On Mon, 3 Dec 2007 08:08:03 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Dec 3, 10:48?am, Edge wrote:
After I had my house built, I noticed that the natural gas line to the
dryer did not have a shutoff valve. The builder sent over a plumber to
install one. Without turning off the gas, he unscrewed the end cap,
doped up the threads, and screwed in a shutoff valve. Although it only
took less than a minute, was this safe? This was located in the
basement near the furnace and water heater, which could have provided
an ignition point. I never had to shut off the gas to the whole house.
For my information, where is the main shutoff for the gas?

mainm shutoff should be at meter.

See http://www.gru.com/stormcentral/images/valve.gif

yes its safe provided its completed fast. just like working with live
electric lines, that safe too if done properly.

natural gas is lighter than air, and the amount lost small. so dont
worry

Recently the gas company was out to put a new meter on a new home. She
installed the meter and opened a gas line inside the garage to purge
the line. About thirty feet away was a lit cigarette.

The tech told me that the cigarette was "not hot enough" to ignite the
gas. I was surprised by this comment.