Gas dryer instalaltion

My house came with an existing gas dryer when we bought it ten years ago.  I got a call from my wife this morning that said it died.  she went to put a load of clothes in and it won't start.  Ideas on that are welcome, but considering this dryer is pretty old, I think it might make sense to replace it.  The washer is also very old and onit's way out.

Anyway, my main concern is the instalation of a new gass dryer.  Based on my limitted reading so far, I'm not sure it is currently installed to proper standards.    There is a shut off valve on the line, but in the ceiling far from the dryer.  There are may feet of copper tubing that drops drom the ceiling and makes a large (couple feet diameter) loop directly behind the dryer.  So... am I going to need to have a profesional come out to correct the gas line before I can get a new dryer installed?

Pictures would really help here. 

1. Check the circuit breaker for the current dryer. No reason to replace something that still works, unless you really want to.

2. You can probably replace the soft copper portion of the gas line yourself if you're remotely competent. It's probably threaded onto the valve.

Shut the valve off, remove soft copper, replace with proper black iron pipe for the majority of the length/drop to the dryer, install another shutoff valve at the end of the black pipe, and attach a short length of flexible gas line to dryer like this:

3. Check all gas line connections with soapy water and tighten if you see bubbles.

I haven't done a dryer, but I did a stove (electric to gas) and a water heater (electric to gas) which involved plumbing black pipe to other parts of the basement and adding valves.

Its pretty simple.  Use pipe dope and check for bubbles when you're done.  The rest is common sense and having the right hardware, and STM317 has you started on the right track.

Depending on the condition of your shutoff valve, you might want to replace it as well.  That is as simple as turning off gas to the house (at the meter) and replacing it.

The nice part is, gas is not high pressure.  IIRC, its only like 5 psi.  Once you turn it off at the meter, you can take the valve off and get almost no gas in the house.

to further talk about valves:  Chances are, your valve looks like the one on the left in the picture.  If it has a nut/bolt on the opposite side, I suggest replacing it.  They are an old style valve with grease and packing.  If its stuck, you can loosen the nut on the opposite side to spin it, but then you need to re-tighten it or it will leak.  Therefore old valves can't turn off without tools and that's a no-no for safety and codes.  Even if you can still move the valve freely, over time the hydrocarbons in the packing grease will degrade and can let it leak.

The valve on the right uses a delrin seal on a stainless ball that doesn't require packing or grease.  It should last almost forever and doesn't need help to shut off as it ages

Search CSST.

Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing

It's your friend. Super simple and easy to install.

In reply to Indy-Barely Functional-Guy :

Just my house converted to gas last year.  They used CSST for all the piping.

First off, do you have natural gas coming in from the street, or do you have propane coming in from a tank in your back yard?  There is a difference, and you need to know that before you go and supply propane to your natural gas dryer and burn your house down.  Shut off needs to be directly in back of or very close to the dryer itself.  Can't be hidden or on the other side of a wall.  Needs to be in an obvious spot so you can shut it off.  From there, run one of those yellow flexis shown above.  Know going in the gas connection on the dryer is probably 3/8" so you will need a 3 inch or so 3/8" black nipple and then a 3/8'X1/2" black 90*.  From there you can connect to the 1/2" flexi connector.  Buy one thats at least 36".  Dryer vent needs to be metallic.  Either duct pipe or the flexible corrugated metal hose.  Not that mylar or plastic stuff.  If you have one of those grease packed shut offs, throw it away and buy a real gas ball valve with a Tee handle.  Not one that you need to run and find a crescent wrench to shut.  CSST is legal, but you will never ever see me use it.  Other than the flexis of course.

tr8todd said:

 CSST is legal, but you will never ever see me use it.  

Reason?  I had 3 different companies estimate the job and all of them spec'd CSST.

Leaks.  The termination fittings have a habit of coming loose.  Way to easy to shoot a nail thru it or hit it with a saw blade.  There is a reason why you have to test it three different times and hang a log with the plumber's name, date of install, date of tests, and license number.  Talk to any inspector and they will tell you they have to approve it, but they don't like it.  I won't use it.  If a job calls for it, I won't do the job.  There are counties and towns throughout the country that will not allow it.  I get letters in the mail at least once a year from the various manufacturers asking me to call this or that county or city where there is a proposal to ban the stuff.  To me its just like the assault rifle laws.  Your allowed to own one, but should you really be allowed to own one?  The main reason some plumbers use it is because they are chasing the most profit on the job.  Find someone that will run black pipe and pay him whatever he wants.  I had a job once where I ran a gas line from the meter outside the house to a pool heater.  Never stepped foot inside the house.  After I left, the electrician drilled a hole in the house to run a wire from the panel out to the pump house.  He figured he would bury his wire in my trench.  When he drilled into the house, he nicked a CSST line inside.  NEVER TOLD ANYBODY.  Several hours later I get read the riot act by the fire dept and the inspectional services dept.  Luckily house did not blow up, but if it had, people could have died, and my life would have been ruined.

Depending on the age and brand of the dryer it may be worth fixing...some of them were built like tanks, and are much less prone to failure than some of the new machines that have all sorts of electronic bells and whistles.

In reply to tr8todd :

Thanks for the info.  Not worried about hitting it with anything. It is all out in the open hanging from the joists in the basement and the only person who does any drilling/sawing around here is me.  

I am assuming the 3 detectors they put in should cover any leaks.  I asked the inspector about it and he didn't seem to have any problem.

I'd look at all options available and exhaust them before going down the route of new dryer..