So, you’ve purchased your new barbecue and have opted to go for our first class Barbecue Butler service (congrats!). If not, maybe you’re just thinking ahead and doing some preliminary research. Either way, something strange has been haunting the gas lines of Canada, and it gives even our experienced Barbecue Butlers the heebie-jeebies. It’s a peculiar style of natural gas outlet that has looks like this:

They certainly look practical, but they are actually a nightmare if you want to have any hope of completing our $80 Barbecue Butler hookup service.

In regular instances where the shutoff valve is not literally boxed-in, our skilled technicians would only need to remove a few black iron fittings to complete a hookup. Unfortunately, with these new covered or “box”-style natural gas outlets, there is no way for our technicians to really get in there and make any changes that would qualify for our Butlers' hookup service. To swap this style of outlet requires complete removal and the attachment of an entirely new natural gas outlet setup, which legally requires certified gas fitters. The swapping of these fittings is necessary in situations where the hose diameter of the barbecue and that of the natural gas outlet itself do not match. Many barbecues today come with 1/2” hoses and quick disconnect nipples that are notably larger than the 3/8” outlets that are still common on homes, condos, and apartments across Canada. It is not possible to “downsize” the hose of the barbecue, this would also be against code and would result in poor performance of your barbecue. It comes with that larger hose for a reason, because the barbecue requires the extra fuel that can be consumed with a wider hose. In the case of having a barbecue that doesn’t match your homes gas outlet, you can always purchase the fitting to increase or decrease it to match your barbecue.

Another characteristic that will disqualify your natural gas outlet from our Barbecue Butler hookup service is if the quick disconnect on your outlet has the valve attached directly to it and no other shut off on the gas line. That is if the valve is attached directly to the coupler, as in this photo:

This is called an “integral ball valve” and in the same instance as with the box-style outlets, to complete our hookup service, we will need to remove the entire outlet and affix an entirely new outlet setup. It would then no longer be our “hookup service,” but will be a separate visit from an equally as handsome and competent certified gasfitter. Our Butlers cannot take this job because all work on the line before the gas valve requires a licensed gas fitter. Lucky for you, we have those too. 

So, what are the solutions? You can have our skilled gasfitters redo the gas outlet at the correct spec of your new barbecue. If you live in a condominium or apartment complex, this might involve having the gas temporarily shut off for the entire building. As stated prior: this involves a separate visit from our gasfitters. You can also purchase a barbecue that is already the correct size of your outlet, this involves predetermining what the size of your outlet is:

• a 1/2” outlet is about the size of a toonie
• a 3/8” that of a quarter

Here's an example of a properly installed gas line that is up to code with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) that our Butler's have hooked up a couple gas appliances to: 

At Barbecues Galore, we pride ourselves on our white glove Barbecue Butler service, and we want to make sure your purchasing experience is as smooth as possible, so if you have any questions about our services, or about natural gas hookup, or anything barbecue-related really, don’t hesitate to hit that chat button in the bottom right-hand corner of this webpage. You can also call in, or swing by one of our five locations across Canada, we have to in Calgary and three in the Greater Toronto Area. Click here to check them out.