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Gas Fitting · AppliancesGas Dryer Installation & Hook-Up
Gas dryer installation and hook-up takes three things: a gas branch line with its own shut-off at the laundry, a new certified connector, and a rigid metal exhaust run to the outdoors. In Ontario the gas connection has to be made and leak-tested by a TSSA-licensed gas technician, so a delivery crew or a handyman cannot finish the job. Where a capped gas stub already sits behind the dryer, the hook-up is a short visit; a new branch through a finished basement takes longer and is quoted after we see the route.
The gas side is small but exact. A residential gas dryer burns roughly 20,000 to 22,000 BTU an hour, a fraction of what a furnace draws, so the branch is small and is sized from the length of the run and the load already on the piping. It ends at a shut-off valve in the laundry room that you can reach without moving the dryer. From the valve, a new CSA-certified flexible connector runs to the appliance in one piece, never through a wall or floor and never reused from the old dryer.
The exhaust matters more on a gas dryer than on an electric one, because it carries the burner's combustion products, carbon monoxide and water vapour included, along with the lint. That is why it has to be rigid or semi-rigid metal duct, 4 inches across, run to a hood on an outside wall. White vinyl and thin foil flex hose are not acceptable, joints are taped instead of screwed so nothing inside catches lint, and the run can never end in a garage, attic or crawlspace. Total length is capped by the dryer's manual, with each elbow counted against it.
Converting from electric changes two services. The dryer's gas load is added to everything already on the house piping, the furnace, water heater, range and barbecue, and the pipe sizes back to the meter are checked against that total before the tee goes in. On the electrical side a gas dryer runs on an ordinary 120 V outlet for its motor, igniter and controls, so the 240 V dryer receptacle is no longer used. A licensed electrician adds or converts the outlet, and we tell you at the quote whether one is already within reach of the cord.
Fuel type is set at the burner. Dryers ship set up for natural gas, so a house on propane in rural Caledon, Kilbride or Campbellville needs the manufacturer's conversion kit installed before the dryer is fired, and the rating plate marked to match. The branch line itself is ordinary gas line installation work, and a new exhaust route through a rim joist or brick wall is dryer vent installation. Send the dryer's model number and a photo of the laundry wall and we can quote the hook-up.
Book a gas dryer hook-up when
- A new gas dryer has been delivered and left unconnected in the laundry room
- You are switching from an electric dryer and there is no gas outlet at the laundry
- The laundry is moving to another floor and the gas and exhaust have to follow it
- The existing connector is old uncoated brass or kinked, or the shut-off is seized or buried behind the machine
- The dryer vents through plastic or foil flex hose, or the hose ends inside the house
How it works
We add the dryer to the connected load, find the nearest point to tee in, and look at where the exhaust will leave the house and how long that run is. The price is written down before work starts.
The branch is run and supported, the shut-off is set where it can be reached, and the new piping is pressure-tested before the dryer is connected. The exhaust goes in as smooth metal duct with taped joints and an outdoor hood with a damper.
The connector is fitted, every joint is checked with leak-detection solution, and the dryer is run through a heat cycle while we watch the burner light and check airflow at the outside hood.
Common questions
Can I hook up a gas dryer myself in Ontario?
No. Connecting a gas appliance is regulated work that has to be done by a TSSA-certified gas technician, and a G2 licence covers residential appliances like a dryer. You can slide the dryer into place, level it and plug it in. The gas connection, the leak test and the first firing are the technician's job, and how to verify a TSSA licence shows how to check who is doing it.
How much does gas dryer installation cost?
It depends on the pipe, not the dryer. A hook-up to an existing capped outlet with a sound exhaust is the low end of the work. A new branch across a finished basement, a longer exhaust run or a meter that is already at capacity each add to it. What gas line installation costs explains the drivers, and we quote in writing.
Can a gas dryer share a room with the furnace and water heater?
Yes, with attention to air. A dryer pushes a large volume of house air outdoors, and in a small closed mechanical room that can pull flue gases back down the vent of a natural-draft water heater. We check the draft at the water heater with the dryer running and the door closed, and add a make-up air path where the room needs one.
Does a gas dryer need a different vent from an electric dryer?
The duct is the same size and the same rules apply, but the stakes are higher. A crushed or lint-packed exhaust on a gas dryer holds combustion products in the house along with the heat. If the existing duct is long, sagging or has not been cleaned in years, dryer vent cleaning comes before the new dryer is fired.
Can you install a gas dryer in a condo?
Only where the suite already has gas at the laundry and an exhaust that leads outdoors. Most condo laundry closets have neither, and both the gas piping and the exterior wall belong to the building, so the corporation has to approve any change. Check your declaration and ask the property manager before you buy the dryer.