If you suspect a natural gas leak, DO NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES – please, immediately call your utilities emergency line. Once the gas supply is shut off, you should leave the task of locating and repairing the leak to an experienced professional.
Please contact A-1 Sewer & Septic Services Inc. today to schedule one of our plumbers to locate and repair your home’s gas leak, and rest easier knowing professionals are on the job.
Many homeowners will agree that they prefer natural gas over electricity for cooking, heating their home, and drying their clothes. For the most part, natural gas (methane) is convenient, efficient and cost-effective, however, homeowners and renters need to be especially aware of the risk of natural gas leaks, the physical symptoms possible, and the dangers they impose. Natural gas safety, and understanding some of the signs of a gas leak, is vital if your home uses natural gas appliances, the home’s HVAC system or water heater uses natural gas or propane. Any of these could possibly be a source of the leak, if a gas leak occurs.
Each year, infants, children, and adults die because of an undetected natural gas leak. Often, these leaks cause death by asphyxiation, but not always. Sometimes, a basement can fill with natural gas, which is extremely flammable, and explode and quickly consume an entire home in flames. Having carbon monoxide detectors in the home can help to prevent carbon monoxide related injuries such as carbon monoxide poisoning, and should be part of your natural gas safety plan to protect you and your loved ones.
Natural gas (methane) is not poisonous in itself, but what it does is deprive the air of vital oxygen, oxygen human’s need to survive. As the methane reduces the oxygen levels inside a home, the occupants begin to feel dizzy, they feel disoriented and they lose coordination and concentration.
The more the oxygen level decreases in a dwelling, the occupants begin to feel extremely tired. The occupants’ heart rate and breathing increases, nausea sets in, then they lose consciousness and cease breathing.
Not only does methane gas reduce the oxygen levels in an enclosed space, but it’s also highly combustible. Something as simple as using a cigarette lighter or lighting a match could cause an explosion inside a building, especially if there’s just the right mixture of methane gas and oxygen.
If you have a basement, understand that some gas leaks originate in the basement. So, if you smell gas on the second floor, there’s a good chance that enough gas has accumulated downstairs, that you should evacuate the home and call our Kansas City plumbers for professional help.
Signs of a Gas Leak
There are things you can be on the lookout for when it comes to knowing if there is a gas leak in your home. The 3 main areas are sight, sound and smell.
Sight: An open flame could be a sign that a natural gas pipe or appliance was leaking and started a flame, for example, from an electrical spark. If you notice discolored or dead vegetation near a gas line, this could be a sign of a natural gas leak underground or if you notice bubbling in standing water or blowing dirt that comes up from dirt or soil, this could indicate a natural gas leak in an underground pipe.
Sound: If you hear a hissing sound or blowing sound coming from your pipes or appliances, it may be a sign that you have a loose connection fitting, a broken seal, or a cracked pipe, which is causing natural gas to leak out.
Smell: Natural gas is naturally odorless. For this reason, gas companies add a chemical odorant additive called mercaptan to gas so people can smell it. Mercaptan smells like a skunk or rotten eggs, so if you have a gas leak, you’ll be able to smell it. Underground pipes that have a gas leak can be very dangerous because the soil reduces the sulfur odor that helps us detect a natural gas leak.
A natural gas build up is an extremely dangerous situation, where the build up could be ignited by a spark, or a pilot light, and because gas is so flammable, it results in extremely hot and dangerous flames.
Physical Symptoms of a Gas Leak
To protect your family and your home, we recommend buying a natural gas detector, which runs about $40. Some units only alert you about combustible gases, while others will alert you about gas and carbon monoxide.
There are physical symptoms to be on the lookout for, such as chest pain, frequent nosebleeds, dying houseplants, and more. If you notice any of these symptoms, or these symptoms lessen or stop when you’re away from home, then please immediately contact the gas company, utility company or even local fire department to assist in determining if there is a leak and shut the gas off. Checking your gas meter to observe a spike in usage can help to determine if there is a leak as well. A carbon monoxide alarm is one way to alert you and your loved ones to a possible gas leak, as well as a gas leak detector.
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If you suspect a natural gas leak, DO NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES – please, immediately call your utilities emergency line. Once the gas supply is shut off, you should leave the task of locating and repairing the leak to an experienced professional.
Please contact A-1 Sewer & Septic Services Inc. today to schedule one of our plumbers to locate and repair your home’s gas leak, and rest easier knowing professionals are on the job.
