What does converting an electric stove to gas involve?

Yes, in almost any kitchen, but the work depends on where gas already is:

The range itself is not converted. You replace the electric range with a gas range, or a dual fuel range that has a gas cooktop and an electric oven. Our page on getting a gas line and meter to your house covers the no gas service case.

The range swap is simple. The gas line is the part that takes a licensed plumber, and how hard it is depends on the route:

• Attic or crawl space route: in many Phoenix slab homes the new line runs through the attic and drops down an interior wall behind the range.
• Outside route: some lines run along the outside wall and come in behind the range.
• Through finished walls: a wall may need to be opened at the range and patched after.

The new line is sized with the fuel gas code's tables, which Phoenix uses: the total BTU of every appliance on that branch and the length of the run. Teeing a range into the small line that feeds a dryer can starve both. Our page on the longest length method shows how the tables work.

• A manual shutoff valve. GE's installation instructions say to "Install a manual shut-off valve in the gas supply line in an easily accessible location," and to make sure everyone who uses the range knows where it is. The fuel gas code also wants an appliance shutoff in the same room, within 6 feet.
• A new listed connector. GE recommends a certified flexible metal appliance connector, shows it at 6 feet at most, and says "Never reuse old connectors."
• The range's own regulator. GE says "You must use the gas pressure regulator supplied with this range." For natural gas its instructions give an inlet pressure of at least 6 and at most 13 inches of water column.
• A grounded 120 volt outlet. GE's gas models need "120 VAC / 60 Hz power" on a properly grounded circuit with a 15 or 20 amp breaker. The old 240 volt range outlet does not fit, and changing it is a job for an electrician.

The new piping is pressure tested before the walls close and before the range is connected. GE says that when the house gas system is tested at more than 1/2 psi, the range and its shutoff valve must be disconnected. Once the range is hooked up, every joint is checked with a liquid leak detector, never a flame.

Yes. The City of Phoenix list of gas work names "Any new gas piping installation" and alterations to an existing gas piping system as needing a city permit, a city inspection and a city gas clearance. The one thing that needs no permit is a replacement in kind of a gas appliance with no piping changes, which is a gas range for a gas range on the same connection. A first gas range in an electric kitchen is new piping. Our page on what plumbing work needs a permit in Phoenix has the wider list, and who can install gas lines in Arizona covers the licensing side.

It is worth weighing both sides before the line goes in, because the gas line is the expensive part to undo.

### Advantages of gas stoves

The main draw is the flame. You see the heat, it changes the moment you turn the knob, and it works with any pan, including a round bottom wok. For a cook who wants that control, a gas range is the reason for the whole job.

### Disadvantages of gas stoves

ENERGY STAR, the federal efficiency program, makes the case against: it says that "when your stove burns gas, it releases air pollutants into your home," and that electric cooking does not. A gas range also adds a gas line, a shutoff and a connector to look after for as long as it is there.

### Energy efficiency

Gas loses more heat to the room. ENERGY STAR says "only around 33% of the heat generated is transferred to your food" with gas, while its certified electric cooking products transfer 74 to 85 percent. In a Phoenix summer, the rest of that heat ends up in the kitchen the air conditioner is cooling.

### Carbon monoxide awareness

The EPA lists carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particles as the main pollutants a gas stove releases. Its advice is plain: "Using a stove hood with a fan vented to the outdoors greatly reduces exposure to pollutants during cooking," and "Never use a gas stove to heat your home." A carbon monoxide alarm in the house is a sensible addition with any gas appliance.

### Fire risk

An open flame changes the kitchen. Towels, paper and loose sleeves near the burners matter more than they did with a smooth electric top, and ENERGY STAR counts "no open flames" among the reasons it calls electric stoves generally safer.

### Initial investment

The range is only part of the outlay. The conversion adds the gas line, the shutoff, the connector, the outlet change, the permit and the inspection, and a house with no gas service adds the utility's line and meter. That is why a plumber looks at the route before anyone prices it.

### Higher maintenance cost

Upkeep is mostly cleaning grates, burner caps and igniters, plus watching the flame. The EPA says "a persistent yellow-tipped flame" is a sign of improper adjustment that raises pollutant emissions, and that calls for service. Any smell of gas calls for the shutoff valve and a call to the utility.

It depends on the route, so a plumber prices it after a look. What moves the price most:

• Is gas already in the house? No gas service adds the utility's service line and meter.
• Distance and route: how far the kitchen is from a gas pipe with spare capacity, and whether walls or ceilings must be opened.
• Pipe size: a big range or a pro style cooktop can need a larger pipe back toward the meter.
• The outlet: an electrician's work to change the 240 volt outlet.
• Permit and inspection: the permit, the pressure test, the city inspection and the gas clearance.

Our page on the cost to add a gas line goes through each of these.

Going the other way is mostly electrical. The gas line is shut off and capped at the range, and the kitchen needs a 240 volt circuit for the electric range. A capped gas line is still gas piping, so it should be capped by someone who does gas work and checked for leaks.

Once the line is in, it is yours. Southwest Gas owns the pipe up to and including the meter, and the piping after it belongs to the property owner. If you ever smell gas in the kitchen, leave the house and call Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020 from outside.

• Natural gas vs propane at home
• Gas dryer hookup
• Running a natural gas line to a grill

HQ Plumbing & Air sizes and runs gas lines to ranges, cooktops, dryers, water heaters and outdoor appliances across the Phoenix area, pressure tests them and takes them through the city permit, inspection and gas clearance. Call for a free estimate.