GAS LINE REPAIR & INSTALL — LICENSED, PERMITTED, SAFE

Gas plumbing isn't a place to shortcut. A loose fitting, a bad flare joint, a nicked line behind drywall — any one of those is a slow leak that can go undetected for weeks, then ignite. Every gas job we do is done by a Louisiana state-licensed gas plumber, with a city permit pulled, pressure-tested to code, and signed off by a city inspector. If a contractor tells you gas work doesn't need a permit, find a different contractor.

When to call us for gas work

1. You smell gas — anywhere near a stove, water heater, dryer, or outside near the meter. Leave the house, shut the gas meter off if safe, call us and the utility
2. Pilot light won't stay lit — sometimes a faulty thermocouple, sometimes a gas supply issue. We diagnose both sides
3. Flex connector looks corroded or brittle — required replacement every 10-15 years
4. New appliance install — gas range, dryer, water heater, tankless, fireplace insert, outdoor grill, patio heater, fire pit, pool heater
5. Line extension — running gas to the garage, backyard, detached shop, addition, or new appliance location
6. Gas line upgrade for tankless — existing 1/2" line won't supply a tankless water heater, needs upsize to 3/4" or 1"
7. Remodel or addition — capping off existing gas, relocating lines, adding new drops
8. Gas meter capacity issue — when you add appliances and the meter is undersized, we coordinate the utility upgrade

How gas leak detection works

Multiple tools depending on the situation. Electronic gas sniffers that detect methane concentrations as low as 50 ppm — useful for pinpointing a general leak area. Bubble testing on visible fittings — soapy solution on every joint, bubbles mean leak. Pressure testing — we isolate a section of line, pressurize it to 10-15 PSI with air, and watch a gauge for pressure drop over 15 minutes. A drop means a leak somewhere in that section, and we isolate further until we've found it.

For a leak behind a wall, we combine electronic detection with line tracing and sometimes thermal imaging. Once located, we cut the smallest possible access, repair with proper black iron pipe (standard interior gas), CSST (flexible corrugated stainless), or tracer-wire PE (exterior underground). All joints threaded and pipe-doped properly, re-tested to code, inspected by the city.

What we install

New appliance drops — stove, dryer, water heater, tankless, fireplace. $225-$585 depending on distance from main. Outdoor gas lines — grill, fire pit, patio heater, pool heater. $485-$1,850 depending on trench length and obstacles. Gas line upsizing — from 1/2" to 3/4" or 1" for tankless or new appliance demand. $485-$1,450. Full house re-gas — rare but occasionally needed when older CSST or black iron is failing or not up to code. $3,500-$12,500 depending on size.

North Louisiana gas considerations

North Louisiana has natural gas service through Atmos Energy, which means most residential work is pretty standard. Older homes built 1920-1960 sometimes have remnant lead-jointed cast iron gas lines that need full replacement when any major work is done. CSST flexible gas lines installed between 1990-2010 are under scrutiny for lightning-arc failures; current code requires bonding. Some unincorporated North Louisiana areas use propane instead of natural gas, which changes regulator and pressure requirements.

What Mark Johnson & Sons does differently

Every gas tech on our fleet is licensed for gas work through Louisiana state licensing. Every job gets a city permit — Ruston, Monroe, West Monroe, Shreveport, Bossier City — all require it, we handle it. Every line we install gets pressure-tested to code (15 PSI for 15 minutes minimum, longer on larger systems) before drywall closes up. Every permit gets inspected by the city. 1-year workmanship warranty on all gas plumbing work.

Emergency leak calls get 60-90 minute dispatch. If you smell gas right now, don't wait — leave the house and call.