After being told the appliance company would hook it up, I just found out (12 hours before delivery) that no they won’t. I have absolutely no problem doing it myself - teflon tape, soapy water and a pipe wrench. I’ve done it before. The issue is the gas line for the dryer is capped since we’re replacing an electric one. What is the fitting I need to go from the gas line to the hose OR looking at the product linked, will I get everything I need (which is what I tried to order)?
Your post makes me very nervous. Please consider a professional to do the installation - this can turn out to be very dangerous.
Pipe thread sealant (not teflon tape) is used for Gas lines.
Please do not go from gas line to the hose. You need an isolation valve first. You will turn off the whole house gas supply, and properly depressurize the lines before opening the cap. Then you will install the isolation valve. Assuming the cap is currently on an horizontal line, this is how you may do it : (The blue arrow is drawn by me to show the location of the current cap for reference)
Here is the original article : How to Connect Gas Pipe Lines (DIY)
You mean the valve wherein parallel mean flow and perpendicular means no flow like the red valve in you picture? Yes it has that and it has been off this entire time. I’d never play with a gas line that doesn’t have that valve. Maybe I meant plugged not capped, but what it is is a fitting in the end of the gas line (after the valve) so there is no opening and no gas can come out if someone opens the valve.
And why not gas (yellow) teflon tape?
Yes that’s the valve. Its usually a quarter turn ball valve like you describe. They can leak too - so please be careful
Yeah it could be a cap or a plug
Some state codes make it mandatory to use sealant indoors, some do not. So check into that. Sealant is usually more reliable to get leak free joints. Also - some pipes / fittings (again i am no able to see your settings) have threads which are compatible (like MIP and NPT) but they are not a great fit. You may also be joining iron / brass / copper / stainless fittings - and in my experience overtightening with teflon tape is common - the sealant just makes it easier.
Disclaimer : I am not a plumber and have no formal training.
I believe what I ordered has sealant included. That’s why I linked it so people could check.
I don’t know what state you’re in but it may be required that a professional install it. It was in Maryland.
White Teflon tape should never be used on gas. Use yellow Teflon tape. But I would rather use pipe dope for gas.
The kit should have everything you will need also a few extra parts.
Gas lines and gas valves can be either capped or plugged.
When tightening the fittings do not try and prove you can match Charles Atlas. They need to be just a little more than snug. Snug up then give one or two more faces on the not.
I am an ex marine engineer and a retired Stationary Engineer.
I’ve learned that. If the soapy water doesn’t bubble, leave it. If it does, turn the gas off, quarter turn, retest.
So apparently a universal kit means universal for dryers that are not mine. I started to put the coupling on the dryer side intake and only one fit. Well, not exactly. As soon as it started getting on the threads it jammed. I didn’t force it but backed it off and tried a few times more. Very lightly of course so as to not damage the threads. Nope, jams each time. I’m smart enough to know
Probably not the right thread combination and trying to make it work will damage the dryer side and cost a hell of a lot more.
If I am not comfortable with something while working on a gas line (even if I’m doing it right) I’m paying a professional.
So there we are. I suspect I just need the pros to look at it and say, “You need a 3/4 inch heisenfram connector.” but at that point I’ll just pay for the whole hookup. Note, we’ve worked with this company before so we know they are good and will charge a fair price.
As an update, I believe the connector with the kit is somehow defective (tested with another connector and same problem) but I don’t see anything obviously wrong so Rule #2 I’m not comfortable and I barely started.
@Saint_Cad - Suspected as much. I did mention above about the MIP and NPT. NPT threads are tapered MIP are not.
Anyways, you made the best decision to call a professional. Peace of mind is priceless !!
I am not a plumber, but a chemical engineer and have designed natural gas piping systems from a few psi to 1000s of psi. And let me tell you that piping systems have too many legacy connectors to confuse people.
And considering there was only one right sized adapter and the way the threads acted I am 99.99372% sure that is the issue. Could I run out and get a 3/8" NPT fitting? Probably but that is plan C based on how much the plumbers want for 10 minutes of basic work.
You’re not paying for 10 minutes of work. You’re paying for years of training that allows the plumber to safely do the work in 10 minutes.
I looked it up and the connectors I have are all correct, so why isn’t it fitting? Do they intend for it to be extra tight and I need to torque it down from the start? Are either the dryer or connector threads messed up out of the box? I didn’t use any force but it still scraped the paint off of the top of the dryer threads so I don’t think I damaged them but clearly I will if I persist. That’s why I’m getting the plumbers for the free diagnosis. And I get what @Telemark is saying but I’m also not going to pay $500 for them to hook it up.
I’m no gas fixture expert, but a google search reveals people complaining generally about poor quality control on the dryer side. For example, the post here by ‘Paul D.’ about the threads not being cut deep enough.
I had the exact situation on my new LG Gas dryer & found this thread. There are 2 things I found at play making it hard to thread the adapter onto the dryer (once you have an adapter). The black coating on the pipe + the nature of the tapered threads. These 2 in combination made it seem really uncomfortable screwing on the proper 3/8" adapter.
I just got an LG dryer and yes I scraped the black coating off just by putting on the connector and like I said, no torque - not going to try and out-muscle the threads…
I’ll note it doesn’t screw all the way on the threads. It stopped about 1/2 way because of the taper & black coating. If I had tightened more I would have bent the pipe or broken something
Having worked with plumbing for many years something just did not look right about the threads on the pipe coming out of the dryer. I carefully measured the thread depth with a special caliper. Sure enough the threads were not cut deep enough. The number of threads per inch was proper so I used a pipe die and cut the threads to the proper depth. BINGO, the adapter fit just the way it should and the new dryer is working properly.
I now feel even better about hiring the pros. Like @Telemark says, I’m paying for their knowledge on how to deal with this and maybe their cutting the threads deeper.
$213 later and the issue were the threads on the dryer. But our plumber hooked it all up and ran the soapy water test and used his gas sniffer and no leaks. I guess the money was worth it because we didn’t die.
“Not dying” justifies almost any investment.
Almost?