Switching From Electric to a Gas Cooktop in Green's Newer Homes

What an Electric-to-Gas Conversion Involves

The first step is confirming there is enough gas capacity. We look at the meter, the main trunk line and the existing appliances, then add up the new cooktop's demand. In most homes with a gas furnace and water heater, a modest cooktop fits without trouble. Larger units or homes with other gas appliances, such as a fireplace, may need a bigger trunk.

Next comes the route. In a home with an unfinished basement, we run the branch along the joists and up into the cooktop cabinet. If the basement is finished, we plan around soffits, utility rooms and other access points to minimize patching.

• Check meter and trunk capacity for the added load
• Plan the branch route from the trunk to the kitchen
• Bring a stub into the base cabinet with an accessible shutoff
• Pressure-test the new piping
• Connect, leak-test and flame-check the new cooktop

The Countertop and Cabinet Side of the Swap

Gas cooktops and electric cooktops rarely share cutout dimensions. A radiant or induction unit is thin, while a gas cooktop has a deeper burner box below the counter that can interfere with a top drawer. Measure the existing cutout and compare it with the gas model's spec sheet before you buy. If the opening needs to grow, a countertop fabricator can often enlarge it in place.

The old electric cooktop usually ran on a dedicated high-amperage circuit. Most gas cooktops need only a standard outlet for ignition. Have an electrician convert or safely terminate the old circuit and provide that outlet in the cabinet.

Building New? Ask for the Stub Now

If you are building in Green or finishing a basement, it is far cheaper to have a capped gas stub placed in the kitchen while the framing is open than to add one later. That holds true even if you plan to install an electric cooktop at first. Islands are a prime example: getting gas into an island after the floor is finished is much more work than roughing it in during construction.

We can coordinate with your builder or remodeler to rough in the line, test it and leave it capped and labeled. Our kitchen remodeling plumbing in Green covers that kind of scheduling, and gas line installation in Green covers longer runs and trunk upgrades.

Ventilation and Oven Pairing

Switching to gas brings combustion byproducts and more heat into the kitchen. An overhead hood vented outdoors is the best partner for a gas cooktop. If your current setup uses a recirculating microwave or a downdraft designed for an electric cooktop, plan to upgrade it.

If you also want a gas wall oven, it needs its own branch and shutoff. Many homeowners keep an electric wall oven and use gas only on the cooktop, which is a perfectly good combination. Prefer a single appliance? Our gas stove hookups in Green are an alternative.

Repairs and Our Service Area

Already cooking on gas? We fix leaking connectors, sticky valves and weak supply on existing cooktops and tell you plainly when the fault is in the appliance electronics. Green is about 15 miles from our East Canton shop by straight line, and we also serve New Franklin, Lakemore, North Canton, Canal Fulton and Barberton. Request a free estimate or read the area cooktop guide.