Re: I am going to scream!!! brokenbaby: SNB that just totally sucks. I am so sorry. I went four weeks without gas last year and it was freaking awful. I was heating water on my bbq for baths :( :-[
I hope someone can get out there asap next week.
Re: I am going to scream!!! TeddyR: SNB-Like everyone else before me has been saying "that really sucks".It may be more that there have been "Code" changes that now make your existing gas connections outdated.Hard piping to a stove for instance is out today and you need a flex pipe that has an armored jacket to make the connection.Some of the ways they pipe now-a-days also have changed. Where they originally ran pipe inside walls and the like has to be done correctly today.So maybe it's the code changes that is the reason why they won't turn your gas back on.When doing the leak test if they find a slow leak,they certainly won't do it either for obvious reasons.So it's a hard no win situation for you,because you have to get all that s..t up to date which costs $$ unfortuately.Their material cost for copper pipe and connectors is pretty minimal,but they don't make it easy with what they charge hourly.Like always they take someone's misfortune and benefit from it.
With all that said you have to decide with the high price of LP or Natural gas (depending on where you are) if it's worth it too invest all that money into fixing things.I don't Know how many things you have wrong and what kind of charges they are talking.Have them give you an estimate and then decide if maybe it would be an advantage to just go electric which would mean getting a different stove and hot water heater.It may not be worth the headache,but if they should start crabbing saying you should have a new stove or new hot water heater due to age say,It would be worth making the switch IMO.Gas is high and going higher all the time while electric is becomming the cheaper alternative now.If you don't have 220 V electrical connections already in place,they would need that for a stove and hot water heater.220 volts is a different looking outlet than the normal ones you have to say plug you tv into.If you already have that,then that is half the battle going electric.It's hard and i'm not sticking up for the "gas boys" at all,just maybe trying to look at it differently.As for heating water in the mean time,maybe a hotplate would work.They have single burner and two burner that you plug in.They cook like a normal electric range top does.Sorry SNB.
:( :( :( :(
Re: I am going to scream!!! alonewith2: TeddyR, what you stated makes a lot of sense, but I just bought a new hot water heater last summer and a new gas dryer in November. My stove/oven is only 3 years old, too. Most of the things seem pretty easy to fix (ie replacing some of the fittings), but what scares me is the "there are leaks, but we can't find them..." So am I supposed to let them tear into my house looking for these leaks? Am I going to have to replace ALL the pipes in my house?
I do appreciate finding out about these leaks because I don't want my house to "explode" on me (especially with my kids here) or have us succumb to gas exposure. And I do like the fact that this is summer so it's not like I need the heat right now. I just wish it wasn't the weekend and that I had the time to spare from work to get it all fixed.
One of my coworkers did call me last night to tell me that she wanted to "give me" some of her PTO time to help me out with taking time off from work to get all this fixed. I kept telling her no because I'm not one to take handouts, etc, but she's insisting on it. Just makes me want to cry with her generosity...
Re: I am going to scream!!! TeddyR: No,with your gas still "off" (i assume for non-payment they pulled the regulator)there is nothing to worry about as far as leaks now.When they come out and look for the leak again,they will spray a liquid on all the connections to pinpoint where the gas is leaking.It usually is a connector or a control possibly on a piece of equipment.When they do the leak test they have to shut off all the appliances in the house to lock up the system.They already performed this i would imagine and the testing device showed a sinking "Water Column",which tells them there is a leak somewhere.Lp gas is naturally odorless but they add the skunky smell to it so that people can smell it.If when the gas was on and you never detected this smell anywhere near the lines or any of your gas appliances,it more than likely is very small and dispates.If they examined your system,they probably sniffed around and nothing was obvious.When you have them out to find and fix the leak,they will find it fairly quickly.They won't generally have to tear into anything,i'm sorry if you thought that.Most pipes are easy access,outside along the perimeter or in the cellar,except where they come up to an appliance.If your pipe hasn't been dented somewhere by something banging it it's probably all fine.But they need to make sure it is all in good shape just the same.I would think it will be fairly quick to find your leak and depending on what it actually is will be the deciding factor on cost.The gas appliances you mentioned are all pretty new,so your looking at a pretty simple thing.Your fine though,don't worry about blowing up or anything like that cause they wouldn't have left and left you that way.If it is a small pipe leak or a fitting or two,it shouldn't take too much of their time to fix it up.It is a positive thing how this issue came up.If your Mother paid the bill for you on time,you may never have known about a leak and that could have been the worst thing if it had been left that way and got worse etc.So that goes without saying.But until you have them come out again,your perfectly safe.
Good luck and don't worry :D
Re: I am going to scream!!! alonewith2: labor and materials for fixing my gas lines (8 leaks found) - $1425
Can I cry now? :'( :(
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