Identifying Your Gas Line Connections
While natural gas is an excellent source of power, inexpensive, and energy-efficient. However, while it may be available, not all homes have a gas line connection. If there is natural gas in the area, a homeowner can have a gas line run, get gas line connections, and schedule gas line repairs. If you need assistance with a gas line connection in Mesquite, TX you can reach out to the James Armstrong Plumbing team at (214) 380-3473 to get the help you need.
What is a Gas Line?
The natural gas pipes inside a house are called the gas supply line. There are branch lines that run from that to the individual appliances with gas line connections. The branch line ends in a drop line, where a vertical pipe drops down to the appliance from a branch line overhead. The drop line is called a riser that carries the gas to an appliance.
What Pipes are Used for Gas?
The most commonly used gas piping material is black steel. Other types of pipes that are often used include:
- Brass
- Copper
- CSST (Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing)
- Galvanized steel
Cities and utility companies will have specific guidelines that may prohibit the use of some pipe materials, like copper. And then there are areas where copper is widely used. An authorized plumber will know what type of plumbing and gas line connections are acceptable in your area.
Can a Plumber Run a Gas Line?
Yes, but not all plumbers! Like the medical field, plumbers have specialties, like installing gas lines, gas line connections, and gas line repairs when needed. These are the same plumbers that can install a gas line for a water heater and other appliances that are gas-powered.
Where is the Gas Line in the House Located?
The gas line for a house is located underground and locating where it is exactly can be challenging. It may be alluring for a homeowner to search for it, but for an experienced gas line specialized plumber, and the natural gas company, it isn’t the smart way to locate the gas line.
So, how do you locate a gas line without hitting it? The first step is to determine where the gas line on or off switch is located. Contacting the gas company is the safest and simplest way to have the gas switch located and the gas turned off.
If you know where the gas meter is located, you can turn the gas off yourself after locating the shutoff valve. Have the emergency number to the gas company on hand in case you can’t get it turned off all the way. You can determine if the gas line is turned on or off by the valve head: if it’s parallel, the gas is turned on, and a perpendicular valve head shows the gas is turned off. Additionally, turning the gas off at every gas line connection individually will assure you that the gas is turned off.
Can you Use PEX for a Gas Line?
Today, almost everything in our lives is plastic. Improvements are made every day and we now have a wonderful material with plastics. including used for plumbing lines and gas lines.
Whether you are doing this for a new gas line or a gas line repair, it is important to make sure you use the right PEX for natural gas or propane gas installation and similar uses. PEX is a cross-linked polyethylene that is used for both cold and hot water. PE is for cold water only and yellow PEX pipe is for gas lines.
Just as with standard gas line connections and pipes for natural or propane gas, SharkBite has specialty gas line connections. Within the SharkBite System, there are dependable and easy-to-use gas line connections.
How Much Does it Cost to Put in a Gas Line?
Adding or moving gas appliances, and converting from electric to natural or propane gas can often require installing additional gas pipes and gas line connections. Even the addition or exchange of a new single appliance can require an existing gas line or new gas line connection.
While there is a cost to doing this, in the long run, it is an inexpensive investment to set up an energy-efficient way to cook, heat your home, get hot water, or run a clothes dryer. This may seem like a simple process; it is recommended to discuss the installation and gas line move options with a master plumber that specializes in gas line repair and installation.
The cost for installing or moving a new gas line can vary from city to city, with a general range starting at $120 and as much as $1400, with a middle-of-the-road average of around $500. For budgeting purposes, we recommend estimating $25 per linear foot. This typically includes labor, materials, piping, and gas line connections. Collect estimates with two to three plumbers and compare their rates.
