# gas log removal



## pyper (Nov 8, 2011)

I need to remove gas logs from my fireplace.

The gas pipe wraps around the chimney and comes in through the back of the firebox. I think there are 5 elbows on the outside of the house. There is a key turned valve of some kind that seems to cut off the gas to the logs.

Can I just close the valve and then use a pipe wrench to unscrew the length of pipe that comes into the house, take off the last elbow, and put on a cap, using gas-rated pipe joint compound?

I'd like to leave the gas on the outside of the chimney because I might want to put a gas conversion on my grill, and the chimney is right next to the deck.


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## DAKSY (Nov 8, 2011)

If there's a "key-turned" valve near the fireplace, that's sometimes
called a log lighter & it's used to get firewood burning without the 
use of kindling or starter logs. Need a pic to be sure.
There should be a shut-off at the origin of the gas line run,
where it first taps into the main. If there isn't, & you want to work safely,
you will have to shut the gas off at the meter & then do your gas line work.
It might be best at this time to disassemble everything back to the main 
& install a shut-off while the gas flow has stopped. I'd put one there & another
just before the cap you're planning on installing. On gas lines (or water lines),
you can't have too many shut-offs.


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## pyper (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks.

It's definitely a valve for the gas logs, but maybe there was a log lighter in there previously or something. It's a brass key and I had to turn it about 20 times before it cut off the gas. The valve body itself just looks like a T. 

I looked over the gas lines. There's a pipe that's about 1.5" OD that comes through the house to the furnace. There's a T and a line comes off for the furnace and another goes to the water heater. The line that goes to the water heater has another T in it that goes across, through the valve with the key in it, outside, around the chimney, and through it. The water heater has a valve after the T.

So it sounds like the best thing would be to turn off the gas, take off that pipe at the T, put in a valve and cap it, and then if I want to do something in the future I can take the cap off.


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