As a direct result of installing a shut-off valve for my gas dryer, I had turned the gas off to my water heater temporarily (they are on the same line). Because of this, the pilot light on my water heater went out and I didn’t have any hot water. Without hot water, I kind of felt like I was back in my cub scout days – camping in a little cabin taking cold showers…
I am not a huge fan of messing around with gas and fire – it is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, that is what was required to get the pilot light lite again. Emily stopped by with her Dare-to-Repair book for women. It completely outlined the steps to relight the pilot light. Each water heater is a little different, so I won’t give instructions here – I would encourage you to buy a repair book or look at the manual for your water heater.
One of the big negotiating points during the purchase process was whether or not the house would come with the high efficiency washer/dryer set. The current owners really did not want to part ways with theirs, so I set out to buy a set over the New Years holiday. HHGreg was running a special on Frigidaire – they came with the pedestals for free, which were worth $400 bucks for the pair. I ended up getting everything for right around a thousand dollars.
As I was finalizing the order the salesman said, “Electric dryer, right?”. I was midly flustered and was unaware that there was even an option. Without really thinking I said yes…
My delivery date came and they showed up with the washer and dryer. The delivery man went to the basement and asked if I was going to have an electrician come out and install an outlet for the dryer. Now I was really confused. Apparently, gas is the other option – and that is what my house was setup for!
I asked the delivery guy which was more efficient – he said electric without missing a beat. Emily (my girlfriend) and my parents did some massive googling on it while I called the store. As it turns out, GAS IS MORE EFFICIENT. At times, it can be up to 50% better. I don’t blame the delivery guy for misleading me – he simply didn’t want to drive back.
HHGreg returned the next day with a gas dryer, but apparently I didn’t have a shutoff-valve close enough to the hookup and they were not authorized to do the work. One quick stop at homedepot – I picked up a gas line sealant and a shut-off valve. The installation is simple enough:
- Shutoff the gas to the area of pipe you are working on
- Remove the cap
- Line the inside of the shut-off valve with the sealant
- Twist the valve into place – use a wrench to make sure it is tight
- Connect the dryer line to the shut-off valve
- Turn the gas back on – if you smell gas turn it off and make sure your connections are tight.
Lesson Learned:
- There is a difference between a electric and gas dryer.
- Installing a shut-off valve is not to hard.
