Replacing a leaky natural gas valve

[y_p_w]

First off, gas valves such as shown need a special grease, second the valve shown if over tightened will distort and leak. The threaded portion is too close to the barrel. Have seen many of these leak. Also some areas disallow anyone other than a licensed person to turn on a gas meter.

I'm guessing the valve might have been there since the house was built in the 1950s. Yeah it is short and none of the ones I saw were that short. In any case, our repair guy opted to no install the replacement valve we got since each appliance already had a relatively modern shutoff valve close to each inlet.

 

[SHOZ]

Had a neighbor who complained about propane smell. Gas company came out and worked most of the day. Half hour after they left the place blew up. Apparently they didn't ventilate the crawl space as propane sinks.

It took almost two years to settle the insurance with everyone pointing fingers at each other.

 

[JohnnyG]

We bought a house that had TWO gas leaks.

I smelled it when we first took possession. Gas Co rolled and fixed.

FTR: Home inspector missed both, I biotched and at least the guy refunded the inspection cost. I never paid for a home inspection since.

That's been my experience with home inspectors too. Not worth what the seller has to pay.

 

[y_p_w]

Just to recap, we had a handyman do all this. I know there might be some concerns about the quality of work, but we've used this guy for years. At least in California there doesn't need to be a contractor's license for work under $500. I watched him work and I think he did a competent job.

He looked it over and the first thing he did was shut off the gas at the meter, which was easy enough. I suppose if the utility shuts it off, they also place a lock on it.

He did end up disassembling all the tubing and tees from the valve up. That included the furnace (to the left) and the dryer going up and then against a wall until it met with with a flexible dryer line. I suppose he had to do that in order to be able to disassemble at the valve. When he reconnected everything, he used copious amounts of RectorSeal 5 inside the threads. But with the reconnection, he left out the valve and a connector. The tubing was slightly moved and the clamps holding the tubing against the wall had to be slightly relocated.

I think the valve was just left in place previously but wasn't necessarily needed any more I'm not sure what's up with that tee, since it looks really old, but was otherwise in condition with the inside threads looking clean inside with no corrosion. The dryer connection used black tubing and I think it was probably installed in the 90s at my mom's request. I'm trying to figure out what was there since the tee is clearly really old. I'm thinking it might have been plugged at one end of the tee. The furnace is old but it looks like an 80s or 90s era inlet valve.

 

[barryh]

One way to do a leak test on completion of any work on a gas system:

Hook up a manometer, there is a test point on my system for this.

Turn off all gas appliances so no gas is being consumed.

Record the system gas pressure

Isolate the system at the incoming isolation valve.

If the pressure holds over a period of time then there are no leaks.

 

[y_p_w]

One way to do a leak test on completion of any work on a gas system:

Hook up a manometer, there is a test point on my system for this.

Turn off all gas appliances so no gas is being consumed.

Record the system gas pressure

Isolate the system at the incoming isolation valve.

If the pressure holds over a period of time then there are no leaks.

The tech from the utility company had a combustible gas detector. Or it could have just been methane, although I think many are general where it could be for methane, propane, or LP. In any case, there was zero smell from the natural gas odorant. I believe it was this model, or at least something similar.

When I made the call to the utility company, they asked if perhaps we had some sewer work done, since sewer gas leaks can sometimes be a cause of smells. However, it was clearly coming from the gas tubing at the tee/valve interface. I guess after all those years the sealant had migrated. I did have a feel of the sealant inside the valve, and it was still pliable. They claim these sealants are permanently non-hardening.

 

[y_p_w]

Just got curious about these valves. I found this from the manufacturer, although it has a red handle and this claims it’s for water use. Could only find it in this language.

https://adria.giacomini.com/sr/products/r602

 

[SHOZ]

We just used full port brass ball valves for air, gas and water at the battery factory.

 

[oilcandave]

...or turn off at meter. Make sure any pilot stats shut down if there are any. Give it 1/2 hour to bleed off any leaks. While watching metering dial, turn on meter. If no change in meter reading yer good to go.

..for post 25.

 

[oilcandave]

Just got curious about these valves. I found this from the manufacturer, although it has a red handle and this claims it’s for water use. Could only find it in this language.

https://adria.giacomini.com/sr/products/r602

Handle color usually does not designate approved use. Look for a WOG valve..water, oil or gas.

 

[y_p_w]

Tenant said there was still a smell, although I didn’t remember any from the time it was fixed. Called the utility company again and they came fast and checked everything again. This time we found out that it was coming from the dryer outlet. Talked to my mom, and she thinks she didn’t have this line installed, but rather a previous tenant did it in order to use a gas dryer.

It was a mess too. Looks like same type valve that we previously bought and returned. But with a coupler that was 1/2” MIP and then narrower (maybe 3/8”) [correction] flared on the other end fitting into a 1/2” female fitting. Tech said it was actually wobbly. The tech just capped it and said we needed to get it fixed. Not leaking now. I think what happened before was our handyman disturbed it and it was just copious amounts of sealant previously keeping this setup from leaking. It was really bad too, where it looks like the inner threads of the brass valve were bent by the outside threads of the flared coupler end.

Our handyman doesn’t want to come over, but I think I can safely do this since it’s just this end and nothing else is leaky. I got these:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-x-Close-MIP-Brass-Hex-Nipple-Fitting-802279/207176608
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ProLine...s-Ball-Valve-Series-7701G-110-523HC/100537612

I’m going to just do it myself today when I have the time. I saw it being done and should be OK as long as there’s enough sealant used. I saw the tech has his own sealant in his truck, and it wasn’t RectorSeal 5.

 

[y_p_w]

Also, the 1/2” coupler is tapered. The previous one was actually 1/2” tapered and smaller/tapered on the other end but threaded into a 1/2” valve where it distorted the threads.

I suppose a 1/2” tapered coupler is fine going into 1/2 FIP fittings? I understand they’re both tapered and just sealed with pipe dope and tightened, but not too tight.

 

[y_p_w]

Here’s the previous setup to the dryer inlet, but taken apart.

 

[y_p_w]

There’s no gas smell. The only problem now is we were having a heck of a time lighting the furnace pilot. I remember trying to do it before and it was a massive pain. I forgot whether or not I needed to light the hood or the thermocouple.

I wasn’t comfortable doing it myself, and I don’t have the tools.

I guess things changed. On second thought it didn’t seem so hard and I leak tested my work with soapy water. I was also around for a while trying to light the pilots on the furnace and water heater, so if there was a leak I think that was enough time to detect it by smell.

I also figured out the pilot. There’s a setting on the switch to “SET” but the intstructions on the cover don’t mention it. I think I acciendatlly switched it there before and lit it, but apparently that’s how it’s lit. It doesn’t hold in that position, but I think it overrides the pilot shutoff if the thermocouple isn’t warmed up. The water heater was still a pain to light the pilot, and that has a built in igniter.

Kind of happy it’s done now, and surprised nobody else caught it. The previous coupler was clearly the wrong size, in addition to cross threading the valve. It managed to stay leak free for a decade or so since nobody disturbed it.

 

[Mazomopar]

If you are assembling things as laid out in the last photo and as described in one of the last posts, you are mixing iron pipe threads with flare( I think what you are calling tapered )fitting threads. They might loosely thread in and eventually jam together but man, this is the wrong situation to learn by trial and error. Best of luck.

 

[oilcandave]

Yea..cute setup..

Once had a call for a gas leak...when going to electric oven someone plugged the gas line with drywall compound...

 

[y_p_w]

If you are assembling things as laid out in the last photo and as described in one of the last posts, you are mixing iron pipe threads with flare( I think what you are calling tapered )fitting threads. They might loosely thread in and eventually jam together but man, this is the wrong situation to learn by trial and error. Best of luck.

Nah. That's not the setup that I finally installed. That was the one that was there before and was leaking, which the utility company tech took out and said was improperly put together out of incompatible parts. I kept the flexible gas line to the dryer and the adapter on the left. I think those came as part of an install kit.

It's clear that whoever did it before didn't size it correctly and it just managed to not leak for over a decade (according to when my mom thinks the previous tenant installed it without asking) using a ton of sealant. The male fitting (on the right) is too small and wobbles, and whoever installed it also managed to cross-thread one end of the valve, so it couldn't be reused.

What we have now (in order from the gas outlet to the dryer is.......

This between the outlet and one end of the new valve:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-x-Close-MIP-Brass-Hex-Nipple-Fitting-802279/207176608

This bridging the coupler and the adapter as the dryer's shutoff valve:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ProLine...s-Ball-Valve-Series-7701G-110-523HC/100537612

And finally the existing adapter on the left of that above photo of the old setup.

I made sure to use lots of RectorSeal 5 on the outside threads of anything I put back together.

I forgot to take a photo of it, and the tenant has already moved in. However, all the parts I put together seem to fit just fine compared to the previous setup.

 

[Dinoburner]

If you are assembling things as laid out in the last photo and as described in one of the last posts, you are mixing iron pipe threads with flare( I think what you are calling tapered )fitting threads. They might loosely thread in and eventually jam together but man, this is the wrong situation to learn by trial and error. Best of luck.

Ditto

 

[y_p_w]

Ditto

No way was I going to put it back that way. The valve had been cross-threaded and the stainless steel coupler was clearly not correct. I got an identical replacement valve and a 1/2" to 1/2" brass coupler. I think it was fortunate that it was detected.

 

[y_p_w]

Yea..cute setup..

Once had a call for a gas leak...when going to electric oven someone plugged the gas line with drywall compound...

The utility company tech just used a simple plug with a square head and some gray pipe thread sealant. It was easy enough to remove with a crescent wrench.

Yeah. Like I said - probably done by a previous tenant without asking for permission. My mom didn't really think about it much after it was done and didn't force the tenant to take it out. Still - incompatible parts and they even managed to cross-thread it. Kind of a minor miracle that there wasn't a disaster.

I'm sure I've got the right parts now as well as the use of enough sealant.