Pipe Fittings
What goes together and what doesn't, so you don't have a leak and possible fire or explosion.
The photo below shows a common pipe fitting.
It is a 1/2" Male Pipe Thread (MPT) on the left and a 1/2" Male Flare (MF) on the right.
As you can see in the picture above, the pipe threads on the left are different than the flare threads on the right. You will also notice that the end of the pipe threads are different than the end of the flare threads on the right. Male flare threads will have the "cone" on the end. You CAN NOT connect pipe threads to flare threads or flare threads to pipe threads.
I see this all the time, installers, handymen, landscapers, the gardener's uncle's cousin's roommate, have no idea what fittings to use or what goes together. So they put the wrong parts together, and when they leak, they put huge amounts of plumber's putty or yellow gas tape on the threads to stop the leak and call it good. If you are lucky, the fitting doesn't leak right away and if you are unlucky, the fitting comes apart all together and you get a gas leak and a possible fire or explosion.
Only pipe threads require the use of plumber's putty or yellow gas tape. Flare threads do not leak if they are tightened down properly and the use of putty or tape on a flare thread interferes with the fit of the threads and can cause a leak.
In the picture below you can see what I found when I installed a new gas line on an existing gas valve. The gas valve on the right has a male flare (MF) fitting. The quick-disconnect fitting on the left has female pipe threads (FPT). The installer was to lazy to get the correct type of valve, and just applied putty to the fittings to keep them from leaking. The homeowner had no idea there was a problem.
If you are unable to supervise the installation of your grill, or you are not familiar with how to tell what pipe fittings work together, ask about the person who will actually be doing the installation of the grill, often it is not the same person who sold you the grill. If somebody, other than the person who sold you the grill, will be doing the installation, make sure they are qualified to do so.
The Grill Man, La Quinta, CA 92253, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho MIrage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Indio, Desert Hot Springs,