Gas Appliance Hookup and Conversion in Fort Worth, TX

Three parts of a safe gas connection

Fort Worth enforces the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code and Residential Code, with local amendments. For an appliance, that means three pieces:

• A shutoff valve you can reach. One per appliance, in the same room, within 6 feet of it and ahead of the connector. A valve behind a range or dryer still counts, since the appliance slides out.
• A listed flexible connector. New, sized for the appliance, no longer than 6 feet, one per appliance, and never run through a wall or floor. Old uncoated brass connectors are replaced; the Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned since 1996 that their soldered ends can fail.
• A sediment trap where required. A capped tee that catches pipe scale ahead of the appliance. Water heaters and furnaces need one unless it's built into the appliance; ranges, clothes dryers and gas fireplaces are exempt unless the maker's instructions ask for it.

Threads get a sealant rated for gas, and a freestanding range is seated in its anti-tip bracket.

Ranges, cooktops, dryers and fireplaces

Ranges and cooktops

Behind a range, the valve goes low on the wall where the cutout drawing leaves room. A cooktop is fed from the cabinet below, with any regulator packed in the box fitted as its instructions show. Each burner is lit to check for a steady blue flame.

Dryers

The connector is left in a gentle curve so the dryer can be pulled out for lint cleaning. The vent matters too: a 4-inch smooth metal duct to the outdoors, a damper at the hood, no screen, and a transition piece no longer than 8 feet that stays in the open.

Fireplaces and gas logs

Vented logs in a wood-burning fireplace need a clamp that keeps the damper from closing fully, sized from the log maker's chart. The valve can be a marked key valve nearby rather than in the firebox.

Switching from electric to gas

1. Capacity check. We add the new appliance's BTU input to everything already on your system and confirm the pipe can carry the total. If it can't, a larger branch is planned.
2. New branch. Pipe runs to the kitchen or laundry through the attic in a slab house, or under the floor where there's a crawlspace, ending in a valve.
3. Dryer vent. Gas dryers vent outdoors like electric ones; a plastic hose or crushed run is swapped for smooth metal duct.
4. Outlet. Gas ranges and dryers plug into a grounded 120-volt outlet for their igniters and controls, not the 240-volt receptacle the electric model used. Your electrician makes that change.

Many homes near our shop are old, like the Craftsman bungalows of the Oakhurst Historic District, built from 1924 just off Sylvania Avenue. In houses that age we check the old gas pipe before tying into it.

What to check before you buy

• Fuel. Atmos Energy supplies natural gas here. Most ranges ship set for natural gas; propane takes a conversion kit.
• BTU input. A pro-style range or wide cooktop can draw far more gas than the old stove did.
• Gas inlet. Compare the inlet spot on the installation drawing with your valve, and look for a capped gas outlet behind the old appliance.
• Power. A 120-volt outlet within reach of the cord; a dual-fuel range with an electric oven still needs its 240-volt receptacle.
• Vent and firebox. Measure the dryer vent route and, for logs, the firebox width.

When a Fort Worth permit is needed

New or extended gas piping generally needs a permit through the city's Development Services department, and the plumber doing the work pulls the permit. The city's inspection list includes an air pressure test on new gas piping in walls, attics, floors and ceilings before it's covered; our gas pressure test page walks through it.

Swapping an appliance onto an existing, working valve adds no new pipe; we'll tell you up front whether your job needs a permit.

Leak testing after the hookup

The fuel gas code calls for a leak check as soon as gas flows back into piping that was opened. On every connection, our plumber:

1. Checks each joint touched with leak-detection solution or an electronic detector, never a match. Any leak means the gas goes back off until that joint is redone.
2. Bleeds air from the line at the appliance so burners light cleanly.
3. Lights each burner and watches the flame.
4. Shows you where the valve is and how to close it.

Gas appliance hookup questions

Book a gas hookup or conversion

Call (817) 755-5621 with the model number and where it's going; hookups and conversions are scheduled at a time that suits you. New customers save $50; seniors, military and first responders save 10% (terms on our coupons page). Plumber 24 Fort Worth, Texas plumbing license # M-27587, serves Fort Worth, Haltom City, Saginaw, Arlington and our other service areas.

Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily · 24/7 emergency service