Replacing a gas line or moving the stove means loosening the gas line. Luckily, doing so is easy and you can do safely with just a few tools and precautions.
In most cases, you can loosen a gas line in just a few minutes. In most cases, you want to start by turning off the gas, unplugging the stove, and then using an adjustable wrench to disconnect the gas line from the stove fitting. That’s it.
Main Topics
How to Loosen and Remove Gas Line on Stove
Taking the gas line off your stove is relatively easy. For most people, the only difficult part is putting it back. However, there are safety precautions to consider first.
How to Shut off Gas to Stove
Turning off the gas to the stove should be the first step before disconnecting the gas line. In almost every case, this is a very simple matter of turning a knob or a lever at the wall connection.
Locate the Wall Connection
Normally, you can follow the rubber gas line from the stove back to where it meets the wall. You might have a regulator on the line but keep going. You want where it connects to the wall. Here, there should be a valve or a shutoff spigot. You can simply turn this clockwise to shut the valve off. Turn until it doesn’t turn anymore and then give it an extra turn to tighten it.
If there isn’t a shutoff valve, you can look for your meter cabinet or the gas mains. This may be inside your home or outside. Here, you may have to call the gas company for a full shutoff. However, it’s unlikely. The gas mains will almost always have a lever to shut the gas off. Again, turn right or clockwise to turn it off. Importantly, if you turn off the gas at the mains, you also want to turn off any other gas appliances you might have. For example, the water heater.
Check Any Additional Lines Attached
Check that your gas line is not attached to any other appliances. If it is, it’s normally split or T-d at the wall. You want to ensure that when you leave the gas line open, it doesn’t bleed gas from those lines. If there are more appliances attached, make sure you use the following step on those appliances as well.
Empty the Gas Lines
Once you’ve turned the gas off at the wall, you can empty the lines. Normally, the fastest way to do that is to try to light the burners on your stove. Go around one at a time and light them, just to burn off any extra gas in the lines. They should flicker and go out within a minute at most. If they take longer, the gas line probably isn’t all the way off.
How to Disconnect Gas Stove
Disconnecting your gas stove is relatively easy. Chances are, you can do so in just a few minutes.
Gather Tools
In most cases, you’ll need an adjustable crescent wrench to disconnect your gas line. It may be very helpful to have two of these or a small pipe wrench. You may also want a pair of gloves if the gas line is dirty.
Decide Where to Disconnect the Line
You can choose to disconnect the gas line from the wall, in front of the valve, or at the stove. In most cases, if you want to connect a new stove with the same gas line, you should choose to disconnect it at the stove first, so that it’s less likely to damage the wall. If you want to install a new stove with a new gas line or you want to change the gas line, disconnect it at the wall first. Then follow up and remove the gas line from the other side.
Disconnect the Line
Tighten the adjustable wrench over the bottom nut on the copper fitting. If necessary, use one hand to hold the line in place. Turn the wrench counterclockwise. It may take some pressure to change at first. If the nut doesn’t turn, you can ask someone else to hold the gas line. Then, you can apply a second adjustable wrench to the top nut on the fitting. Hold the top wrench firmly in place and get help if needed. Then, turn the bottom wrench counterclockwise. Make sure that you’re disconnecting the closet set of bolts to the stove.
Once it’s loosened, pull the hose free. You’ll want to remove any gas-rated Teflon tape still on the wall fitting. You’ll also want to make sure you have new gas-rated Teflon tape when you go to install the new gas line.
DIY vs Call a Professional
Replacing a gas line is a relatively safe and low-skill task. So long as you turn the gas line off properly, you can easily take it off yourself. However, if you’ve never put fittings together before, it may be important to call a professional for safety reasons. In addition, if your gas line is anything other than an interior, black rubber line with copper fittings on each end, you probably don’t want to touch it.
Here, the most dangerous part of the process is putting your gas line back on. If you take the gas line off, you have to make sure you put the new one back on well. Any leaks could result in a fire or suffocation hazard in your home. So, if you do decide to go with DIY, make sure you double check the safety precautions and thoroughly check for leaks after installing a new gas line.
In most cases, a professional will change your gas lines in just a few minutes. And, if you’re buying a new stove, you can possibly pay $30-$60 extra to have it delivered and installed for you. That removes any risk of DIY.
Who to call to disconnect gas stove?
If you want to hire a professional to disconnect your gas stove, you can normally call your plumber. Any licensed plumber is qualified to connect and disconnect gas stoves, dryers, etc.
In some cases, you may also have a plumbing and gas or electric and gas fitting specialist in your area. These specialists can work with gas lines as well.
Worst case scenario, in case of an emergency, and if you think you have a leak, you can call the local fire department. They will show up and turn the gas off at the meter and remove the problem for you.
Q&A
Removing a gas line can be nerve wracking, especially if you’ve never done it before. Hopefully these related questions help with any other answers you might need.
Are gas fittings reverse thread?
Yes. All gas fittings are reverse thread. This means the threads are cut to the left. This serves the primary function of preventing you from attaching anything not intended for gas to a gas line. That means you cannot accidentally use a non-gas-safe fitting or hose – because it simply will not thread onto the connection. That’s great news, because it makes DIY with gas that much safer. However, you’ll still turn counterclockwise to loosen these threads. That never changes.
Can you unplug a gas stove?
Yes. However, you should make sure the gas is off first. That’s important because most gas stoves have an electric pilot light. If the electric is off and the gas isn’t, the gas from the pilot will continue to feed into the room. That amount of gas is tiny, but it can build up over the course of a few days. Make sure you turn off the gas before you unplug the stove.
Can you reuse flexible gas line?
No. You should never reuse any gas fittings, hoses, lines, or seals. That’s important because most have seals built into the fittings. A single disconnection can permanently damage those seals, meaning you no longer have a gas-tight line. You obviously do not want to risk this. Most importantly, new gas lines usually cost just a few dollars (averaging $15-$25). Saving that money is not worth risking your home or your life.
Plus, all gas lines are interchangeable. You can buy a new gas line at any store without paying attention to anything other than the length. If your gas line makes it from the wall to your stove with enough room to spare, it’s a good fit.
To Finish
Removing a gas line on a stove can be nerve wracking. However, it’s relatively safe to do. If you turn the gas off at the wall or at the meter, you aren’t at risk. You should always follow up by bleeding any gas out of the lines before you take the line off. Then, removing the gas line is a simple matter of using two adjustable wrenches to turn the fittings. From there, all you have to do is get a new gas line and new gas-rated Teflon tape to replace it.
