Gas Piping
in Vancouver WA
Gas work is not a place to save money on a contractor. Tri-Tech installs, extends, repairs and tests gas piping across Clark and Cowlitz Counties — permitted, pressure-tested, and inspected.
If you smell gas right now
Leave the building, do not touch light switches or your phone while inside, and call 911 from outside. Then call NW Natural’s 24-hour emergency line at 800-882-3377. Do not go back in until the fire department or the gas company says it is safe.
What we run gas lines for
- Gas fireplaces and inserts
- Ranges and cooktops
- Gas and tankless water heaters
- Furnaces and gas appliances
- Outdoor kitchens, fire pits and barbecues
- Standby generators
- Shop and garage heaters
Other gas line work we do
- Extending an existing line for a new appliance
- Repair and pressure testing where a leak is suspected
- Capping and removal when an appliance comes out
- Sizing an undersized system — a common find when a second gas appliance gets added to a line that was never meant to carry it
Need a gas line done right?
Contact Tri-Tech Heating, Inc. to schedule repair or annual service.
Permits and inspection
Gas work in Clark County requires permitting and inspection. We pull the permit, do the work to code, and are there for the inspection. Oregon CCB #161426, Washington HVAC licence TRITEHI952LL.
How a gas piping job runs
Every job starts with someone looking at what is already there. Gas piping is sized for the total demand of everything connected to it, so the questions are always the same: what is on the line now, what is being added, how far the new run has to travel, and what the meter is delivering.
- Site visit and load check. We measure the run, check the existing pipe size, and count every appliance the system has to feed.
- Permit. Gas work is permitted and inspected. We pull the permit as part of the job rather than handing that back to you.
- Install. Black iron, CSST, or a combination, chosen for the run and the location rather than for whatever is quickest.
- Pressure test. The system is charged and held under pressure. A line that will not hold pressure does not get connected.
- Inspection and connection. Once the inspector signs it off, appliances are connected, lit, and confirmed operating before we leave.
Signs your gas piping needs attention
- Any smell of gas near a line, meter or appliance — that is an emergency, not a service call. See the instructions at the top of this page.
- A new appliance that cannot keep up, or existing ones that drop off whenever it runs
- Burner flames that have gone yellow and lazy where they used to be blue and steady
- Rust, pitting or corrosion on pipe, particularly outdoors or in a crawlspace
- A capped line left behind when an appliance was removed
- Flexible connectors that are kinked, painted over, or older than the appliance they feed
None of these are worth testing yourself. If you suspect a leak, get out and call it in rather than opening fittings.
Why one new appliance can starve the rest
A gas system is sized for a fixed total load. Add a tankless water heater or a shop heater to a system sized twenty years ago for a furnace and a range, and every appliance on it now competes for the same supply. Nothing fails outright. The furnace just takes longer to satisfy, the water heater runs cooler under demand, and the range flame drops when something else fires.
The fix is not a bigger appliance. It is correctly sized pipe from the meter forward, which is why we check the whole system rather than only the run we are adding.
Related work
Gas piping rarely arrives on its own. If the appliance at the end of the line is the real project, start there instead: furnace installation, fireplace repair, or the fireplace catalog. Gas appliances also need somewhere for combustion products to go, which is venting, and forced-air equipment needs ductwork that matches it.
Where we work
Vancouver, Salmon Creek and Camas, and across Clark and Cowlitz Counties — including Woodland, Kalama, Longview, Battle Ground, Hockinson and Ridgefield. If you are just outside that, call and ask; the office will tell you straight.
Licensed, insured and guaranteed
- HVAC license #TRITEHI952LL
- CCB license #161426
- N.A.T.E. certified technicians
- Licensed and insured
- We guarantee our work 100%
- Financing available through Synchrony, subject to application
Gas piping questions we get
Do I need a permit to add a gas line?
Gas piping work is permitted and inspected. We pull the permit and meet the inspector as part of the job.
Can you run a line for an outdoor kitchen, fire pit or barbecue?
Yes, and it is one of the more common requests. Outdoor runs have their own requirements for materials, burial depth and shut-off placement, which is part of why they are permitted.
Can you convert my electric range to gas?
If there is already gas at the house, usually yes. The real question is whether the existing system has capacity to feed another appliance, which is what the load check answers.
CSST or black iron — which do I want?
Both are approved and both have their place. Black iron is rigid and takes the abuse in exposed locations; CSST runs faster through finished walls and around obstacles. The run decides it, not a preference.
Do you charge for an estimate?
Estimates on new installations are free. A repair or a suspected leak means a technician has to come out and look at it, which is a service call rather than an estimate.
What happens to a line when an appliance comes out?
It gets properly capped. An abandoned line with a valve on the end is a leak waiting to happen, and it is one of the things we look for when we are already in the crawlspace.
Talk to someone about your gas line
Call (360) 891-2002. The office is open Monday to Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm. Emergency service is answered 24/7 on the same number. You can also send us your details and we will call you back.