Gas Line Repair in Van Nuys, CA

Plumbing Tips

Gas Line Work Particular to Van Nuys

Our gas line services are the same across our service area, but three situations come up in Van Nuys again and again.

• A house or building being sold. A home or building with gas piping must have a seismic gas shutoff valve or an excess-flow shutoff valve before it is sold (before the sale agreement is signed or escrow closes), when a remodel or addition is valued at more than $10,000, when gas work replaces the gas meter, and on any building first permitted on or after September 1, 1995. We install the valve under an LADBS permit, and if the buyer’s inspection also flagged a corroded or leaking line, we price that repair with it.

• Apartment buildings with a row of meters. A leak in a multi-unit building can mean taking gas away from several households. We isolate the section under repair wherever the valves allow it, agree on the shutoff time with the owner or manager, and relight each unit’s appliances once the line holds its test.

• Postwar houses with new appliances. Gas pipe sized for a range and a tank water heater often cannot also feed a tankless heater, a bigger range or an outdoor line for a grill or fire pit. We add up the load, measure the run from the meter, and extend or replace the line where the numbers call for it.

Who issues gas line permits in Van Nuys?

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Van Nuys has no city government of its own, so gas piping is covered by an LADBS plumbing permit and checked by an LADBS inspector, and so is a seismic gas shutoff valve. LADBS also has an office in Van Nuys, on Van Nuys Boulevard. We can pull the permit for you, or you can pull it yourself if you prefer.

Can my existing Van Nuys gas line run a tankless water heater?

Not always. A tankless heater draws far more gas while it is firing than the tank it replaces, and the original pipe in many older Van Nuys houses was sized for the tank. We total the demand of every gas appliance in the house, measure the pipe from the meter, and tell you before the heater is ordered whether the line can carry it or needs to be larger.