What should you do if you smell gas in your home? We’re going to skip our normal intro to get you right into it, because this can be immediately dangerous if you don’t act quickly!
What To Do Immediately If You Smell Gas
- Ventilate the home by opening windows, running fans and seeing if the smell persists.
- If it persists or it’s overpowering, skip the first step and evacuate your home.
- Get a safe distance away, outside the home.
- Until the cause is resolved, don’t use open flames or electrical devices, and don’t smoke in the area.
- Contact your gas company to send out an emergency crew to determine if there’s a gas leak.
- If you don’t have the number for your gas company, call a local emergency services line. Your gas company may also recommend that you contact emergency services.
- Don’t return to the home until an emergency responder has inspected the home, determined the underlying cause and resolved it, or the home has been declared safe to return to.
Assuming you’ve done as many of those steps as necessary, we can take our time below discussing what can cause a gas leak, what the signs of a gas leak are, and how you can protect your home from unwanted gas leaks.
Signs You May Have a Gas Leak (Besides Smell)
Smell is the obvious indicator that you may have a gas leak. Of course, if you just turned on a gas stove or something similar, there may be a temporary gas smell that dissipates quickly. This isn’t necessarily cause for concern.
However, a gas leak from a recurring source is serious. Here are some possible signs of one:
- Damage to a gas line in or near the home
- Sewage backup or explosion near your home
- Strange sounds when you use appliances that use gas. This may be a faint wailing or hissing sound due to the gas escaping.
- Air bubbles in your yard where none existed previously
- Pockets of grass or plants around your home that are dead or noticeably sick
- Higher than usual gas bills or an active gas meter when you aren’t using any gas appliances
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but any of them can indicate a gas leak in your home or the immediate area.
Potential Sources of Gas Smell in the Home
Many of the items above will double as potential sources. If there’s a sewage explosion or damage to a gas line, these things will cause odors in the area.
Other sources can exist, such as bacterial growth in your hot water heater, your pilot light going out, or a cracked heat exchanger in your gas furnace.
We’ll talk a bit more about heat exchangers below, since it’s directly within our realm of expertise as HVAC experts.
However, given the fact that many HVAC systems utilize flammable or combustible materials, all licensed HVAC technicians are trained in the handling of a variety of hazardous materials.
HVAC techs can also assess areas of your system and home for carbon monoxide levels, since this relates directly to the safety and efficiency of your heating system.
Dangers of Carbon Monoxide and Other Gas Leaks
I shouldn’t have to sell you on the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and gas leaks in general. The risks and potential consequences are well-documented.
However, it’s worth remembering that even lower levels of gas toxicity can create physical effects in people. So you might not smell anything, but could still be experiencing the effects of gas poisoning.
These effects include headaches, nausea, dizziness (particularly in specific areas of the home), difficulty breathing, chest pain, and general irritation of your eyes and/or throat.
There are other possible causes of each of these effects, of course. Is it CO poisoning, or do you just have a bad cold? It can be difficult to say…unless you have the proper detection and prevention methods set up for your home.
This is the best way to be prepared and stay safe. If you’re evacuating your home on the suspicion of a gas leak and haven’t taken steps to prevent it previously, you’re missing crucial steps that contribute to the safety of you, your home, and your family and other loved ones.
Prevention and Detection Methods
Prevention Step #1: make sure you have gas detectors and carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home. Natural gas is not carbon monoxide, so separate detectors are needed for both.
Prevention Step #2: make sure these monitors have working batteries in them and are regularly checked to make sure they’re working.
Prevention Step #3: have gas lines inspected when you move into a home, whenever you have major renovations that work around gas lines, and any time you may suspect a gas leak.
Prevention Step #4: work with a trusted HVAC contractor who can monitor CO levels at different points in your home and HVAC system, to ensure that there’s no gas leakage from the heat exchanger in your furnace. Schedule a regular tune-up prior to every major heating season.
Prevention Step #5: monitors should be placed both in places that present the greatest risk (near bedrooms and major gas appliances), and also in places where you might not immediately notice a gas leak, such as a garage.
Prevention Step #6: all major gas appliances should receive regular inspections and maintenance, not just your furnace.
Prevention Step #7: Know how to quickly turn off the gas supply to the home, which may cut the leak off by stopping the supply of gas. This will make inspection safer, though depending on the situation you may simply wish to evacuate the area.
Prevention Step #8: Have the emergency number for your gas company and general local emergency numbers handy, on the refrigerator or other common area.
Preventing Odors in the Home
Gas leaks are a danger to your health, but bad smells can exist in a home any time of year that are annoying and can trigger allergies, induce coughs and irritation, and generally make the home less pleasant. Here are some areas you can focus on to improve the air quality in your home holistically, beyond concerns about gas leaks.
- Cat Litter. If you have cats, use high-quality litter, and clean it regularly.
- Cat Litter (again). Even if you don’t have cats, cat litter can be great for absorbing ambient smells. Putting a bowl of it out in smelly areas can help neutralize it.
- Windows and Fans. Nothing clears the air better than some fresh outdoor air.
- Air Purifiers. Standalone air purifiers can help with problem rooms, and ducted air purifiers can be installed by an HVAC professional that clean the air that gets circulated throughout your home.
- Ductwork Cleaning. Are your ducts dirty? Many homes have dirt and debris going back decades that’s just sitting there, circulating every time you run your heating and cooling system.
- Mold & Mildew. Maintain humidity levels below 60% in the hotter months to avoid developing issues with mildew. Consider a basement dehumidifier if your home struggles with humidity.
- Install Gas Detectors. We mentioned this above, but it’s worth stressing. It can be a great early-warning system.
- Furnace Filter. Your filter being dirty or clogged can quickly lead to horrible smells in the home. Replace it regularly to keep your air clean and your filter unclogged.
- Run Your HVAC Fan. Maybe it’s not hot enough for air conditioning or cold enough for heating, but your HVAC system can still be useful to you. Most systems allow you to run your fan only, which circulates the air through the home. This pulls smelly air into the system and through the air filter, which will remove many odorous particulates before the system’s fan pushes the air back into your home.
Stay Safe, Avoid Gas Leaks and Be Proactive
Staying ahead of gas leaks with detection and prevention methods is the best way to ensure your safety in the home.
If it’s been too long since you’ve had your HVAC system inspected and you need a free assessment or reasonably-priced furnace tune-up, CABS Heating and Air Conditioning is here to help.
We don’t just want to sell you stuff. We want to make sure you feel secure in your home, and that you understand your options for prevention, detection and air quality upgrades without hassle or high-pressure obligation.
Give us a call today and we’ll be happy to talk!
