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Before you begin to read, note that the following discussed task is EXTREMELY dangerous and is preferred to leave it to the professionals.
Since the invention of dryers, life has become significantly easy. Whenever you are done washing your clothes, you hang them in a spacious, sunny, and windy place such as a balcony or veranda. However, it’s natural to rain or have thunderstorms and during rainy seasons, your wet clothes are mocked by grey skies.
That’s when you bring out the dryer.
What is a dryer and how does it work?
As the name implies, a dryer dries your wet clothes, just like hair dryers dry long hairs. With a dryer, you don’t have to worry about rain at all; just turn on the dryer and put the clothes right inside it and your clothes will dry in no time.
All dryers, electric or non-electric, are efficient in their job; I mean, all you are doing is drying your clothes so you shouldn’t have a lot of expectations on their efficiency. Electric dryers, though, can put a strain on your home’s electricity grid, which can be a problem in rainy periods. Therefore, you can always choose non-electric dryers, i.e., gas dryers.
Instead of connecting with the electricity grid, gas dryers connect with the gas line to use the gas for producing heat that will dry your clothes.
Why do you need to disconnect the gas line from a gas dryer?
So now, we will discuss how to disconnect the gas line from your gas dryer. But you can always ask, ‘Why will I do that in the first place?’
Just like any other machine, electric or non-electric, gas dryers can show a range of problems that you will have to solve in due time. And in case of solving problems regarding machines, you must shut down their ‘brain’ first; in a gas dryer’s case, the brain is the gas line.
Here are some problems due to which you have to disconnect the gas line:
- A broken dryer
- A dryer with dirty vents
- Dryer removal or replacement
- Taking a dryer to a new location
How to disconnect the gas line from a gas dryer
Here are the steps to disconnect the gas line from your gas dryer:
1) Even if gas dryers run on gas, to be powered up they will use your house’s electricity through an electrical outlet. Unplug your dryer from the outlet.
2) Locate the gas valve that provides gas from the gas line to the dryer and shut it down. Usually, there is a gas valve individually set up when placing the dryer but if there isn’t any, then you have to shut down the main gas line until you are done disconnecting and reconnecting your dryer.
3) Push your gas dryer gently out from the wall to locate the gas line connected to the dryer from behind. By using a wrench, disconnect the gas line.
4) After disconnecting, seal the dryer’s gas line end completely with Teflon tape.
5) Once your dryer has been separated, locate the vent duct and disconnect it from the wall. This marks the end of your task.
Crucial precautions for disconnecting the gas line
As said in the beginning, try as much as possible to allow a professional to disconnect the gas line. If you can’t, obey these steps strictly before you go to disconnect:
1) Make sure that the dryer has been turned off. Only after turning off, unplug the dryer.
2) Make sure there are no clothes inside the dryer. Even after being empty, clean the dryer thoroughly to remove any lint from the clothes.
3) Keep every single flame in the house extinguished. Otherwise, there can be a terrible fire accident.
4) Keep your area well ventilated so that in case of unnoticed or accidental gas leaks, there won’t be enough accumulation of gas for fire ignition.
5) Wear gloves and goggles and external protective gear such as a fireproof suit if possible.
6) Always be ready with a fire extinguisher for the worst-case scenario.
Once again, no matter how many precautions you follow or how easy the steps may seem, experience always matters so seek help from the professionals or just let them do it for you. Never be embarrassed to ask for assistance, especially in these cases, where your life or lives are on the line.