On 3/11, I purchased a Maytag gas dryer from Home Depot in Cottleville MO, which was delivered and installed on 3/15. Since I was working that day, I arranged to have a friend present to let the installer in. When I got home, I could smell gas as soon as I entered the front door. The closer I got to the new dryer, the stronger the smell became.
I immediately called the local gas utility, who dispatched a man within the hour. He tested the dryer connection with a hand-held gas detector, which had started making an alarm as soon as he entered the house, and became progressively louder as he approached the gas connection. He physically tested the connection with a soap solution. He determined that the gas leak was at located at the valve where the flex line from the dryer was connected.
After shutting off the gas main outside, he removed the flex line from the valve, and the valve itself, and then he capped the pipe. Then had me sign a Hazardous Appliance Report that said "This Appliance must not be used until the hazardous condition has been eliminated. Continued use of this appliance may result in serious personal health problems".
Pertinent to this situation is Instruction #3 on page 13 of the Dryer Installation Instructions, which reads as follows: " Open shut-off valve in supply line: valve is open when handle is parallel to gas pipe. Then, test all connections by brushing on an approved noncorrosive leak-detection solution. Bubbles will show a leak. Correct any leaks found." During the course of his inspection, the gas man told me that obviously the installer had not done this.
The following evening, I purchased a new valve at Home Depot and re-connected the new flex line to it. Problem solved. No more gas leak.
I had paid $19.99 to Home Depot for a "Gas Dryer Install Kit", and another $19.99 for a "Gas Dryer Install". But I did not feel that I had gotten all that I paid for. I called Home Depot's 800 number and I explained all of this to Krista. I told her that I could not realistically expect the installer to be responsible for a leaking valve, which even I did not know about.
(By the way, it was NOT leaking before he arrived). But since the installer left with the gas still leaking, and becaue I had to repair it myself, I thought that I deserved a credit for these two $19.99 items. Krista put me on hold for about 30 seconds, and returned to the line to inform me that I would not be receiving a credit.
I told her that considering the circumstances, my request was not unreasonable, and that as a result of their denial, I would never buy another appliance from Home Depot again. Nevertheless, I feel very fortunate that my two dogs weren't asphyxiated, and that I'm still here to explain all of this.
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