Natural gas line for BBQ leaking

Hello All,

New user to the forum. I recently bought a house and the previous owner had a natural gas stationary grill set up in the backyard. Granted the grill was an Arkla brand and in pretty bad shape. So I decided to replace it with a modern Dyna Glow natual gas grill. I bought the parts to convert it so it could hook up to the grill's gas hose. Everything went fine. However, I noticed I smelled gas. I found the leak once I started digging around the original stationary pole. However, I don't know what this part is. I have attached the photos. The leak is right where the arrow is at that connection.

Any help would be great!

 

Welcome to the forums.

I cropped and enlarged your first picture. If you had a second picture.... it didn't post correctly.

I don't recall ever seeing a fitting like that. First thing... turn the gas valve off to that line until the problem is resolved. You don't want the fitting to come apart when you aren't present.

I see what looks like 3/8" or 1/2" copper line coming down from the BBQ. I see what looks like solder on the copper pipe. Gas fittings are not soldered. They are connected with a flare put on the pipe and flare nuts.

Or... maybe I have that wrong and the copper line comes down that pipe and connects to what looks like a rubber line.

What is below that fitting.... what type of line is feeding it ?

 

Yes, the gas valve has been shut off. It appears to be a rubber gas line hose going to what I assume is a flare. I do not know what that white piece is and how it attaches the rubber hose to the flare line going up the tube. I assume solder? What I do know is that the leak is occurring between the white piece and the line going up. Here is a photo of the top portion.

 

The top picture is at the top of the mounting pole.
We've already seen the second picture.

Where does the rubber line go ? Underground to inside the house ?
I don't believe using rubber line underground is acceptable. Normally soft roll copper is used or newer style corrugated piping.

 

Hello: ohelal. Welcome to the gas appliances forum.

Never seen such a gas fitting as the one seen in the original first photo with RED arrow. But then again I am not a plumber. The moderators and or myself might be better able to help you if the country you're in is known. You neglected to include your country of residency during registration. Suspect it's not in the USA??? Kindly include that and possibly city so we can better assist you.

 

I've never seen a fitting like this. My guess is it's a push-in quick connect fitting.

See the lower arrow in picture. IF this is quick connect, you will release it by holding onto the rubber hose and push the ring upwards. Even pressure must be put on the ring when moving it in order for the hose to release.

If this isn't quick connect, it must be a special made connector and not any plumbing part you would find in a store.

 

Good Morning All,

I apologize for not giving my location. I reside in St. Louis, MO. The rubber line goes to the side of my house that has additional metal pipes and then it feeds to my basement's main gas line. These two photos show where the gas line feeds to and an overall shot. Handyone, I gave it a try and tried pushing the yellow ring that your blue arrow is pointing at, however it was not a quick release. It appeared to be a piece of plastic/rubber. Due to the age of the original grill I am assuming this gas line was installed 20-30 years ago. Did they have push in quick connect fittings back then?

 

You are replacing the old BBQ with a new one. Were you going to reuse the old mounting post ?

We pretty much agree we haven't seen a fitting like that. I don't recommend rubber line underground for gas. Due to the age.... it all should be replaced.

I'd recommend replacing the mounting pole and the gas line with soft copper. There are fittings available for the copper that will match your iron pipe on the wall and the new BBQ.

 

With the grill so close to the gas source, I would figure out a way to skip going underground all together.
I would build a pony wall 90° to the exterior wall and put the pipes in the wall. The wall can be about 42" high and serve as a bar.

This way you can hard-pipe all the way to the grill area and install the proper fittings and a valve.

 

No, I don't want to use the mounting post. The grill I have does not need to be mounted. The mounting post is enclosed in a cement base and a pain in the butt to remove. So early on I figured I would keep it since the gas line output already exits there. However, at this point since I am going to replace the line I might as well remove it since it is an eye sore in the back yard. The soft copper you speak of, will that need to go underground? Or can I run it on the surface?

I was able to reach the leak and wrap it with yellow Teflon tape meant for gas. Gave it a leak test and I did not see any leaks. This is only temporary since I am having a grill out today for the 4th.

Thank you for the prompt responses.

 

Be advised that wrapping a leaky fitting in teflon tape is NOT a repair... even temporarily.

We need to know what you purchased for a BBQ to advise further.
You could install a rubber line on the BBQ and using a quick disconnect fitting attach to your existing gas pipe on the house.

 

Agreed it is not a repair. It is a very small leak to begin with. I have attached the link to the grill I purchased.

http://www.wayfair.com/Dyna-Glo-Natu...-PSTH1122.html

It already has a rubber gas hose that came pre attached to it out of the box. I noticed that there is a regulator on the gas line. Will a regulator still be needed if I go directly to the exterior gas pipe on the side of the house?

 

Note in some jurisdictions the use of copper for natural gas is a code violation.