Gas line obstructing dryer vent. Please help!

[Lighthearted]

My wife and I just bought our fist house, and I am discovering all the challenges of being a new home owner. I am trying to hook up a 4" flexible aluminum dryer duct from our electric dryer to the vent pipe on an exterior wall. The problem I am having is that there is a gas line blocking the vent opening. This seems crazy to me. How could this even be to code? What is the best fix for this situation? Should I try to shorten (cut and rethread) the gas pipe? I have seen pictures on this forum of some sort of box put into the wall to recess the dryer vent. Would this work for my situation being that it is an exterior wall? Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks,
Ken

 

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Have a licensed plumber shut the gas off, replace that valve with a cap and install the dryer vent.


Gas valves are never to be left in that condition when not connected to a fixture.

I would be first to blame the installer of the dryer vent than the installer of the gas line for the location issue. One took far more knowledge...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Lighthearted]

Thanks for your input. So, you're saying that until I use the line to someday hook up a gas dryer, it needs to have the valve removed and be capped? What about when my wife and I decide to get a gas dryer? Do we reinstall a valve and have the same problem of not being able to connect the vent? It looks like it would be easier to shorten the pipe than to move the vent. I would like to do it correctly from the beginning.

 

[TedL]

If you're looking to get the dryer hooked up, there are aluminum telescoping rectangular/oval connectors that would work for you to make the connection. At HD and other places. You should also be able to get a cap to put on the valve while there.

 

[Winslow]

shut off the gas, remove the valve, replace the existing nipple with a shorter one, reinstall the valve, turn the gas back on, hook up dryer or cap valve. get proffessional help where necessary.

 

[Gary Swart]

Another point. Do not use a flex pipe for a dryer vent. Yeah, I know they make them and sell them, but lint hangs up on the ridges inside and creates a fire hazard. I would join the others and encourage you to hire a plumber to deal with the gas pipe. A leaking water pipe is a PITA, but water will dry. A leak in a gas line can pretty much ruin your whole day.

 

[TedL]

As has been pointed out, a leak in a gas line can be a real bummer. And I certainly would not recommend that anyone's introduction to working with steel pipe be with black gas pipe. On the other hand, no one cares more about my home and the people in it than I do.

When the gas utility had to purge lines in the house after repairs in the street, the guys casually unscrewed the drip legs at the furnace, water heater and dryer, screwing them back on once the could smell gas coming from the line. No checking or application of dope or tape. No testing of the joint after reassembly.

When I had to partially disassemble the piping in my current house to insert a Tee for a gas dryer, I found virtually every field cut set of threads to be damaged. Worn out die? No cutting oil? No stop and clear cuttings? Whatever the reasons, I wound up reworking every connection that had been done some years earlier by the local name plumbing company. In contrast, the threading done on several new lengths, by the big orange box, was flawless, as were the ones I did myself.

 

[Jimbo]

Unused gas valves must be capped. Out here, you would not be required to remove the valve. You can put a flare cap on it. But in your case, if you will not use the gas, then removing the valve and capping it would fix the problem. Next owner could install a shorter nipple to move the valve back.

 

[hj]

valve

You do not know what is in the wall so the valve could be connected with a 6" piece of pipe, but it could also be a 36" piece depending on how the gas piping is installed behind the wall. Your best option is to cap the pipe so there is no conflict and worry about the gas line when, and if, you get a gas dryer.

 

[Lighthearted]

Thanks for your input everyone. It seems like removing the valve and capping the pipe is the simplest solution for now. I will look for one of those adjustable periscopes at the big orange box store when I pick up the cap. After I cap the pipe, do I need to purge the line from another location that has a valve?

Thanks again,
Ken