From: lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry)
Subject: Re: Replacing gas range: DIY?
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 17:12:44 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

In article <LOWRY.92Nov20112132@rotor.watson.ibm.com> lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:
{I asked about whether replacing a gas range is a DIY job}.

Thanks for all the responses on this.  Here's a summary, in case
anybody else is faced with this:

[Jonathan Quist: my personal email thanks bounced, so... Thanks!]

Disconnection:
--------------

This appears to be much easier than installation.  It basically
consists of pulling the old range away from the wall, turning off the
gas, and disconnecting the hose from the incoming gas line.  The valve
is a lever which, when open, points along the gas line in the
direction of the gas flow.  To shut it off, you turn it so it's
perpendicular to the gas line.

Things to watch out for (some of this is probably overkill, but hey,
you're dealing with gas here!):

 - Be careful when pulling the range away from the wall.  It's
   probably connected to the gas line via a flexible hose, but if
   somebody used a rigid pipe or there's something catching on the
   hose, you could open a leak if you're not very careful.
 - This is definitely one of those times when you want to use *TWO*
   wrenches... one on the hose fitting and one on the pipe fitting
   it's screwed into.  The last thing you want to do is put the
   strain of trying to turn a tight fitting on the incoming rigid
   pipe.
 - Drain the gas lines after you shut off the gas and before you
   disconnect the hose.  If your range has a pilot light, it will burn
   the remaining gas in the lines.  If not, you can turn on a burner
   just before you turn off the gas.  Then leave the burners open for
   a minute or two anyway.
 - Turn on whatever lights you're going to need before you start your
   work.  Light switches commonly create sparks when operated.
 - One responder recommended shutting off the main gas line to the
   building if you can, but this isn't practical for apartment
   buildings.
 - Get your kids and other unnecessary people to leave.  Not only will
   you be protecting them in the very unlikely event of a catastrophe,
   there'll be fewer distractions for whoever's doing the work.

Connection:
-----------

This isn't really any more difficult than disconnection, but you need
to make sure there are no gas leaks after you're finished.  Here are
specific points:

 - Replace the gas hose.  The old one might be usable, but they're
   inexpensive and you'll sleep better.
 - Replace the union that the hose screws into.  It's also cheap.
 - Coat the pipe threads with joint sealer.  The stuff my installer
   used was called "Pro Dope."  One emailer told me that teflon-based
   tapes and sealers can react with certain mixures of propane and
   should not be used.
 - After everthing is tightened, turn on the gas line and listen and
   smell carefully.  Also, mix equal parts of water and dishwashing
   liquid, and slather it all over the joints and look for bubbles.
 - You're done!

Here are some of the things that can go wrong according one of the
email responses I got.  Kinda makes you want to proceed cautiously
:-(...

    For instance, jostling the pipes may break a borderline seal or
    enlarge a crack.  Re-using fittings may result in poor seals.
    Improperly sloped pipes may lead to a clog.  The volume of the
    pipe may be insufficient to maintain enough pressure to keep the
    pilot lit on your hot-water heater when you fire up the new oven.
    Teflon-based joint sealer reacts with chemicals in certain blends
    of propane.  The pipes must be sized to carry enough gas at the
    right pressure to supply your applicances.  Both over- pressure
    and underpressure must be regulated.  $100 sounds very reasonable
    considering the possible risks you'd be totally ignorant of.

For anyone who's interested, I found someone who would disconnect the
old and reconnect the new and cart away the old, all for a fairly
reasonable price, so that solved the scheduling problem I had that
looked like it would require two visits.  Though the net.advice had
made me feel confident that I could do the disconnect safely, my wife
was not happy about it, so the solution we ended up with was for the
best.
--
Andy Lowry, lowry@watson.ibm.com, (914) 784-7925
IBM Research, P.O. Box 704, Yorktown Heights, NY  10598