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Gas Fitting · RenovationGas Line Relocation
Gas line relocation means shutting the gas off at the meter, re-routing the pipe that is in the way of a basement ceiling, a new kitchen layout or an addition, pressure-testing the new section and relighting every appliance. It is planned as one visit by a TSSA-licensed gas technician, and the rule that decides the route is simple: any joint that will end up behind drywall has to be a type the gas code allows to be concealed.
The most common call comes from a basement finish. In 1970s–90s subdivision houses across Burlington, Oakville and Milton, the black iron main was often hung below the joists, straight across the room the owner now wants a flat ceiling in. The pipe either goes up into the joist space, with holes drilled inside the building code's limits for size and position, or it moves to the perimeter and gets boxed in a bulkhead with the ductwork. Notching the bottom of a joist to tuck a pipe up is not an option we will take.
Kitchen renovations move the range, so the branch moves with it: off the wall and up through the floor of a new island, with the shut-off valve kept in the room and where a hand can reach it. Additions and decks raise a different question, because they can end up enclosing the meter or crowding its regulator vent. The meter and the service line feeding it belong to Enbridge Gas, so moving those is a request to the utility; our work starts at the meter outlet.
Three materials are approved for house piping under CSA B149.1: threaded steel (black iron), copper tubing and corrugated stainless steel tubing, sold as CSST. CSST snakes through finished framing with few joints, but it has to be bonded to the home's electrical grounding system as its manufacturer specifies, and that step is the one we most often find missing on older work. Unions cannot be buried in a wall or ceiling, and a CSST fitting may only be closed in when it is listed for concealed use. Every new section is tested while it is still visible, and the gas line pressure test page explains the gauge and the hold.
What moves the price is the length of the new route, the pipe size, how many appliances hang off the section being moved and how much finished surface is in the way. A branch shifted a metre for an island is a short job; re-routing the main around a whole basement is most of a day. We quote it in writing after seeing the basement, and a stub that is no longer needed is removed back to the tee under gas line capping. If the renovation also adds a range, a fireplace or a barbecue, the new run is priced as gas line installation.
Book a gas line relocation when
- A basement finish needs a flat ceiling and the gas main hangs below the joists
- The range is moving to an island or another wall in a kitchen renovation
- An addition, deck or new doorway will enclose or crowd the existing pipe route
- The furnace or water heater is being moved and its branch no longer reaches
- A framer or drywaller has flagged a pipe, union or valve that would end up buried
How it works
We trace the piping from the meter, note the size and material of each section, and mark where the new route will run and which joints stay accessible. The written quote lists the pipe, the shut-off locations and how long the gas will be off.
Gas is shut off at the meter, the old section is cut out and the new pipe is hung, supported and, where it is CSST, bonded. Tubing that passes through studs or joists is shielded from future drywall screws with steel striker plates.
The new section is held under air pressure on a gauge, then every joint is checked with leak-detection solution once gas is back on. Air is purged from the lines, the furnace, water heater, fireplace and range are relit and run, and the test record goes in your renovation file. To start, send us your drawings.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to move a gas line?
The gas piping itself is not covered by a municipal building permit; it is regulated under the gas code and has to be done and signed off by a TSSA-licensed technician. The renovation around it usually does need a permit from your building department. Gas line permits in Ontario sets out who approves what.
How long will the gas be off?
For the hours the pipe is open, and no longer. A single branch moved for a range or a dryer is usually a morning; re-routing a main through a basement can take most of a working day. Furnace, water heater and fireplace are relit before we leave, so plan a winter job for a mild day if the schedule allows.
Can my contractor just box the pipe in instead?
Often yes, and a bulkhead is the cheapest answer when the pipe runs along a wall. It stops being an option when the pipe crosses the middle of the room, when a union or valve would be sealed inside, or when the box would drop headroom below what the building code allows for a finished basement.
Is CSST safe to run through finished walls?
Yes, when it is installed to its manufacturer's instructions: bonded to the electrical grounding system, shielded with striker plates where it passes through framing, and joined only with its own fittings. The known failures involve unbonded tubing and nearby lightning strikes, which is why we check the bonding on any existing CSST we find in the house.
Can you move the gas meter too?
No contractor can. The meter, its regulator and the buried service line are Enbridge Gas property, so a meter move is requested from the utility, which sets the price and the date. We re-pipe the house side to meet the new meter position and coordinate the shut-down so the two jobs land on the same day where possible.