Here’s the situation. We bought a new gas oven from Best Buy, and paid to have it installed when it was delivered. It was delivered last week, but when they removed our old stove, they found that our granite counter was not quite big enough to slide the new one in its place (I was fooled because I measured the top of the stove, not realizing there was a lip that sat on top of the granite).
We called around, and finally earlier this week got a granite guy to come in to cut the counter. We found the stove was able to slip in perfectly.
We called back Best Buy, asked to have them come in and finish the install, but they can’t get back here for another week.
So I’m here in my kitchen, looking at the new stove, looking at the gas line, and part of me is thinking “How hard can it be? I have the manual, I’ll watch a couple of YouTube videos, and figure it out.” Then there’s the other part of me thinking “Don’t be an idiot. You already paid for the install. You can eat takeout & microwave meals for another week. It just isn’t worth the risk.”
What do you all think? Anyone have any experience with this?
Piece of cake! Get yourself some of the yellow Teflon tape, a wrench, a squirt bottle with soapy water.
Install the tape to the male threads. Install nut. Do not cross-thread. Tighten, but don’t break it! Turn the gas on, spray with the soapy water, check for leaks. The soapy water will bubble if you have a leak.
You’ll want to put the counter balance, weight lock into the floor too, so it won’t tip over when you’re opening the oven door. There should be an installation drill guide for that with your oven.
Assume you’ve got electrical on it too? Cord already wired?
Not an oven, but I have done a gas dyer and a gas water heater. Seconding what Catfish sez, it’s no big deal - easy tasks, and easy to verify no leaks when done.
As long as you use the tape, get the connections tight enough, and use the proper hose, and then check for the leak, you’re doing just as good a job as a licensed plumber would do. They don’t have any magic technique that can do better. Nothing is foolproof - the hose might have a manufacturing flaw and leak, the oven might leak internally from a manufacturing error - but that risk is there whether you do it or a plumber does it. Sniff the area really well for the scent of rotten eggs the first few days.
You can do that yourself if you’re careful and watch a few YouTube videos on how it’s done. The fact that you’re asking the question has me a little worried that you’re possibly not well experienced with home repairs. Have you hooked up anything similar before that had the potential for leaks, such as water lines, so you know how much tightening is enough?
One other thing you’ll need to be careful of is to not loosen the connector from gas pipe. If you look at the place on the gas hookup where the hose will connect, it’s likely screwed onto the black gas pipe. If you aren’t careful, you can end up loosening the connector from the pipe when you’re trying to screw on the hose from the stove.
But there’s other steps to installing the stove. The stove lip doesn’t rest on the counter. The feet underneath need to be adjusted so the stove is level and the right height. That can be a bit of a pain and is worth getting someone else to go through the hassle. There will also be checks for clearance and such to make sure the fan in the back can vent properly.
I think you are supposed to replace the flexible line every time you do anything. You also have to be careful with that line when pushing the stove back into place.
I’ve done it several times. The easiest install there is. The store will try to sell you a new connector hose and it’s not a bad idea to buy one each time. Use the soapy water to check for leaks, take your time and you’re good. Personally, I find pipe dope easier to use than the tape but either should work.
Nope. Not a damn thing. I find that I’m good at following instructions, and I think I have a good sense about how things fit together, but I’ve never done anything remotely like this before. However, YouTube videos can’t really show me how tight is enough, so I’d have to rely on my gut. I guess I was trying to gauge whether this was foolhardy, and it sounds like you think it might be.
I did a certain amount of remodeling work, back in the day, and I do most of my own stuff now. I worked for a guy who, actually and truly, would make the gas connection, light a match to it to check for the leak, and then tighten the connection till the flame went out. Don’t do it that way. Use the bubble stuff.
The task itself isn’t very difficult and is straightforward, but prior experience with similar projects will help with success. There’s always little challenges in any project, so the more challenges you’ve been through, the better able to work through new challenges.
I’m not sure I would recommend this as your first project because if things didn’t go right, it might not be obvious how address the issues:
Gas needs to be leak free
Don’t want to damage pipes behind the wall
Set proper height on stove so lip rests on counter but doesn’t hang from it
Level the stove
Proper air flow
Mystery problems
I’m not trying to make it sound like a super difficult project, but just pointing out the details. The stove is heavy and fire is involved, so you really want everything to be done correctly.
If you had tacked a few projects already, then this would be no problem. So start working on other projects as they come up. Even if you mess something up, often you can do a project 2 or 3 times and it will still cost less than hiring a handyman. So things like installing a ceiling fan, changing a toilet, replacing a garbage disposal are all very doable. Eventually you’ll get to a point where you can do stuff like swap out a water heater because you already understand all the components involved.
As others have said, it’s not hard and if you do something wrong you’ll be able to smell it. Even a very small leak will smell bad after a while (however, if you’re in the house while it’s leaking, you may not notice it due to olfactory fatigue).
Something that plumbers do have is a little bit of learning and a lot of experience. There’s something to be said for someone that’s been cranking on gas pipes every day for 15 years.
My grandfather would do that to. I think that was, like, a thing, back in the day.
What actually startled me a bit more, but I guess it makes sense when you think about it, is that people check for vacuum (or other intake) leaks in cars by spraying different areas with propane (or starting fluid). If the engine sounds different, they know it’s inhaling the propane and therefore there’s a vacuum leak in that area. I know there’s a handful of other ways, but that’s just one more.
I’ve installed many gas appliances. The only install that went badly was a recent stove that was put in by a pro. For some reason he re-used the twenty year old flexible line and it leaked. When we smelled gas the following day we called the store and they sent the guy back. Boy, was his face red.
Have a look at the gas fitting regulations and mortgage and insurance contracts that may be applicable to you.
YMMV, but where I live, a mortgage is immediately called-in if there is no homeowner’s insurance, and the homeowner’s insurance is cancelled if the installation of a gas appliance is not certified (tagged) by a licensed gas fitter, and licensed gas fitters tend not to be interested in letting liability weigh on their shoulders for gas fitting work performed by someone who is not a gas fitter who did not want to pay a licensed gas fitter to do the install.
