wires, and has nothing to do with the receptacle.
Also, like all receptacles newly installed today, the receptacle would ...
5
You can tell very quickly if the outlet is at all special by shutting off power to the outlet, removing it, and inspecting it.
It seems rather unlikely to me that the outlet would be special since it's not near water, and it's supplying power for a blower. Other than making sure you've got proper amperage rating, I wouldn't think there would be any ...
5
Fuel Sources
Coal
Wood
Propane
Natural Gas
Oil
Electricity
Biomass Pellets
Sun
Earth
Nuclear Fission
Heat Transferers
Gas
Liquid
Heating Systems
Furnace
Boiler
Heat pump
Electric heater
Wood stove
Fire place
pellet stove
Tauntaun
5
Why did they turn off the gas? To do some work? If that is the case then there is probably air in the line. The pilot orifice is small compared to the burners which means it will take longer for the air to "bleed out".
Alternatively, there may be a button somewhere that you have to hold down (to get the gas flowing to the pilots) in order to light the ...
5
You need a 3/8" female NPT x 3/8" male flare thread adapter. Any good hardware store or plumbing shop.
5
I had the same problem when converting mine. The pipes have been subjected to repeated extreme heat and cooling cycles and will be difficult to unthread.
Your best bet is to soak with penetrating oil (slide some cardboard under prior to spraying so you don't soak the bricks). Soak repeatedly and tap the pipes frequently to help the oil penetrate into the ...
4
I have installed a couple of gas fireplaces. Both came with instructions to operate the fireplace on high for at least five hours in order to off-gas the unit. This should have been done before you moved in. Now you are the canary in the coal mine! As far as the possibility that the unit was installed incorrectly, I am going to reiterate Michael Karas' ...
4
This does NOT sound at all like a normal situation. Either your gas fireplace has a serious flaw or the unit is vented incorrectly. I would stop lighting it and immediately get a professional in to look at it. At the same time you should use every avenue at your disposal to get the builder, contractor, and gas fireplace installer on the hook to look at this ...
4
The short answer is all you need is a new orifice.
The complicated answer is : don't do that. Ventless systems have been banned in various places, and come with significant hazards not fully mitigated by a carbon monoxide detector. Read for instance : http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog-building-science-HERS-BPI/bid/48762/Bob-Vila-and-the-Vent-Free-Gas-...
4
I had the same problem, tried everything, replaced the switch and the thermopile, no avail.
Then finally I removed the pilot light assembly, the top just pops off and using a straw blew a bunch of dust out of it. The result was a better flame on the thermopile which allowed the valve to open, try that.
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