Capping Off A Water Line
I am trying to turn a take out a kitchen sink but I need to know how to cap off that water line. Is there anything I need to do other than turn off the main water supply then putting cap on and turn water back on?
what about capping a gas line? there seems to be no gas coming out. when I turn the stove on I don't smell any gas. Can I just disconnect the stove and then put a cap on that pipe?
thanks for any help
you should have cutoff valves already. if not cut off main water and gas lines install cut off valves and your problem will be solved forever
If you have never done it before, let the gas company do it for you.
If the connection between the stove and the gas pipe is as bad as mine was (rusted over) you might need somebody with the right tools, brute force, and know how in order to not cause an explosion.
joel,
no there is no corrosion or rust of any kind.
Tntrash,
there is a knobs sticking out of the wall for the water supply to turn them off but they stick out really far. I wanted to remove them. the gas line, well, I don't know bout that. might have a professional do it to be sure it is done right
If you have 1/2 inch copper pipe for the hot and cold water supply you can cut off the old shut offs, or use a wrench if they are compression fittings and take them off. Cut back the copper to where you want it and install new compression shut offs or soldier caps on temporarily.
If you have galvanized metal pipes you can just unscrew the shut offs, cut the pipe back, then rethread the new ends and screw on new shut offs or cap. Use teflon tape over the threads.
Gas I leave to the professionals so I don't go boom.
rehabinator,
I don't want to go boom either, so I agree with you there.
Couldn't i just cap off the line rather than putting a shut off valve. I don't want any of it to show
I'm sorry, are you not replacing the sink?
If you are not going to use them then I would definitly cap them off. Shut offs should only be used temporarily or permanently if the lines are going to a fixture.
I wouldn't want two shut-offs left permanently, way too easy for someone to turn one on by hitting it with something. Just capping them off should be fine. If you were never going to ever use them again, I would open up the wall and cap them inside it, then repair the wall.
It's easier to shut off the water disconnect the fittings and cap the line. As far as gas call a professional.
Hey, kiddo,
There are many different kinds of plumbing line that may come into a home. What is the problem and why are you wanting to 'cap' the water lines?
As far as the gas, I would definitely get a professional to fix it for you. Even though most natural gas is only 1/4 psi, it can build up if it is not capped correctly. A small gas leak can cause big problems.
If you're Hades bent to cap it yourself, then first locate the gas meter. Just before the meter, you'll find a shut off valve. This will shut off the gas to the entire house. Turn it so that the holes line up. (This is so that the gas co. can padlock it if someone doesn;t pay their bill.) Then, you can remove the line to the stove and put a cap on. Measure your pipe and then go to the hardware store and get the cap and some PIPE DOPE. The hardware store guy will know what you're talking about. In my opinion, teflon tape is just not good enough for gas.
Go home, apply the pipe dope and install the cap. Then turn the gas on and spray the cap all over with soapy water and watch for bubbles. If no bubbles, no problem. You're done.
You can do the same thing with the water, but the shut-off is sometimes harder to find. Also, you'll get water if you have a small leak, not bubbles.
Hope this helps.
Ronnie
[addsig]
thanks everyone. Do you think I should still call a professional even though I don't think the gas is goin up there anymore. I can't smell it when i turn the stove on.
I am tryin to turn a kitchen into a bedroom.
The little handles underneath the sink for the hot and cold lines are called "Angle Stops. But as you are turning the kitchen into a bedroom it is not important. My feeling is always cut the pipes back so that you can plaster over and have a smooooth wall.
The reason us plumbers look so good at what we do is because we carry tools and most important a nipple container with various lengths of the required pipe. Already threaded if you are in black pipe or whatever for gas lines. Yes always use dope. Teflon is a no no.
If you cannot smell it, it is probably all right the pressure in a gas line is very light. I often throw an old wash cloth over the area in which I am unscrewing. The pipes enjoy it as you do not cut into them. And if for some strange reason a wiff of gas comes out you have the cloth ready to cover it. while you install the cap.
Dope the hell out of it and screw away. I assume by this time you know the correct direction. Quick now, counter clock or clock? This bit of knowledge is almost as important as the low riding blue jeans which expose the very low portion of the back. Tradition
If your water supply lines are copper and try as you might you cannot get that little trickle of water to desist. You take a loaf of bread and roll a little in your fingers and stuff it into the supply line. No No butter is not required. Then wipe the pipe and the cap. Smeer with flux, snap the cap on. Apply the torch moving it in a ritulistic fashion to heat both sides. All at once the flux will sizzles into the area between the exterior of the pipe and the cap. This is the instant in which you apply the silver solder, and it slurps up and creates a seal. Turn off the torch and pick up the wet wash cloth and wipe off the area of solder application. This is called wiping the joint, old plumbers term. You remove the excess flux and solder and your work is done. See, that was fun, now you are a plumber. You can now eat at table with your elbows firmly placed, your face lowered between them and slober away. Enjoy your new skills, next week East Lynn.
Cheers Oh those happy days of my youth spent under the sinks and houses of California. Lucius