A demonstration of how to turn off natural gas line valves to appliances in your home, and also a look at how to locate and shut off the main gas valve. Be safe and do it right!
Excellent. I was dreading installing our new stove because I had failed in the past trying to shut off the stove's gas. Your tutorial made this task easy and I didn't break off the valve's ears!
Wanted to thank you as well, I needed to shut off the gas to the dryer to clean the duct and was unsure of how to do it. I appreciate your help with this how-to video! 🙂🙂🙂
Thanks for this video! The numerous real world examples definitely helped to paint the picture. Was switching out an appliance and was taking a break for the night and was slightly concerned the gas wasn’t off. I feel a lot better now
Thank you so much for your video. You explained things so well and now I feel better prepared while I wait for the repairman. I hope he can fix the dryer. Thanks.
Thank you! Thank you! Was so scared to mess with the valve to my water heater when the pilot light wouldn’t work… you brought me confidence and hot water 🙏🏽
RIGHT ON ! Thank You.....house was built in 1970's the shut off valve ears were broken beyond the point of recognizing it as a shut off valve.....Actually my wife found your video ! at 2:54 in your video I saw the Light !!!!
Excellent survey of likely problems with a long static brass valve. I didn't notice the locked nuts holding the lever tight. That tip saved me a lot of trouble. Even loosening the lock nut the brass L on the valve bent before moving. Regrip lower, turn to Closed and all is well. Checked to see you're still churning out tips. Subscribed. Muchas gracias amigo.
Thank you for this excellent video. My gas valve was very tight (and didn't have a handle), your tip on loosening the nut on the other side made all the difference. Thanks so much for helping us all out!
Thank you very much, your video was very helpful..I didn't know that the nut opposite the valve was supposed to be loosened..thanks again, keep up the work..
Thank you so much! Came home to my home smelling like natural gas checked the dryer line and found a leak, tightened the screw at the valve and got it fixed
Can't thank you enough for this video. I am currently replacing a dryer and trying to get it out of the laundry room. The valve I have is identical to the one in your video and I was trying to close the valve but it wouldn't budge. Was smart enough not to use too much force but now I know to loosen the nut on the other side!!!
Add me to the list. Removing a late 70's dryer (the washer was from 1983). I will attempt on Monday after I spray the nut down with Liquid Wrench. Plus on Monday I can get a hold of someone easier if I mess up!
Hey thanks for this post! I knew how to work the valves inside my house, but I wasn't sure what the city gas meter looked like. Now i can check to see if they ever really turned the gas on in my new house.
Wow you just saved me $400. I wish I saw this two days ago as I did weaken the handle a little by trying to turn it the wrong way. Was looking for the mysterious Super Stickers I've heard of from RU-vid as I wanted to tip your for this GREAT VIDEO. Thanks.
@@enduringcharm The made a claim that we now could give them, oh well thanks again. Wish the plumber that I called to "Replace" the valve had told me, good thing overpriced quote had me searching more. Yours is the first video that covers the traditional style valves.
Thank you! I had to loosen the nut and then beast mode it with a wrench to get it to turn. But it eventually did. I loosened the nut a little too far because I smelled gas for a moment but pushed the valve back in flush and tightened the nut. Thank you again
This was really informative. I'm glad you featured an older home. So many videos are done in a studio with brand new items. Nothing in my house is new. Two things I learned from switching gas dryers, unhooking the old one and hooking up the new one (which I couldn't have done without knowing about that nut!): I put some dish soap and water in an empty spray bottle to spritz on the connections to check for leaks. That was a mistake; it created a bit of foam as I sprayed. I ended up pouring a bit of the solution on it to avoid creating my own bubbles. Second, I obviously couldn't see the bottom of the connection at the back of the dryer, so I put a small mirror beneath it. Luckily, I noticed bubbles on the bottom of the fitting that didn't show up on the top.
Great Information. I'm trying to disconnect my Stove for replacement. It's been in place for almost 30 years! Therefore, it's hard to see where the shut off valve is and psotion, it has so much dirt and grease accumulated, if there is one. I was so close to make a mess, but now I know what to do. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
Thank you for that info about the nuts/nuts on the back side of old style's valves. I tried to undo mine, and suspected that the nuts may play a role. So, I used no force, found your video, confirmed my suspicions... Then undid the nuts - as you say one should - and turned the valve without much problems.
Was wondering about this for a while. My valves are the older style but a bit different and I saw the nut but I wasn't sure if that was to hold the valve in place or what. Usually the water shut offs get stuck because of water seepage and rusting but wasn't sure about the gas. Really appreciate you showing the available versions
thank you.. where we live has an old ratty looking gas dryer that was already here and I want it out of here.. now I know how to disconnect thanks so much.
Damn I just had my gas shutoff while new piping is laid in the alley so figured now would be a good time to go replace my range since its already off. I go to my valve in the back and it wont turn, i grab pliers and it spins 120 degrees with the opposite nut spinning. So I tighten it down and try turning it more. You might have just saved me a new valve fitting on my gas line. Edit: The valve looks exactly like the one at 3:00 too so someone beat me to it it seems lol
Someone messed up in my place. I always has a very low gas smell for years and it took a professional to find it. The valve leaked. All he did was tighten it. Still makes me nervous. But thabkd for the tutorial. I have to self diagnose a furnace pilot that wont light now. And was running fine until the gas line to the house was replaced by the city. Now it wont light. Already replaced the thermocouple and pilot line to the valve assembly. So either the valve just started to stick closed or there a gas issue. Although the gas stove works fine.
+Crab Hawk The newer styles are often the 1/4 turn shut-off but older valves can sometimes turn either way. The important thing is to recognize when the handle is perpendicular to the pipe it is off and when parallel it is on.
On the old style valves with the nut opposite the handle, should the handle be able to spin 360 degrees? I thought they only swung 90 degrees from open to closed.
Great tutorial......I'm trying to disconnect my Gas Dryer for replacement. It's been in place for almost 20 years! Therefore, it's hard to see where the shut off valve for the dryer is, if there is one. I'm trying NOT to have to shut off the gas to the whole house!
It can be difficult to see sometimes, and it is always possible that there is no shutoff at the dryer itself. Most of the time there is, though, so if you don't see one right at the flexible gas line, follow the hard line back and see if it's a few feet away. And, it's good to familiarize yourself with the main shut off just in case you need it. If you don't find a dryer shut off at all, consider having a plumber install one for you. In my area that would be a couple hundred dollars at most.
Some of the real old valves were a butterfly valve with a shroud around the pivot at the opposite end of the handle so they are hard to bubble test. It pays to own a sniffer tester. Moreover, if you have a real antique valve, replace it. Any plumber replacing your heating system or water heater should renew them if they are real old.
Thanks! I have a shutoff valve like your indoor gas inlet valve on my AC/Furnace gas inlet pipe. It's about a 1½" pipe coming down from the attic with a 90°, then the shutoff valve tightly fitted between the wall and AC/Furnace unit in a 2½" width space, then a 90° reducer (to ¾"?) down and a 90° over and in to a regular metal flex hose to the Pilot Light Assembly, then from there out to the burners. There is not another shutoff installed inside the furnace, but I cannot get to the nut(s) on the back of the shutoff valve because the space is so narrow. I felt behind and they seem to be there, but there is no room to turn wrenches or a ratchet if I could get to the nut(s). I need to get the guts out of the furnace to clean the pilot light pinhole thing and adjust flame angle and clean the burners in hopes of stopping winds from blowing out the pilot flame and maybe making it more efficient. I can't see much of the burner flames to know how much is blue and how much is yellow, but they seem pretty blue. The pilot flame is fairly weak and barely touching the thermocouple on one side and any wind blowout guard, if supplied, will have to be adjusted. I would rather not turn the gas off at the meter. At least I know the Off direction should be clockwise now, or maybe 360°, and parallel is ON with perpendicular being Off. I've tried to turn this valve both ways, but I think the nut(s) have it locked, and this 1960/61 installation may have never had this valve turned off. The installers must have installed the shutoff valve turned On with the house gas Off because I can't see how to get to the nut(s), but they may know tricks that I don't. I was going to ask for you thoughts, but after reading your replies to comments, I'll turn off house gas outside at inlet gas valve, let the stove burn off gas until the flame goes out, turn that off, pull the flex hose to the pilot light assembly and install a shutoff at the reduced 90° outlet pipe. The only thing to relight will be the water heater. My stove and oven have igniters. You have already helped me, but if you have any suggestions or advice, it/they would be welcome. Like is one ¾" shutoff brand better than others? I have local Lowe's, Home Depot, Coburn's, The Plumbing Warehouse and other stores to choose from. Thank you!
I'm not sure I have a complete mental picture of your situation, but I get the idea. It's not unusual that things are built around original installations that prevent access to pipes and shut-offs. I think you are on the right track in making certain you can shut off the main and burn off the gas before you get too deep into this. As for the sticky valve, often the pipe joint compound they use on assembly becomes hardened over time. You may be able to wrap the valve in a small cotton rag and soak the rag with WD-40 or something similar. The petroleum can soften up the old compound over a few hours making it easier to loosen. Ideally, though, if access is a problem and the valve is ancient anyway, you can take this opportunity to replumb and replace the valve and make it safe for the future.
@@enduringcharm Thanks for the reply, but getting to the 1½" pipe shutoff valve is the problem. It is somewhat pinched between the AC/Furnace left side and a closet wall. The space is only 2½ inches wide and the pipe and shutoff valve are inset for the housing left-side access hole, so I cannot get to the nuts on the back. I have restricted access to shutoff valve's on/off control, but I cannot get it to turn and I cannot get access to loosen the nuts. And if I could, there would be no room to turn the wrenches. I do not see any sealant or anything on it, but they are on the back, which I cannot see or access. So my thought is to install another, a second smaller shutoff valve after that one, inside the furnace housing where the pilot light assembly's gas inlet flex hose connects to the final ¾" 90° nipple, well after the 1½" attic down pipe and its larger, regular shutoff valve. It would be a ¾" shutoff valve, if they make them for this application. The shorter, the better. With a shutoff valve, I could then disassemble the furnace to do the maintenance I need to do. I wish I could show you a picture, but maybe this wording will help you envision the configuration. Is there a particular brand and model of ¾" shutoff valve you'd recommend, if that's the right size? And any other advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks again
This is tough to follow without pictures, but can you not cut a hole in the closet wall? They make 14 and 20 inch square plastic access panels which snap over the hole you cut. A shut off valve inside the furnace does not meet the plumbing code, nor is it useful. You need a shut-off on the outside in case there is an issue. I would encourage you to think about cutting an access hole for that existing valve (which might just be drywall depending on location) or else removing that valve entirely and replumbing for placement of a valve elsewhere. Flexible lines can be used in most cases to make it easier. You could also call a plumber and for a few hundred bucks, probably, have him build a new accessible connection.
@@enduringcharm I got your message about not adding a second smaller shutoff valve inside, so I worked with what is there. When I bought this house, the shutoff valve closet wall was partially knocked out on the AC/Furnace side to add a drain hose from the AC water pan to the kitchen sink drain down pipe to drain its water to the sink pipe. It passed purchase inspection and I was told it's a good way to do it. I have to check it regularly for clogs and make sure it stays clear. I cut a bit more out of that drywall to be able to see and work with the back of the shutoff valve and have the inner wall space to turn channel locks. It has a single 1⅛" nut attached to the back, and turning that out loosened the shutoff valve itself. I got it to turn perpendicular, closed, and tightened it back a bit. I checked for leaking gas and it's good. I bought a water meter valve key to turn the shutoff valve because it was so tight, but when that didn't work, I cut the drywall more for the room to work. I marked which of the two pilot light wires go where and moved them out of the way, pulled the flex hose at both ends, disconnected the thermocouple and disconnected pilot light feed tube. Then I removed all the pilot light assembly bracket screws, pulled the pilot light assembly and the burner blower tubes came with it. The only thing left was the bracket that holds the thermocouple and the pilot light flame piece. With all that done now, I'll get to work on all the cleaning and maintenance I can do. The pilot tube for the flame is crushed a little, so if I can't round it back enough, I'll buy a new one. I don't think it's pinched enough to cause the pilot flame to be weak. I think the orifice is clogged, but if it doesn't have one, then fixing the tube (or replacing it) and aligning the flame to the thermocouple should do it. The burners have a good bit of rust, but not horrible, so I'll see if they can be cleaned and salvaged or need to be replaced. Thank you so much for the fast replies and all the help! My reply is late because I was out shopping for a way to loosen the nut and then working on it to get this far. If I run into an issue I can't figure out or find help on RU-vid for, I might be back, if you're willing. Thanks again. You've been great!
@@enduringcharm Sorry for the late reply. I started this 2 days ago. It looks like cleaning the pilot light tube orifice did the trick. I also aligned the flame to the thermocouple. The flame is strong and all blue, surrounding the thermocouple and passing it now, and the flame splitter throws the flame well into both burner channels, even past the thermocouple. I had the pilot flame screw adjusted to max because it was so weak. It blew 1½ inches past the thermocouple, so I adjusted it down to ¼ past to save a little on the gas bill. I've been turning the pilot light off during weather that does not need heat, but I'm going to leave it on for a while to see if winds still blow the pilot light out. The 4 inch (I think) heat vent pipe to the roof has a cap on it, but the space between top cap and lower rim (same diameter and shape) is nearly wide open. I wrapped 2 layers thick of vinyl screen-door screen of the tightest mesh I could find between the cap and lower rim, but that didn't work, so I bought a roll of stainless steel 200 mesh to rewrap it with. Winds can still blow or a resulting vacuum through/suck that, so I'll make the mesh cover in more wraps than the vinyl was. If needed, I'll start with 4 layers and go from there, but with the flame being so strong now, I may not need it. The heat will still get out, but it might block the wind enough. I'll see, but I wanted to thank you again for all your help. You were so helpful here, I searched your Videos page for things I might be interested in and decided to subscribe. Thanks again, John.
Hey John, Thanks for your great videos. My question is, I am needed to replace the thermocouple on my water heater. The only valve I see on the black pipe coming from the meter (in the house) is similar to the water valve on a garden hose faucet. The turning range seems to be very minimal. Any ideas?
If you have a standard, stand-alone water heater you may have the ability to turn off the gas right at the control valve mounted on the heater. There are a million variations, though, so investigate further before taking my word for it! However, you may be able to turn the gas off there and still replace your thermocouple. The valve you describe on the gas line could be a gate valve instead of a ball valve, which is no longer used but may have appeared in older homes. Gate valves have a bad reputation for failing at inopportune times, so you might want to go back to the gas meter itself. The meter will have a means to shut off gas to the whole house. If you have other gas appliances you can shut off gas at the meter and then run your gas stove or whatever until the flame goes out to be sure the line is clear.
@@enduringcharm thank you so much for your help with this. You are right about the gate valve. I was able to work it back and forth and it opened up. The gas company told me that the pilot would not stay lit so I was ready to change the thermocouple. I decided to try it for myself and I had no problems with the pilot. Been running fine for 24hrs. I will talked your advice and change the valve out. Thanks again and I look forward to more videos.
Is it OK to close the valve so no gas is coming in for prolonged periods of time? For instance, for the summer we dont use the wall heater, so can I close the valve? We usually just turn off the pilot light during the summer, but we are interested in closing the gas completely.
i have a valve like the one shown in the ceiling - a couple of other videos recommended these types of valves be replaced with newer ones because they said they were more prone to leaking. What are your thoughts? Should I replace them even if there's no detectable leak?
i went ahead and turned it off - I got a little smell of gas when the nut was loose so I could turn the valve but when I tightened it up the i didn't smell anything else and I tested with bubbles and didn't see any other leak.
If a valve is at the end of a run then it's not that difficult to replace, so go ahead and do so if you're worried. When a valve is in the middle of a run (so that there is pipe after the valve) then it can be a real bear to replace and therefore a lot more expensive if you are having it done. Since gas pipe is screwed together it often requires dissembling a whole bunch of pipe to remove something in the middle, unless the original plumber used a union somewhere along the way. In any case, if you don't smell or detect gas, then I wouldn't worry. The pressure in gas lines is very low, so you'll typically have time to smell a gas leak before something awful happens.
What if the valve goes all the way to the left and all the way to the right ? On an older model valve furnace , ? , mine does ? does that mean it can be turned parallel either direction to be on ?
Yes, if the handle is parallel it is on, if the handle is perpendicular it is off. Presumably you have the nut on the opposite side and that should be re-tightened if you are leaving the valve in the off or on position.
When you turn off the valve to the appliance (like the dryer in the first segment), is it possible that it may have been engineered, so that the customer can't turn it back on (for safety purposes)?
Fox Crane I'm not aware of any such valve. If you are having trouble restarting an appliance It's possible the appliance itself has a safety device of some sort. Also, you may not have waited long enough. Natural gas is a very low pressure delivery, so it takes a little time for the flexible hose between the valve and the appliance to fill up. Assuming the valve is not damaged in some way it's likely your issue is with the appliance itself. Check the manual for a start-up procedure.
3:57 I know this is a old video but honestly we have no heat & im gunna have to change everything myself because of where i live. The gas valve to the furnace is old & similar to this one, But instead of a piece that looks like a handle its just a giant Square Nut on the back side, & a washer & tiny nut on the front side. do i twist the big huge nut i remember seeing someone having to hold one end & twist the big square along time ago?
My guess is that the big nut is the handle. Loosen the small nut, and use a wrench to turn the larger nut 90 degrees. Check that it is off before you go disconnecting anything permanently.
What if the back nut becomes loose.....can it keep the valve from opening? My gas won't turn on in any position since I messed with it after my water heater went out and the back nut seems to be loose.
I suspect that you just aren't waiting long enough for the gas to get to the water heater. If you loosen the nut and turn the handle parallel with the pipe, the gas is on. There will be a procedure on the water heater tag to follow in order to relight the pilot, and sometimes you have to do that multiple times before it will start. Gas isn't under high pressure, so it can take some time to fill the pipe and start flowing at the pilot light.
I have a valve just like that last one behind the stove in my new property. The control spins freely through multiple full turns. Is this normal? Gas should be off anytime it's perpendicular?
Some valves will allow a 360 degree turn. If you put the handle perpendicular and the nut on the opposite side is tight then the gas should be off. Always test to be sure, though!
