My further recommendations are somewhat akin to Grigory Oster’s damaging advice: I’m going to tell you what, strictly speaking, you shouldn’t do. But, alas, we live in a real and far from perfect world.
So what should you do if you are itching to move the gas stove or shorten the gas pipe?
How to Shorten a Gas Pipe to Fit an Oven | Ask This Old House
Theory
No, no, mon ami, don’t be in a hurry to get your hands on a wrench and a hacksaw. First, a little tedious, but necessary to familiarize regulatory requirements.
Yes, yes, I know it’s not pretty. Let’s not be in a hurry.
Standards for the gas pipe in the kitchen are laid out in the already mentioned document SNiP 2.04.08-87.
- Gas distribution in a dwelling house should be predominantly done by welding. Threaded connections and other demountable connections are only allowed on connections to shut-off valves, gas meters, and consumer appliances;
For us, this means as a practical matter, you can’t assemble the indoor gas supply in an apartment out of many pieces of. Climbing on a pipeline with a weld without being able to shut it off completely is not a good idea, right? Another nuance: this paragraph of the SNIP does not prohibit the use of collapsible connections completely, but only recommends to refrain from them.
- All detachable connections must be made in places accessible for inspection and repair. They should not be hidden in the unassembled kitchen furniture;
- The gas pipe should be laid, as a rule, openly;
- If there are several consumers of gas shut-off valves should be installed in front of each of them;
- In places where people pass (for example, above the door or in the hallway), the gas pipe should be at least 220 centimeters high. I do not think it is necessary to explain what the instruction relates to;
- It is recommended that steel internal gas lines be painted to protect against corrosion. The decor of the gas pipe in the kitchen or hallway must be water resistant.
The paint must protect the gas pipe from contact with water.
After the faucet
First and foremost: In the vast majority of cases there is no need to saw or cut anything. To transfer the plate is sufficient to extend the supply line between it and the cut-off valve. To hide the unkempt steel supply pipe, you can simply build a cabinet around it (of course, collapsible or with wide-opening doors).
How can I connect the stove or other gas appliances, without violating the regulations SNIP?
Corrugated stainless steel pipe. In this case, the key requirements will be met:
- The connection to the device will be rigid (corrugated stainless steel pipe clearly has nothing to do with flexible hoses);
- The wiring will be made with steel pipe. Who will say that stainless steel is not steel?
Corrugated stainless steel inlet to the stove.
When corrugated stainless steel pipe had not yet appeared on the Russian market, I successfully carried gas stoves with an oxygen or acetylene hose on steel or brass fittings. An aluminum screwdriver clamp was used to secure the hose to the fitting.
The oxygen hose on the fittings was used to carry the stove.
Stainless steel connections are mounted on compression fittings: the pipe is inserted into the fitting with a loose coupling nut, after which it is tightened and crimped with a silicone seal.
The threads on the connections of the fittings with the stove pipe and the valve are sealed with FUM tape.
On start-up, all split fittings are always checked for gas leaks: soapy foam is applied to each of them with a lather. If it bubbles the connection has to be reassembled.
It is not a good idea to check the connections with a lit match. It is not a safety issue: you need a sufficient mixture of gas and air in order to explode. The point is that at low concentrations, with minor leaks, it just won’t catch fire.
Faucet Replacement
Soviet-style gas valves are not particularly user-friendly and require regular maintenance. In particular, the cork should be abundantly lubricated. The grease fills the grooves, preventing gas leaks, and reduces the force required to turn the plug.
Let’s just say I don’t recommend it. But during my work as a plumber I used to change gas taps without turning off the riser. The reason is that the overpressure of the gas in the pipes of the apartment building is minimal:
| Consumer | Overpressure (kgf/cm2) |
| Industrial buildings | 6 |
| Public utility companies of an industrial character | 3 |
| Houses | 0,03 |
| Public buildings | 0,05 |
It’s easy to plug a residential gas pipe with your finger.
If so, the rate of gas flowing out of the pipe will be minimal, and the pressure will not prevent you from installing a new faucet in place of the old one.
All work should only be done with the circuit breakers in the electrical panel off and the windows open wide. Failure to follow this simple and straightforward rule can lead to a gas explosion.
What to change a gas faucet for? On a modern cork. The yellow marking on the handle indicates that it is intended for gas.
Threading
How to cut and thread a gas pipe in the kitchen?
This job is no more dangerous than the previous one if the safety rules are properly followed:
- We prepare a tool a hacksaw on metal, a rough file and a die on the diameter of the pipe (as a rule, the connection to the stove has the size DN 15). In addition to the tool, you will need FUM tape and any grease up to and including motor oil or fuel oil;
- Make a wooden or rubber stopper according to the size of the pipe. Its size should not prevent you from threading the outer surface of the cut hose;
- De-energize the entire apartment. Exactly with fuses, not with switches and cords unplugged from the socket. Any accidental spark can lead to fatal consequences;
- Open wide all the windows in the apartment;
- We disassemble the faucet, remove the tap and insert a chopper in its place;
- Saw a file to remove the outer chamfer on the pipe at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees to its longitudinal axis. This will be the entrance for the die;
- Lubricate the run and the first few centimeters of the supply line;
- Slide the die with the guide frame on the grommet;
The chamfer is off, this is correct. But it is better not to use a strip without a frame: the thread can be oblique.
- Having pressed it to the pipe, make a stop and cut five threads;
- Wind up thread with FUM tape;
- We take out the tap and immediately screw the tap on the thread.
Preparatory steps before cutting the gas pipe
Upon completion of all approvals, permits, signing the contract of works and its payment, within five working days you must be visited by a team of specialists.
In order to reduce the time that will be spent on carrying out the replacement of gas communications, we recommend that you spend the following preparatory steps:
Personally contact your foreman and ask for a list of consumables you will need to provide. This only applies if this is specified in the contract.
Specify the exact time and date of the arrival of the repair team, if you intend to personally monitor and control the work.
Free the space in which it is planned to carry out the dismantling and installation of new pipes from the interfering things and pieces of furniture. Thereby ensuring free access to the gas network.
The furniture and equipment remaining in the work area must be securely covered to prevent possible damage.
How to shorten a gas pipe
Gas supply is an industry, which itself implies a high level of danger.
Fires due to a gas leakage in the apartment is quite common on the territory of our country.
Also often accidents happen because of unauthorized householders interference with the gas piping system in the house. On the other hand, the trimming of the gas pipe in the apartment, if necessary, should be carried out without fail. In order to ensure the safety of those living in the house or apartment, you need to contact a specialized company.
Ways to cut a gas pipe
You can use an angle grinder after propane has completely evaporated There are different ways to cut a pipe. Sawing off with a hacksaw or pipe cutter is used when the kitchen has a suspended ceiling that is sensitive to heat and sparks.
When there is no risk of spoiling the whitewash in the room, an angle grinder is used. Here it is necessary to take into account the degree of gassiness of the room. Sawing can be done only after all propane has evaporated.
Welding is used when assembling a new pipeline to connect fittings, elbows, and spigots. Sometimes a ball valve is cut into the system by welding.
The need for cutting a gas pipe
The most common reason for the transformation of pipes is the repair and relocation of gas equipment
Reasons why you have to shorten your pipes:
- Making repairs if the stove is scheduled to be moved to a new location.
- Installing the meter, when you need to make the tap shorter.
- Metering device relocation in the visibility area by the request of the managing company.
- Bringing the wiring in accordance with the changed standards.
- Irrational location of pipes, preventing the optimal placement of kitchen furniture and appliances.
In all cases, the customer has no right to interfere with the gas system, independently disconnect and violate its integrity.
The step by step process of relocating a gas pipe
The question of how to move the gas pipe, and whether you can do it at all, can only be decided by specialists of the gas service. No installation or dismantling work on the gas pipe can be carried out without the agreement of experts. To legally carry out the transfer, you need to:
Contact the gas service
Contact the service in the area where the apartment is located. You can find the number of the gas service and consult with an expert by phone, explain the situation and the reason for changing the pipe.
Make a statement
The gas utility has standard application forms for relocating gas pipes. The application must include this information:
- Name of addressee (to director, chairman of the board of gas service),
- Applicant’s information (name, surname, patronymic, and surname). И. О., Address of residence, contact telephone number),
- Text part where you have to ask for permission to relocate the gas pipe, indicate the reason for the relocation,
- Sign and date of application.
The departure of the master on a place
The submitted application is usually processed quickly. within 1 day of registration. Applicant is informed when and what time a specialist will come to inspect the apartment and listen to the applicant’s wishes.
Before the technician arrives at the apartment the user should contact the gas supply company that will help you draw up a project to relocate the pipe. Before the arrival of a specialist this project should already be in the hands of the owner of the apartment.
An employee of the gas service should study the project of relocation of the pipe, assess the possibility of relocation taking into account all rules and requirements. If necessary, he can make adjustments or suggest other options for relocating the gas pipe.
Approval of the scheme of transferring a pipe, drawing up an estimate
If there are any inaccuracies in the project, the applicant once again turns to the designers where he or she ordered the project (private or public service), they make the necessary adjustments and draw up an estimate.
Payment
When all the documentation for relocating the pipe is ready, the customer must pay for the services of the company according to the provided estimate. When the payment is made, the specialist of the gas service leaves to the address of the applicant and makes the transfer of the pipe according to plan.
Relocation of the gas pipe, paperwork
After agreeing on the project, gas service specialists carry out the relocation of the pipe. Before allowing the gas workers to work, the owner of the apartment / house should check that they have a permit to perform such work.
Documents should not be out of date, and they must indicate the date of the last recertification. After the implementation of measures to transfer the pipe specialists must make all the changes in the gas passport.
Norms of gas piping installation
Even before the arrival of the master, the owner can get acquainted with the requirements for the arrangement of intra-apartment gas pipelines. This will save time, will make it possible to quickly determine the appropriate option for all parameters. Criteria for choosing the location of gas equipment, as well as the rules of installation are prescribed in SNiP 2.04.08-87.
Location requirements for gas pipes
After shortening the pipe, free access to it must be maintained. In the visibility zone must be all devices, including the gas flowmeter.
Particular attention in the SNiP is paid to the location of valves, which is used to shut off the main line. They can not be masked, covered with blank kitchen cabinets, stationary decorative screens.
When trying to hide the pipe in the cabinet, many users block quick access to it with food and kitchen utensils. Doing so is prohibited, as the presence of foreign objects will make it difficult to find the source of danger in the event of a possible leak
All the distances prescribed in the legislation must be observed. For example, the gas pipe must be located at least 200 cm from the floor.
An important point. the inviolability of the horizontal segment of the branch line from the common riser, where the gas tap is located. It must not be removed or shortened. The only exception. apartments on the upper floors of apartment buildings.
They are allowed by the gas service to move the tap to a height of 75 cm from the floor. This does not violate safety requirements and allows you to put a pipe with a tap under the countertop of the kitchen set. Learn more about how to properly camouflage the gas pipe in the kitchen
The choice of material and how to perform the work
Restore the connection of sections of the gas pipe is allowed only by welding. Pluggable elements are allowed only in places where pressure regulators, shut-off valves and gas stoves are installed. This is another argument in favor of hiring professional gas workers.
Another, no less convincing argument is the need to turn off the fuel supply along the entire riser of the apartment building. This can only be done by official representatives of the gas service and in agreement with the utility company.
Before starting the work, the master must ensure good ventilation. It is important that the air comes directly from the street. In case the draft from the window openings in the kitchen is not enough, you can open windows in other rooms
Strict legal requirements also apply to the choice of material. Flexible hoses are only allowed to connect gas mains and kitchen equipment. Their length can not exceed 300 cm.
Flexible connecting pipes can be rubber fabric sleeves, metal braided rubber sleeves, as well as bellows sleeves. All other sections of the pipeline must be made of metal. This, too, must be taken into account when shortening the pipe.
To cut the gas pipe on the top floor (shorten it)
If you live on the top floor and the gas pipe gets in the way and takes up a lot of wall space, there are 2 ways to shorten the gas pipe on the top floor:
The difference between the methods is that with welding we can change the position of the tap to the left or right in order to install it in the right box, and that with welding there will be one less threaded connection to the corner of 90 degrees.
Motives to trim the pipe
Is it possible to shorten the gas pipe in the kitchen? Such a question owners ask themselves when they have a need for this action. And the motives here may appear as follows:
- Changing the layout of the apartment.
- The location of the pipe brings discomfort or poses a certain threat.
- Carrying out repairs.
- Dislocation of the gas stove.
As a rule, most often people in the last floors of houses built during the Soviet period want to cut a gas pipe in the kitchen. After all, the criteria for the position of gas appliances were very different from the needs of modern people. Residents of the first floors also have such interests. In fact, the top floors are where the utilities are concentrated. They occupy much more space than on other floors.
Today, pipes cause a lot of problems in kitchens with a very small area. And because of them, people can’t put built-in appliances or furniture.
This is why the question often arises: How to shorten a gas pipe in the kitchen on the top floor? This operation is implemented in the following algorithm:
- The gas supply is blocked on a certain riser.
- Residual gas is released.
- The pipe itself is cut.
- A gas valve is mounted.