In the US it can be done as a diy project. My hubby (an experienced DIYer) was able to buy the stuff for it down at Lowes. They did require that he purchase an instruction manual with the supplies and he had to sign a form saying he'd read it. He was then free to blow himself up... LOL!

If your contractor pulled a permit, it should not matter once its inspected and approved. The plumber is on his team and can provide oversight for the work, so you do have a plumber included in the process. Most plumbers have workers who do a lot of the grunt work, and the plumber goes in and verifies it was done correctly before its inspected.

Bruce

Yesterday I was reading about a husband and wife that died in New Jersey when their house exploded. Those type of articles always remind me of threads like this and vice versa.

Locally, a home owner can pull a DIY(HomeOwner's) permit). That allows the HO to either have the work done, do it themselves, or any combination of those two---as long as the finished job passes inspection. There are also no contractor licenses required. There are licenses for trade workers, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and so on for folks who work in those areas.

I have run gas lines(black iron pipe), soldered copper plumbing lines, and wired simple electrical circuits because I know how to do those skills and have experience. Have yet to fail a pressure test or have a leak. I use the same supplies that licensed folks use, having been taught by licensed workers. Just as I was taught how to paint by professional painters, lay carpet, install sheet vinyl, install vinyl siding. Wood working like trim I learned on my own(with online help).

In your case, I'd want to see the inspection report---and see a pressure test result. Both of those means the job was done correctly, no matter who did them.

Where I lve you need a licensed gas fitter to do any gas fitting

Thank you Patricia. Your answer is great advice. I was quite alarmed that anyone would consider this a DIY job.

No need for alarm, CTL. I'm a DIY and I've run black iron pipe gas lines. No leaks yet.

It's far from complicated. I'd say it's easier to do right than electrical wiring.

Sure, anyone can do anything nowadays--just go to youtube. I wonder if they have DIY surgery videos????

Ames011:

I am a licensed Florida building contractor, but I can't pull a plumbing permit. Check you local regulations, please, then mix up some Dawn dish soap into a nice foam. Turn on the fireplace and scoop the Dawn foam over all his connections. If you start blowing bubbles, shut the fireplace off immediately and turn the gas off outside.

Or you can hold a Bic lighter under all his connections. I watched an HVAC man do this all the while telling me "I'd fire one of my guys if he did this." Sure enough, there was a little flame at the connection. Obviously not a recommended procedure.

"just go to youtube."

I'm sure I don't need to say it, but you can find a lot of useful info on Youtube. The problem is trying to separate it from the half-truths and the outright rubbish.

I didn't learn DIY from Youtube. It was still 35 years in the future when I got started. Heck, computers were still horse-drawn in those days. :) I learned by watching pros, asking questions, reading how-to magazines, and checking out lots of library books.

Gas piping with black iron isn't rocket science. But if you don't have the time or inclination to read up on how to do it right, by all means call in a pro. No shame in that at all. I do it too, when a job is beyond my skills or knowledge -- or my physical ability.
As Joseph points out, testing for gas leaks is easy. Ajax and Palmolive and probably dollar store generic work just as well as Dawn. Put some water in a cup or tin can, and add a healthy squirt of the dish soap. Brush the solution liberally on every connection. Watch for bubbles. Wipe dry.

For goodness sake, don't use a flame to test. I've never seen a pro do that, and if I did, that person would never get another job from me.

DavidR, it sounds like you know what you're doing. My concern is with others who think they know what they're doing, but don't. And the consequences could be life-threatening.

Have a plumber check it out. I saw a house explode in 1960. I was out walking with a new born baby in a buggy. We were not close enough to be in harms way, but, I was close enough to hear the explosion, and to see more than I wanted to see, flying through the air. I have hated gas ever since, and until we bought this house 9 yrs ago, with a gas outdoor heating unit, I have never had anything gas near me. Believe me when I say, the past 9 yrs when it gets to heating season, I am an absolute nervous wreck until spring comes again, and the gas gets turned off. Unfortunately my husband died 6 yrs ago, so finances are not great enough, to replace that unit, or it would have been gone a long time ago. Please for your peace of mind and your safety, get it checked out.

I vote for getting in a licensed gas fitter/plumber, not a contractor. Aside from the risk of explosion, when you go to sell you have the plumber's invoice to show that the renovations were done to code, by a qualified party. I just spent over a thousand dollars bringing my house up to code because previous renovations weren't up to code and the building inspector didn't catch it.

Besides the soapy water trick, FYI, you can purchase a 'gas sniffer'. Amazon. Inexpensive.

Years ago, when I thought I smelled gas, I called my gas utility and they sent someone out and checked everything with a sniffer. At that time, it was a service they provided free of charge. Things has probably changed since then, though.

Thanks all - appreciate the info and concern - we definitely want to avoid explosion and will have the plumber check it out.

A permit was pulled but it was after the work was done, is that okay?

Our local gas company will come out to check any installation or appliance for no or small charge.

In our area, a plumber or hvac company licensed to run gas lines are required for gas line installation. No DIY running of lines (at least legally) and no GC can run the line. A homeowner can pull a building permit, but not a gas permit. There must be inspections. Permits are supposed to be pulled in advance - the building department frowns on pulling permit after the fact and will sometimes charge a fine for doing so.

As Brickwood Builders and others have pointed out, different locations, different rules. Always look at your cities or counties websites to see if they list building codes/permits. You can gain a lot of information as to what you can and can't do, and who you need to talk to about getting a permit.

BB,inc, I love your company's name. Very descriptive.

Hmmmm... ok, maybe it was just in Indiana that you can diy it... I thought it was nationwide. Anyhow, it's not rocket science and others have made great comments about how to get it checked properly. (I recall my hubby using the soapy water check) I personally wouldn't worry about a contractor doing it as opposed to a plumber, assuming I trusted both.

I'm looking at this from a professional point of view--as an interior decorator I am responsible for all my trades being qualified. There's no way that I'd allow a DIY approach to something so important! A few years ago I was replacing a gas fireplace in a townhouse which the previous late homeowner had installed years before. The HVAC people who I hired for the job were amazed that the place had not burned down because of the dangerous way the old fellow had handled the gas line. I had to tell all the people living in the other units where the old fellow had "helpfully" added fireplaces for his neighbours over the years and they all had to get theirs inspected and corrected. I guess I could have saved some lives because of it--it was that bad.

Fortunate enough that oldest son is a red seal plumber, gasfitter & HVAC installer. We are in the home stretch of a build here in BC/Canada, everything has been permitted & inspected to date.

If nothing else, do the read, watch and talk research to learn about the subject so you can make an informed decision. Not all pros follow best practices and some DIY work is excellent when done by a knowledgeable owner willing to invest all the time necessary for a top notch result. Most homeowners are not willing to pay someone else extra money to tear out and replace items that are currently functional but not ideal but might invest their own time in DIY to improve the overall situation.

In MA a plumber or pipefitter needs to pull the permit and work needs to be done by her, or "under her supervision". In reality the licensing requirements here are so arduous for plumbers and electricians that a whole lot of the work is not done by the guy who holds the license, but rather by various apprentices and assistants "under his supervision". If you have a big job with 10 plumbing contractor employees on site chances are at most one of them is licensed.

In my local this work must be done by a licensed Gas Fitter. Not sure why anyone not licensed to do so would be willing to take the risk or assume the liability in the event something goes wrong.

Somehow this discussion has branched off into comments about Harry Handyman and/or other contractors being qualified to run gas lines, but that was not the question that was asked. The OP hired a general contractor and there is a licensed plumber working for the contractor. His concern was that the licensed plumber may not have actually done the work; however, it is not unusual for other folks on a construction crew to work under the supervision of a plumber.

The OP responded once more to say that a permit was pulled, although it was after the work was completed. This means it will be inspected, and that it will be required to meet all local codes and requirements. If the locality requires a gas fitter to sign off on the work, that will be part of the inspection. I think he can just let the process run its course.

Bruce

Not sure we have drifted off subject. The original question was can the GC under his GC license do the gas line. It is unlikely that the GC is licensed for this particular task. Even if the site plumber is licensed for gas work the GC can't do the work legally under the plumbers license. The plumbers license is only valid for the work he or she performs or an apprentice employed and supervised by the plumber. The license holder can't extend their license to other individuals outside of their business.

The other thing that needs to be noted is that an issued permit does not mean that non licensed persons can perform licensed tasks. The only exception to this is if the home owner is doing the work themselves on their own property. In all other cases if the task requires a licensed person then only a licensed person can perform the work. The GC is bound by law to bring in trades/subs that are appropriately licensed. The standard GC license does not license the GC to perform tasks that require a specific license unless the GC also holds that license in addition to their GC license.

A GC license is more of a general business license. There is usually a test to ensure they have a reasonable understanding of this area of business and guidelines that they are to adhere to concerning their business conduct.

If the gas line was not done by the plumber or his employee, whose liability insurance would be responsible? Would the GC's insurance include work done by unlicensed person? I would doubt any insurer would be very thrilled by that scenario.

I agree with you Lyndee.

I also think it's ironic that contractors & plumbers are required to be licensed, but hapless homeowners can legally do the work themselves!

It's somewhat based on the concept that "it's your home and it's your life". It should also be kept in mind that though the homeowner can perform the actual work they are still bound by code to perform the work accordingly. When you hire someone such as a GC or licensed Trade there is an assumption of duty, they are presenting themselves as skilled in their field and you the home owner are hiring them to provide this service.

The building code does not dictate who is to do the work it just outlines how the work is to be done. Other laws Municipal, County, State or Federal govern the implementation of the code and how and who can act as professionals in this field of endeavor and what if any licensing is required.

When it comes to the majority of home renovation work seen here, in most circumstances there are only about 2 trades that must be trade licensed, Electricians & Plumbers/Gas Fitters. There are then other types of licensing such as those acting as Contractors such as GCs, these are business licenses, however as a home owner there is no law that states you must use them. Another example would be a Tile Contractor, there is no law that states "all tile setting must be performed by a "Tile Contractor". What the law states is that if you represent yourself as a "Tile Contractor" then you must hold a business license to do so. This differs from say Electrical work, here the law states that "all electrical work must be performed by a licensed electrician", this may be an individual licensed electrician or a licensed electrical contractor who would hold an electrical license.

At the end of the day all of this should not be viewed as a hindrance to your pursuit but as a means of establishing a level of consumer protection. Not in principle any different than licensing of Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants. When you hire them there is an expectation of a level of skill and duty and their licensing is intended to ensure this.