The Home Depot delivery guys looked at the gas pipe coming out from the back wall of the laundry closet and said "you need a gas line shut off valve." We just moved into this house and it's my first time experiencing a "gas" dryer so I had no idea what this meant.


Laundry Closet (above)


The gas pipe (right in above picture) is capped and about a foot away (on the wall), there is plug with a square head (left in pic above, also pic below). It feels plastic and the label says "cleanout" so I'm thinking it's the cleanout for the washer drain pipes, nothing to do with the gas line.



The gas pipe protrudes from the wall exactly 4" and is capped. The pipe itself is 1" across. Would the gas need to be shut off from the outside main if I wanted to work on this?




Also, what kind of fitting will work on this to accommodate a standard gas dryer installation kit that normally comes with a 5/8" OD gas connector and some fittings (1/2" and 3/4" male pipe thread)?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the forums.

Typically 1/2" gas line is run. It would be .85" OD.
3/4" gas line would be 1.05".

You'd probably need to turn the gas off at the meter.

You'd need to reduce from 3/4" to 1/2". At the 90 would be a good place.
The 1/2" nipple will connect the valve to the 90.
The 1/2" dryer kit comes with all the fittings to go from the valve to any dryer.
This is just one idea. There are other ways it can be done.
You'll need a small can of pipe dope compound for sealing the pipe threads.

 

Most jurisdictions and insurers require gas work to be done by a licensed professional (plumber, gas fitter.j. Very experienced DIYers might risk doing it but from your description I do not think you should try it. Be safe and use Pj’s info to be knowledgeable when finding a professional to do the work.

 

The only question I have, will the extra fittings protrude from the wall too far to allow a nice fit for the dryer?
That 3/4 pipe should've been a 1/2 IPS so that a valve could be attached directly. If you have a professional, do it, have them remove the 3/4 father back to a 1/2 pipe.
Or attach a 3/4 gas valve and reduce at the valve to the standard gas line kit.

 

Now.... how would that take up less room with a 3/4" valve there ??

 

Really it won't. Just another alternative if there is room. And if there is room, much easier and less expensive.

 

Thanks folks. I thought I had post reply email notification but apparently not. Yes, not something I was going to atte.pt on my own until I knew what was behind the wall. Luckily, the contractor that worked on.this house before we purchased it was willing to add the valve for me (he didn't understand why one wasn't I stalled - it apparently wasn't him that finished this pipe). he did go with a shorter nipple and a 90 elbow to a reducing value e 3/4 to 1/2 or similar so the standard ga line from a dryer can fit directly. ​​​​​​​But I appreciate all the info you guys provided. It was a good learning experience and made it easier to converse with the plumber "intelligently" in his language. ​​​​​​​Thanks again. I suspect i will be coming back here often to learn from you all.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​One thing I discovered unfortunately is that this closet is only 33" deep with the doors closed. That's not enough depth to accommodate the typical dryers and washers when you take into account the clearance needed for the vent, etc.