Gas service line work is its own department at Wahl. Separate from sewer (which carries waste out), separate from water service line (which brings clean water in). Each has its own crew, its own training, its own permits, and its own safety protocols. Gas work in particular has zero room for shortcuts. Wahl runs gas as a stand-alone discipline because that’s the only way to do it right.

We install, extend, and repair gas service across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. From running a brand new gas line to a property that doesn’t have one, to extending an existing service to a new outdoor kitchen or pool heater, to repairing a leak you can smell in the basement, our gas department handles it.

What Wahl does in the gas service line department

• New gas service installation. For properties without existing service, or upgrading an undersized existing service. Coordinated with Peoples Gas (Pittsburgh’s primary natural gas utility) or other utility providers.
• Gas line extensions. Running gas to new appliances, additions, outdoor kitchens, pool heaters, generators, fire pits.
• Gas leak repair. Diagnose and fix leaks at threaded fittings, corroded sections, damaged buried lines.
• Gas line replacement. Full or partial, when corrosion, damage, or undersized capacity drives replacement.
• Appliance gas connections. Water heaters, furnaces, dryers, ranges, generators, pool heaters, grills.
• Pressure testing. Required after any gas work, before service restoration.
• Code-compliant venting. Gas appliances require proper venting; we coordinate with chimney/flue work where needed.
• Coordinating shut-off and re-light with Peoples Gas where required.

Why gas is its own department

Gas work is unforgiving. A bad sewer joint is a backup problem. A bad water joint is a leak. A bad gas joint can be a fire, a carbon monoxide event, or worse. Every gas line we install or modify gets:

• Pressure tested to the appropriate gauge pressure and held to verify no leaks before the line is returned to service.
• Inspected by the municipal inspector and, where applicable, by Peoples Gas before service.
• Pulled to permit in every Pittsburgh-area municipality (it is illegal to do gas work without a permit, regardless of who’s doing it).
• Performed by master plumbers and certified gas fitters, not generalists.

Wahl invests in this department because we’d rather do it ourselves at the right standard than refer it out to a contractor we don’t control.

When you might need gas work

New service to a property that doesn’t have gas. Common when converting from oil heat, electric heat, or propane to natural gas. Peoples Gas runs the public-side line; Wahl runs the private side, coordinates the meter setting, and connects the appliances.

Upgrading an undersized service. Adding a tankless water heater, a high-BTU range, a pool heater, or a generator can exceed the capacity of an older gas service. We size, upgrade, and re-meter as needed.

Extending gas to a new location. New outdoor kitchen. Pool heater. Fire pit. Standby generator at the back of the house. Detached garage with a heater. We run the line, vent the appliance, and pressure test.

Smell of gas in or around the home. This is an emergency. Call 911 or Peoples Gas Emergency line at 1-800-400-4271 first. After the immediate safety check, call Wahl to diagnose and repair.

Failed gas pressure test at a home inspection. Common at the point of sale. We diagnose, repair, and re-test.

Replacing a corroded or undersized line. Old black-iron gas lines in older Pittsburgh homes sometimes need replacement, especially in basements with high moisture.

Major remodel where gas appliances are being moved or added. Bathroom or kitchen renovations often relocate appliances; the gas lines have to follow.

What we install

Black iron (Schedule 40 black steel). The traditional gas piping material. Threaded fittings, robust, long life. Standard for interior runs in most Pittsburgh-area code.

CSST (Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing). Flexible stainless steel tubing in a yellow jacket. Approved for interior gas piping; faster to install in finished spaces; specific bonding requirements for code compliance (CSST has to be bonded to the electrical grounding system). Common in newer construction and additions.

PE (Polyethylene gas pipe). Yellow plastic pipe used for underground gas lines. Standard for exterior buried gas service. Joined with fusion or mechanical fittings rated for gas.

Tracer wire on all buried PE. Required by code so the line can be located later. Wahl installs to spec, every time.

Material choice depends on the application (interior or exterior, buried or exposed), code, and what’s already there.

The process

For new service installation:

1. Walkthrough. Designer walks the property, identifies the appliances and load, recommends pipe sizing.
2. Coordinate with Peoples Gas. Application for new service, meter location agreed.
3. Permits. Municipality (every job) and Peoples Gas (new service).
4. PA One Call (811). Utility marks.
5. Excavation or directional drilling. Trench from meter location to house, or directional bore.
6. Run the line. PE buried, transition to black iron or CSST at the building, run to each appliance.
7. Pressure test. Standard gas pressure test held for the required period.
8. Peoples Gas connects and meters. The public-side connection and the meter setting are Peoples Gas work; Wahl coordinates the schedule.
9. Inspection. Municipal inspector and Peoples Gas inspector sign off.
10. Appliance connection and start-up. Each appliance connected, tested, started, verified.

For repairs:

1. Diagnose. Pressure test the existing system, identify the leak location (often using soap-bubble test, electronic detector, or visual inspection).
2. Isolate. Shut off the appropriate section.
3. Repair. Replace the failed section, fitting, or joint.
4. Pressure test the repaired line.
5. Inspection where required.
6. Restore service with appropriate appliance re-lights.

Pittsburgh-specific factors

Peoples Gas is the primary utility. Most of Allegheny County uses Peoples Gas. Some outer areas use other providers. We work with all of them.

Older Pittsburgh homes often have undersized gas service. Modern appliances (tankless water heaters, high-BTU ranges, pool heaters) have outgrown what was installed in 1955. Upgrades are common.

Coordinating shut-off and re-light. Peoples Gas typically shuts off the gas at the meter for major work and restores it (with relight of every gas appliance pilot, where applicable) after. We schedule this coordination.

Older black iron lines in damp basements. Sometimes corroded to the point of failure. Replacement is straightforward but requires careful sequencing of utility shut-off, repair, and re-test.

Pricing

We present exact pricing in your home after a free in-home estimate. Tiers below show relative investment, not real numbers.

• Single appliance gas line extension (interior, 10 to 30 ft): entry tier ($).
• Larger extension or outdoor line (30 to 100 ft): lower-mid tier ($$).
• New gas service to a property (with utility coordination): mid tier ($$$) on the private side, plus Peoples Gas’s separate charges for the public-side connection.
• Gas leak diagnosis and repair (interior, single point): entry to lower-mid tier ($ to $$).
• Full gas system replacement in older home: upper tier ($$$$).

Part of our process is presenting numbers in person, on paper, with scope, permits, and inspection coordination all spelled out.

Safety: what to do if you smell gas

Get out of the house. Call from outside. Don’t flip light switches, don’t use the phone inside, don’t try to find the leak yourself. Gas leaks need professional response.

• Call Peoples Gas Emergency at 1-800-400-4271 (24/7) or 911.
• They send a technician immediately, free of charge for the diagnostic visit.
• They will shut off the gas at the meter if necessary.
• After Peoples Gas has secured the immediate safety, call Wahl at 1-855-GET-WAHL. We diagnose and repair the underlying issue and coordinate restoration of service.

Gas detection equipment is highly sensitive. If you smell gas, even faintly, it’s worth a call.

What’s included with every Wahl gas job

• Permit pulling and inspection coordination.
• All materials per code (black iron, CSST, PE as appropriate).
• Pressure testing per code requirements.
• Coordination with Peoples Gas or other utility for shutoff/relight.
• Appliance connections.
• Tracer wire on buried lines.
• Bonding/grounding per code on CSST.
• Photo documentation.
• Written workmanship warranty.

Financing

GoodLeap, Synchrony, Wells Fargo, EasyPay. Approval in about two minutes. Monthly payment options walked through before you commit.