Gas Line Install: It Pays to Call Around

[Pat Germain]

I just bought a gas range which required a gas line to be installed in my kitchen. I wanted to share my experience in case others might find it helpful.

This install is about as simple as it gets. The main gas line runs right under my kitchen and is very easily accessible from my unfinished basement. So, it required about fifteen feet of pipe, if that, across the basement ceiling and then up into the kitchen. I considered doing it myself, but I wanted to be in full compliance with local codes which can be complex and non-intuitive. Also, I don't know anything about gas lines.

A coworker recommended a contractor for whom his neighbor works. I called them and learned they would do a free estimate. I scheduled it for a time when Mrs. Pat would be home as I was headed out of town for business. The rep arrived an hour past the time he said he would arrive, but was friendly and professional. He took a look and said he would email an estimate.

When I got the estimate, I was somewhat shocked. Although it included the price of the permit, I couldn't imagine how such a simple job could be so expensive. And the estimate wasn't itemized.

I remembered talking to someone who said, based on his experience, the larger the ad in the Yellow Pages, the more expensive the plumber. Sure enough, the plumber who gave me an estimate had a full, one-page ad.

Back from travel, this past Monday morning I decided to call plumbers who had the smallest ads in the Yellow Pages. A few were just too busy. (I guess plumbing is recession-proof.) One wanted $130 just to take a look; and this did not apply to cost of the job. A few had voice mail indicating they were out for Thanksgiving, which is understandable. Some just said, "$130 an hour, how ever long it takes".

Then I called a plumber which listed only the name and number; no ad whatsoever. I spoke to a very nice and very helpful young lady who said she would call her crew to see when they could come by to take a look at the job. She said they could not give an estimate, but it would be $80 an hour plus the permit fee, which seemed reasonable. I half expected to never hear back, but sure enough, she called me back twenty-minutes later and said she would have a rep at my house at 2:00. He arrived a few minutes before 2:00, took a look and said, "Boy, I'm not used to jobs being this simple". He said he would be back Wednesday morning, between 7:00 and 7:30 to do the job.

The same guy arrived at 7:04 this morning. He replaced an elbow with a T-fitting where the gas line entered my house from the meter. Then he connected a flex line over to the wall and up where the range sits. He installed a fitting with a pressure gauge and a valve stem then pumped it up to 10psi with a bicycle pump. All in all, it took him just over an hour and that included re-lighting my water heater.

He asked me to call his office when the inspector arrived today and he would then come back to install the range and connect it. He presented a bill which was $300 less than the first estimate I received. I guess that theory about small ads is playing out.

A few minutes ago, the same nice young lady I spoke to initially called to let me know the inspector should be at my house between 2:00 and 4:00 and she asked him to call me when he was thirty-minutes out. (I think I'd like to buy this young lady a nice lunch.)

So, if all goes well, I'll have my new range up and running just in time for Thanksgiving. And I think I found a very good, reasonably priced plumber for any future work at my house. And it paid to call around.

[Jim Koepke]

We can learn life's simple lessons everyday.

Thanks for posting this.

In my situation, we do not have gas service.

We just had a tank installed for our green house heater. The installer is also the owner of the gas supply company. He looked at my work and said it was some of the neatest work he has seen. He set down the tank,did the connections and the testing. They have a few little hick-ups. When we went to the office to pay the bill, I asked about all the charges from the state, city and county. The billing person noticed that my address was outside the city so some of the charges did not apply to me. She redid the billing and gave me the new lower cost bill. We paid and left.

Well, then there is all the "automatic" billing that came in the mail. I noticed the date on the first one was from before we paid in person and figured I would just set it aside and call the next day. In the next week, I kept forgetting to call and we kept getting corrected bills. The last one was at $0.00 so I have not bothered to call.

jtk

[John Shuk]

I had a very similar installation to do when I built my house. Mine was to hook a propane tank to my new stove. A very simple setup. I could not believe how much plumbers wanted to charge me to do this or how far apart the estimates were. I finally did it myself for about $50. My house is still intact and we have had no trouble with it.

[Jim Becker]

I did my gas line for propane at my old home myself, but subcontracted the natural gas line for our range here when I did the kitchen in 2003. While it's not extraordinarily hard work, I felt more peace of mind having a pro deal with the gas.

[Pat Germain]

I did my gas line for propane at my old home myself, but subcontracted the natural gas line for our range here when I did the kitchen in 2003. While it's not extraordinarily hard work, I felt more peace of mind having a pro deal with the gas.

I felt the same way, Jim. While I'm typically a die hard do-it-yourself guy, I know nothing about gas lines. The contractor did some little things I would not have known about; flanges, hangers, ground lines, etc.

And the new range rocks!

[Larry Harden]

As a gas service provider I can tell you that your stories are very familiar. I talk to people every day who have been ripped off by the larger companies that do a lot of advertising. One trick I have found for finding the better, more reasonable plumbers, HVAC, and electricians is to ask some of the people in the area who own multiple rental properties, they have already vetted out the area and know who they can trust. I have one landlord in my area who has upwards of 40 houses and she provides the tenants with a list of her contractors and tells them to not call her, just call from the list and they will bill her. I have found that the tradesmen on her list are the most reliable and reasonable in the area, of course it doesn't hurt to remind them where the referral came from.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Pat,

It sure does pay to call around and sometimes look at alternative sources.

3 houses including mine were built by the same contractor off the same basic floor plan but mirror imaged. The houses were built one at a time so there is 6 months to a year difference in their ages.

One neighbor had to replace his galvanized fresh water lines and had it done in copper. Cost....nearly $6,000. He used a plumbing contractor.

The neighbor on the other side of me, same house and "run" of copper got it installed for around $2,500.

The 2nd guy got an estimate from a sprinkler contractor. This contractor did the ditching and installed everything and then paid a licensed plumber to make the final connections to meet code.

[scott spencer]

We needed 45' of gas line installed for our fireplace a little over a year ago. I got 4 estimates, which all shocked me. I ended up doing it myself for 1/4 the cost, and gave one of the contractors $50 to check for leaks. Installing pipe is a bit of work, but not complicated. We had no trouble spending the savings on Christmas presents!

[Pat Germain]

We needed 45' of gas line installed for our fireplace a little over a year ago. I got 4 estimates, which all shocked me. I ended up doing it myself for 1/4 the cost, and gave one of the contractors $50 to check for leaks. Installing pipe is a bit of work, but not complicated. We had no trouble spending the savings on Christmas presents!

I can't imagine what it would cost hiring a contractor to install 45' of gas line. In that case, I'd probably do it myself as well.

I'm a bit paranoid about codes from the experience I had selling my house in Virginia. It was a older home; built in 1949. One of the previous owners had done some renovations and additions. When I went to sell the house, an inspector found numerous code violations I had to fix. I had missing junction boxes in the attic. I had to install a window. And the contractor I hired to install a new HVAC system double tapped my fuse box! I had to hire an electrician to install a new breaker panel. Cha-ching! (Yes, shame on me for not inspecting his work more closely.)

So, whenever I do something to my house, I'm always afraid I'll get spanked by codes when I go to sell it.

[Allen Willits]

Only a foolish man does DIY with something like gas, been in the business for over thiry years nows and have seen far to many times a DIY'r has done a improper job, and some of them were darn right dangerous.

Does pay to shop around and get referrals though.

Al

[Pat Germain]

Only a foolish man does DIY with something like gas, been in the business for over thiry years nows and have seen far to many times a DIY'r has done a improper job, and some of them were darn right dangerous.

Does pay to shop around and get referrals though.

Al

Well, let's be real, Allen. No doubt you've seen some professionals do an improper job as well. As in the case of my new HVAC system back in Virginia, I'd have been better off had I wired it myself.

I think we must carefully consider what we can handle and what we cannot. In my case, I wasn't comfortable installing the gas line. But I wouldn't criticize someone who did it him himself and did it right.

[Chuck Saunders]

Only a foolish man does DIY with something like gas, been in the business for over thiry years nows and have seen far to many times a DIY'r has done a improper job, and some of them were darn right dangerous.

Does pay to shop around and get referrals though.

Al

And I have never seen a contractor do a bad job. <Sarcastic Off>

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I do electrical but I have been working in electronics for 40 years. I also use higher grade materials than most electrical contractor will spec if bidding a job. I have electrical manuals for reference and I speak with the electrical inspector or local electricians if I'm in doubt. At work, we hire electricians but because of our relationship, they won't hesitate to give me advice free.

I don't even think about doing gas. I remember coming home one November evening late from a day spent at an uncle's house. We had slaughtered and butchered 3 hogs that day. Earlier my Dad had driven our hogs out of the hog lot into temporary fencing at our garage. The truck from the sale barn was going to pick them up early the next morning. We separated one out, loaded it into my uncle's truck. At his farm we slaughtered and butchered 3 hogs. After supper, we came home. We drove by our nearly burned down home once, thinking it was a neighbor. When we got to the little church east of us we knew the truth. We drove back and I watched my 6'2" 235 lb. tough father lean across the hood of the car and sob. We lost everything in the fire. A trucker driving by on US 50 had stopped, kicked the door in to make sure nobody was at home. When he got the door open, the initial fire was around the propane/butane? heater in the livingroom. The hogs that were in temporary fencing by the garage died of heat exposure. The fire managed to get to the chicken house. We lost all of them. Mom and Dad didn't have insurance. Dad was drilling on oil rigs and farming too. Mom was trying to ride herd on 6 kids. Mom and Dad never recovered financially.

I don't do gas. I hire pros.

[Allen Willits]

And I have never seen a contractor do a bad job. <Sarcastic Off>


No, but when the contractor blows your house up, you can at least go after someone.

There's an old saying that if you have to ask, maybe you shouldn't do it, it holds true in this field, whether you believe it or not.

And yes I have seen Pro's do a poor job, but no where near as much as what the DIY'ers have done.
And for the most part, no where as stupid either.

Al

[Rick Moyer]

I'm not suggesting anyone do their own gas or electric work if they aren't comfortable or somewhat knowledgeable, BUT I suspect more folks are concerned about blowing up their houses than burning them down. If you screw up a NG fitting you know pretty much right away (smell) whereas an electrical screw-up may not become apparent until it's too late. I would guess many of you who are handy could do most gas hook-ups without problem. Of course codes, inspections, et.al. need to be addressed, too.

[John Shuk]

Only a foolish man does DIY with something like gas, been in the business for over thiry years nows and have seen far to many times a DIY'r has done a improper job, and some of them were darn right dangerous.

Does pay to shop around and get referrals though.

Al

Sorry, but paying 1k for 15 feet of black pipe seems a lot more foolish to me. However, I am a person who respects the process and tend to get qualified advice when I do things. Lots of DIY stuff that I have seen is pretty scary though.

[Allen Willits]

Sorry, but paying 1k for 15 feet of black pipe seems a lot more foolish to me. However, I am a person who respects the process and tend to get qualified advice when I do things. Lots of DIY stuff that I have seen is pretty scary though.

I'd suggest if your being charged 1k for 15' of pipe I'd look elsewhere for a pipefitter, that seems a bit excessive.

I'm not debating on what people charge, I've seen plumbers charge over $400 to replace a thermocouple on a water heater, something where I work we'd get about $100 T&M for, like everything else it's buyer beware.

What I am referring to is people who are not sure of what needs to be done in gas piping and try anyway.

Copper pipe and flare fittings minus the flare, or using the wrong tool for the flare, garden hose for gas pipe, hooking the gas pipe up to the drain on a water heater, no vent for exhaust, wrong size vent, pipe, wrong pressure, no regulator when needed, not to mention various code requirements missed, the list goes on...

If ya have to ask, at least maybe think about it for a bit.imho

[Mike Cutler]

Pat

You did the right thing hiring someone. The peace of mind is worth the additional cost.
I have 30+ years of experience with high and low pressure gas systems, combustible and non combustable, and fluid hydraulic systems up to 25,000psi, so I understand what Al is saying.
Even with all of that background, I was still hesitant to run my own propane system.
There is a bit more to it than just screwing pipe together.

[Phil Thien]

Even with all of that background, I was still hesitant to run my own propane system.

There is a bit more to it than just screwing pipe together.

Can you elaborate?

Not to be argumentative or anything, but I think sometimes we have a tendency to make everything seem like brain surgery.

[ray hampton]

If the pipe are lay in a ditch 3 or 4 feet deep, then I would do the
digging and lay the pipe myself, having the work inspect is the most important part of the job, SINCE I can not smell the GAS , a more
capable person will finish the job

[Bill Cunningham]

I installed a new gas furnace & Heatpump a couple of years ago. I had gas in my business next door, but the house was on oil at the time. The shop gas heater was installed by a gas fitter who was also a customer and we worked it out in trade. The furnace was installed by the heating company I bought it from, and the standard price for running black iron among all the contarctors I called was a flat rate of $10.00 per foot. I got 25' with the purchase, but had to run 100' from the meter on the 'other' side of my shop, up the outside wall, across the ceiling inside the shop, down the other outside wall, under ground 6' to the house, the to the 25 feet that came with the furnace. At the same time, I had them put a tee in before it went through the wall into the crawlspace under the house so I could connect the fireplace in the future. I also had them put in another tee about 10' into the crawlspace, facing the back wall for a future BBQ line. The cost for all 100' and extra fittings was 1k + 300 for the two underground transition pipes. I've always done my own water, but I would never endanger the neighborhood by doing my own gas work!

[Dan Mages]

Only a foolish man does DIY with something like gas, been in the business for over thiry years nows and have seen far to many times a DIY'r has done a improper job, and some of them were darn right dangerous.

Does pay to shop around and get referrals though.

Al

Are you saying that a home owner should not fix a leaking flexible brass gas line with duct tape? Duct tape worked quite well fixing the leak on the laundry tub's drain trap. When the inspector saw that on my house in IL, he immediately turned off the gas to the cook top and chuckled in disbelief.

[Mike Cutler]

Can you elaborate?

Not to be argumentative or anything, but I think sometimes we have a tendency to make everything seem like brain surgery.

Phil

CV flow rates for single and two stage high and low pressure regulators depending on total number of appliances and BTU's.
Requirements, position and orientation of excess flow checks.
Pipe sizing for length of run, number of devices and total BTU's of each device.
Code compliance for transitions through walls and floors.
Correctly sized main, and branch lines and their associated fittings to mitigate pressure drops.
Code compliance for tank placement.
Code requirements for material specs depending on local requirements. Different from state to state.
Ability to perform pressure drop tests properly, not leak checks.
Vent requirements for each device, and code compliant installation of vents. These can be tough to understand.
Just a few off the top of my head.

[Al Willits]

Are you saying that a home owner should not fix a leaking flexible brass gas line with duct tape? Duct tape worked quite well fixing the leak on the laundry tub's drain trap. When the inspector saw that on my house in IL, he immediately turned off the gas to the cook top and chuckled in disbelief.

Not sure...duct tape is the DIY first line of repair...:)

Good post Mike, you've done this before...:)

btw Natural gas can lose it odorant smell if it's run though the ground, especially sandy soil, so for running gas lines underground I'd be hesitant to use smell as a leak detector.

Al

[John Shuk]

What I am referring to is people who are not sure of what needs to be done in gas piping and try anyway.

You are absolutely right there. Ya gotta be smart enough to understand that you might need advice.

[Roger Bullock]

When I was building spec homes a few years back, my next door neighbor was a propane dealer. Out of respect, I rented their tank and had them install the gas lines. On installation day one older gentleman on his crew spent the whole time walking around the job talking and telling stories to anyone he could get to stop working to listen to him. He did no work on the gas line at all. I found out later from one of my carpenters that he was the dad of the owner that was retired (not from the propane business) and was bored at home and needed a little spending cash to support his hunting and other hobbies. When I received the bill, his hours and with full technician pay was included. So in reality I paid him full price plus the hours he kept my carpenters from working. From then on I used my plumber to install all my gas lines.