Where to put the gas oven shutoff valve?
This is my first gas stove (formerly “oven”) install. I’m coming after someone who started the work onthis little cottage, and trying to finish up what they started as best I can.
Whoever came before me put the gas pipe on the wall behind the stove, sticking straight out, with a shutoff valve at the end. It protrudes a good 4″ from the wall, and my stove only has about 1.5″ of clearance behind.
Anyway, I have to re-do this valve, and I’m wondering if behind the stove is the best place for a shutoff valve? Off hand, I don’t think so.
The piping is all exposed on the outside of the house, so I can turn the gas off and re-pipe this guy to come into the house any where I like.
There are cabinets on either side of the stove. The left cabinet is drawers with a little clearance between the backs of the drawers and the back of the cabinets.. but I’m a little leery of installing a shutoff valve back there, either. The right cabinet is a corner cabinet with shelves, and I could re-route the line into there to put a valve in the cabinet and then run the flex back to the stove.
The gas pipe comes straight in from the other side of this exterior wall, and I suppose I could put a shutoff valve outside on the pipe, but that seems a little sketchy too, as anyone walking by could turn the gas off.
So all that said, where is it customary to put gas shutoff valves for gas ovens?
Edited 1/18/2006 7:58 pm ET by geoffhazel
Edited 1/19/2006 1:40 am ET by geoffhazel
Replies
The gas stoves I've installed all had the shutoff valve behind the stove with a flex gas line long enough to allow the stove to be pulled clear to shut it off.
I've also had to get creative a few times since the stove companies don't exactly give you much room to work with. On one installation, I had to run the riser pipe so it was between two studs, then cut a hole in the drywall so I could thread on the shutoff valve.
Could you tighten your riser pipe enough to get it parallel to the wall?
I do believe the code requires the shutoff to be behind the stove. Why I don't know since if you smell gas the last thing you want to have to do is man handle the stove out from the wall. My only guess is it's a standard location so emergency workers know where to look if needed.
The shutoff in my house is located behind the stove flat against the wall to take up the least amount of space. Then I have a second valve where it branches off from the main in the crawlspace. This way I passed code plus have a way to shut the gas off to the oven quickly without shutting down the furnace.
The responses have been about STOVES where are movable.He is talking about a oven which is built in.The 2000 IRC says that the valve must be in the same room at the appliance, within 6 ft, and upstream of a disconnect, union, or quick connect fitting.It also say that it needs to be "provided with ready acess".
Yes you are right. My mistake.
UPC, UMC, & IRC code requires all valves to be accessible.
If your oven has one or more screws holding it in place that would NOT be considered accessible.
Current job we are installing 205 gas cook tops that have an electric oven under them. The valve is located in the cabinet next to them.
There was some bad rough ins & the stub came out behind the oven. We put a 90 on the pipe as close to the back of the cab as possible then hard piped over to the next cab, put valve on then back into the oven space.
Yeah, the 90 out and back could work.. This is actually an oven which slides in and out real easy on the laminate flooring, so I could even just put a 90 close to the wall which woudl turn the valve parallel to the wall, providing the handle on the valve will still turn and not hit the sheetrock.
Seems kinda odd to me to have the valve behind the stove. I mean, what if the whole thing goes wonky and you want to cut off the gas to the whole stove but it's spewing flames, y'know? But behind the stove at least is obvious what's getting turned off.
You guys gave me a couple of good ideas, I think I can work something out. Thanks!
Edited 1/19/2006 1:35 am ET by geoffhazel
I mean, what if the whole thing goes wonky and you want to cut off the gas to the whole stove but it's spewing flames, y'know?
You turn it off at the valve on the meter outside. While in route to the meter, you call 911 or your local fire department.
Even fire fighter shut off the gas at the street stop box valves. they won't approach a burning house to shut the gas off at the meter unless they can't locate the stop box.
Shut off valves are for service work and installation, not fire fighting!
Dave
I had always assumed that directly behind the appliance was required. Typical.
Here ( Northern California) the shutoff needs to be accessable.. so it usually ends up in the cabinet adjecent.
When we rough in the gas during a kitchen reno we put the cutoff behind an access panel in the cabinet next to the range then continue in the wall and stub out behind the stove to a 90 then hook the appliance up with flex.
I wonder if the code writers ever gave any thought to the fact that the home owners will probably stuff the cabinet next to the stove with pots and pans so it will not be accessable in an emergency....... that and the adverage home owner wouldn't even think to shut off the gas at the stove if they smell gas...... they just put in a call to PG&E ( gas co ).
I once had a client call me to ask what they should do because they smell gas when they turn on the oven..... I explained where the gas shut off was and suggested that they turn it off and open the windows and I will be right over. Told them not to use the phone again and that I would be ringing the front bell.... and then thought better and had them shut off the gas at the meater.
well I got there and rembered that the range was one of those dual fuel units and that the oven was electric...... asked them if they had used the oven before ( It had been several months since the install)........ their answer was NO.....
they were smelling the oils burning off in the oven. They wrote me a check on the spot for the service call and apalogized over and over for dragging me out on a sunday eve...
I still laugh over that one...... total trophy kitchen and the only thing they do is boil water for tea...... some people.
james
Bear in mind that you are not allowed to run the flex connector thru hole in wood, cabinets, etc. I've usually put the valve inside the cabinet next to the oven, with a short nipple of iron pipe out thru the cabinet wall, and then flex from there.