The manual does say 3 inches for the electrical outlet. So I guess someone screwed up the text for the gas line paragraph. I mean, it's less likely that a diagram would be wrong, right? The 18 inches would have made total sense to me with a cooktop but with the range it just seemed so odd. I'm starting to think the problem is the way they installed the gas line. If the nozzle was flipped around, it probably wouldn't look so odd. I want to be able to push it back against the wall (once it's finished, of course) and that seems unwise/unlikely as it is now. I guess I'm asking the plumber to come back.

See the small drawing on the second page that's titled "location of gas and electric supply"? it shows shaded areas at the right-hand, lower corner of the wall that the range sits against, with letter keys to ascertain the particular dimensions from a table below the drawing. Right away, I see that this does not represent your reality, because your gas valve is at the far left of the range space, and your 240 outlet is near the center. It would appear they both need to be moved to a proper location, or your range is going to stick out much farther than need be. Casey

You may not have to move the line at all. A foot away is nothing, and sometimes it is better than if it was right behind the range, because the end of the pipe might hit the range. Here's how it goes. If you can see the end of the pipe, there is probably a cap on it. There may also be a small red lever called a 'shut off valve'.. It's not the main shut off, just a small one for the range. If it's not there, you should add one. A plumber or someone can add this shut off valve in two minutes if it doesn't interfere with walls or cabinets. Otherwise they may have to extend the pipe either under the floor or in the wall. And yes, that is a bigger job Basically, the gas is shut off,(A clever plumber who has everything ready to go may not even bother to turn the gas off if the pipe doesn't have to be moved) ... the cap on the gas pipe in your kitchen is removed, and the shut off valve screwed on with teflon pipe putty. Now you don't need the cap, you just turn the valve to 'off' (this is always perpendicular to the gas pipe). And the gas can be turned back on -assuming it was turned off to install the appliance shut off valve. Now you're ready to go, simple install a gas flex hose from the small appliance shut off valve to the back of the gas range. These flex lines are usually about 2 feet long- but often longer. Once the flex line is installed,(usually running under the range, or between the legs of the range and then up the back to the connection on the range) you turn the small shut off valve 'on' and you're ready to cook. Now, the only tricky part is knowing where the gas connection is on the back of the range. Every manufacturer puts it in a different spot, but usually it's fairly low on the back. So, yes, you may have to add some gas pipe, or an elbow, because you don't want the gas pipe or the flex line to hit the range. Usually the gas pipe should be close to the floor and between the legs of the range,(either in the floor or low on the wall) or off to the side a bit if there is no interference with cabinets and doesn't show. The plumber will need to know this before doing any work, or you should have the range nearby for them to look at. Oh, and you're going to need an electric outlet nearby as well. This should also be close to the floor so the plug won't hit the back of the range, or again- slightly off to the side if there's not interference and doesn't look bad.

The minute you say 'condo', things get interesting. Like do you have permission to change the pipes inside the wall? R is right about this being threaded pipe. Cutting an iron pipe and then rethreading is not that simple. Replacing it would be easier. Also, can you cut off the gas to the building while this is being done or will that shut off service to everyone else in adjacent condo units? Here is a link that might be useful: pipe