Repairing a natural gas valve

[Ralph Vart]

Hi everybody
Is it possible to repair an in line natural gas valve moving part and leave the body in place? It is on an outside pipe that goes maybe 100 feet to a pool heater. The tabs where you would turn it with a wrench broke off. It’s about 30 years old. There is a nut on the back side so I’m hoping the guts can slide out and be replaced. Here’s a photo:

 

[hj]

1. after 30 years, you will NEVER find a duplicate of that valve
2. Even if you could, I would not rely on the piston being a perfect match for the valve body
3. That type of valve is obsolete.
4. If it was not installed with a union next to it, now is the time to do it with a new valve.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Ralph Vart]

Hi everybody
Is it possible to repair an in line natural gas valve moving part and leave the body in place? It is on an outside pipe that goes maybe 100 feet to a pool heater. The tabs where you would turn it with a wrench broke off. It’s about 30 years old. There is a nut on the back side so I’m hoping the guts can slide out and be replaced. Here’s a photo:

 

[Ralph Vart]

There is no union, which is why I'm trying to find a way to keep the valve body in place. But it seems like a long shot or an impossibility. I assume I'm going to have to start at the nearby meter and disassemble every nipple, elbow, reducer and tee until I get to the valve? Seems like a lot of work or another impossible task. I don't think it is possible to turn the valve and remove it with all the parts hooked up. Would a plumber cut the out flow pipe and then thread a new connect onto it?

 

[hj]

He would cut ONE of the pipes and probably just need a couple of short pipes and a union to reconnect it.

 

[Ralph Vart]

Thanks HJ.

 

[Mliu]

HJ, what would be the best way for the serviceman to cut the pipe in this situation? I think a pipe cutter would be best, but there's not enough clearance to swing one around that pipe. Using a power tool would be hazardous because of hot sparks. But even a manual hacksaw would present problems because metal shavings would fall into the pipe.

 

[Ralph Vart]

HJ, once you cut the pipe, you need to cut threads on it to put a union on. But the pipe is near a wall and I don't think there's space to get a threader on there. Maybe there is. Can you weld an adapter or a union onto the pipe stud?

 

[hj]

It would be nice if you had taken a picture that showed the ENTIRE pipe on either side of the valve. There is absolutely NO DANGER from using any kind of tool to cut the pipe. We would need that picture to decide HOW it could be reassembled, but there are probably dozens of ways a competent plumber could do it, without welding or threading anything.

 

[Dj2]

There are nipples with right hand thread on one end and a left hand thread on the other end. So how does it work? it threads both end at the same time.
I've used one of those, without a union, on an inline job, and the city inspector approved.

 

[Dj2]

Where to get it? only at large plumbing supply places.

 

[Mliu]

HJ, once you cut the pipe, you need to cut threads on it to put a union on. But the pipe is near a wall and I don't think there's space to get a threader on there.

You won't need to thread in place. Simply unscrew the cut stub from whatever fitting it's currently mated to. Then install a new nipple that's threaded on both ends.

 

[Ralph Vart]

Thanks again. I understand now that I'd cut the pipe, unthread both ends and assemble a new series of nipples with a union and a new valve. I'll have to bust out some concrete where the pipe goes underground, but I'm confident that there is a 90 elbow down there. Hopefully, the vertical pipe will unscrew from it. I'm probably going to hand this one over to a licensed plumber.