What to Do If You Smell Natural Gas in Your Home

Someday you might be sitting and quietly reading a book when the pungent odor of rotten eggs assaults your nose. Uh-oh! You have gas leaking from somewhere. Time to do a little investigation.

If the smell of gas is extremely strong and abundant you have a very serious problem and should exit the house immediately and then call 911. A home full of gas could explode. However, as is more common, the smell will be rather subtle and it is perfectly acceptable to attempt to locate the source. Be warned, do not use a lighter, matches or any other fire to find the leak. Doing so can cause the gas to ignite. Yes, people have done this - don't be one of them.

First, check your stove to make sure all of the burners are turned off. It is not uncommon for a knob to be bumped and allow small amounts of gas to escape.

Next, check the pilot light on your water heater. Gas might be escaping from this point as well if it has gone out. Relight the pilot light according to your water heater's instructions.

If the stove and water heater are okay, try to localize the smell by the very sophisticated sniff test. Continually sniff the air in the area and keep moving to the sections where the smell is the strongest. Eventually, you are likely to end up looking at a section of gas line or a gas line joint.

You can test the line by applying liquid dishwashing detergent over the entire section or joint. Wait a couple minutes and look for bubbles. There isn't a leak if bubbles don't form. Try another joint or section until you locate the source of the gas.

Turn off the valve allowing gas to flow into this section of the gas line. If you are comfortable with the task, repair the line yourself. Otherwise, call in the pros.

During this process it is a good idea to open up windows to allow the gas to vent out of the house. Also, don't turn on any appliances or lights as this could cause the gas to ignite. This is a more remote possibility but there is no reason to tempt Fate.

Finally, a bit of trivia. The rotten egg smell is an additive to the gas as a safety measure. Natural gas by itself is odorless. With these simple tips you can quickly diagnose a leak and turn off the gas in order keep your home safe and allow for a proper repair. Happy sniffing!

For more information on services or maintentance of your natural gas heat, please visit Northern Air Plumbing or call 218.927.6828.

Article independently authored by Eric Parish. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Northern Air Plumbing. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.