Gas work, done slowly on purpose.
New runs for a range, dryer, pool heater, fire pit or generator. Repairs, leak testing and pressure testing. This is the part of the trade where being quick is not a virtue.
If you can smell gas right now, stop reading. Do not switch anything on or off, including lights. Do not use the garage door. Get everybody out of the house, leave the door open behind you, and once you are outside call PG&E on 1-800-743-5000. They come out to make it safe and they do not charge for it. Once the immediate danger is dealt with, call us about the line itself.
WHAT WE DO
Running gas is not the same as running water.
If a water joint weeps, you get a damp patch and a phone call. If a gas joint weeps, you get something else entirely. So gas work moves at a different pace, every joint gets tested, and nothing gets signed off on the basis that it looked right.
The other difference is sizing. Water pipe is fairly forgiving. Gas pipe has to deliver a specific volume at a specific pressure to every appliance on the run, all at once, on the coldest evening of the year when everything is calling for gas at the same time. That calculation depends on the total demand, the length of the run and every fitting in it.
THE ONE THAT CATCHES PEOPLE OUT
Tankless water heaters and the gas line.
This comes up so often it deserves its own section. It is the most common unpleasant surprise in a tankless conversion, and it is entirely predictable if anybody bothers to check before quoting.
Why it happens
A storage tank heats slowly and steadily, so it needs a modest gas supply. A tankless unit heats water instantly as it flows, which means it needs a great deal of gas in short bursts. A typical tank might call for 40,000 BTU. A whole house tankless can want 199,000.
The existing half inch line that fed the tank perfectly well for twenty years frequently cannot carry that. It is not faulty. It was correctly sized for the appliance it was installed for.
What it means for the quote
A proper tankless quote includes checking the line size and length back toward the meter, adding up every other gas appliance in the house, and pricing the resize if one is needed. Sometimes the existing line is fine. Often it is not, and the upgrade is a meaningful part of the total.
If a quote for a tankless conversion says nothing about the gas supply, that is worth asking about before you sign it. The cost does not go away, it just arrives later.
HOW A GAS JOB GOES
Every joint gets tested. Every time.
- Work out total demand from every appliance that will share the line, not just the new one
- Size the pipe for the length of run and the number of fittings in it
- Pull the permit, because gas work is permitted work in this state
- Shut the gas down at the meter and confirm it is off before anything is opened
- Run and support the new pipe properly, with a drip leg where one belongs
- Pressure test the line with the appliances isolated and hold it, watching for any drop at all
- Soap test every joint individually once the gas is back on
- Connect the appliance, check it fires correctly and confirm the flame is right
- Inspection, so there is a record that it was done properly
A pressure test that will not hold means something is wrong, and the answer is to find it, not to decide the gauge is being fussy. That is why gas jobs are quoted with time in them for doing it correctly.
SIGNS OF A GAS PROBLEM
Beyond the obvious smell.
The rotten egg smell is added to natural gas deliberately, because gas itself has no odour. It is the clearest sign and you should act on it immediately. But there are quieter ones.
- A hissing sound near an appliance or a pipe run with nothing running
- Dead or yellowing plants in a line across the lawn, above where the service runs
- A gas flame that burns yellow or orange rather than crisp blue
- Soot marks around a burner or an appliance vent
- A gas bill that climbed with no change in how much you are using
- Bubbling in standing water or wet ground near the meter
A yellow flame specifically is worth acting on. It means incomplete combustion, and incomplete combustion produces carbon monoxide. If you do not have a carbon monoxide alarm on every floor of your house, that is the cheapest safety purchase available to you and you should stop and buy one.
Gas line questions
Adding an appliance, or converting to tankless?
Have the gas line checked before you commit to anything. Thirty minutes, no charge, and it is the number people most often get surprised by.