Understanding a gas leak could save your family and your home from extensive fire damage. Know the signs & how to respond.
Guest Article by: Ben Vaughn
Picture Source: Heintzs Propane
Gas leaks in homes and businesses can be deadly. The fire risks are enormous and too often gas leaks go undetected and result in disaster. A gas leak refers to a natural gas leak from a pipe or other container into areas where it should not escape.
Since the risk for fires is extremely high, understanding and preventing gas leaks is crucial to home safety. While complete prevention is never possible, knowing the signs and procedures for handling a gas leak could save your life.
Pure natural gas is actually odorless and colorless but scents are commonly added for safety reasons to identify leaks. Taking measures to ensure proper containment of gas in your home and having gas meters and piping inspected by the gas company is a vital step to keeping your home safe. Natural gas is highly combustible and is heavily used for heating since it produces large amounts of heat when burned in small quantities. Typically gas leaks are categorized under three grades to indicate the severity of the leak.
- Grade 1 leaks are given to leaks that present immediate and probable hazards to people and property and require an immediate fix. Extremely high gas readings, a leak that can be seen, heard, or felt, and escaping gas that has ignited.
- Grade 2 leaks are typically not immediately hazardous, have lower readings, and require scheduled repairs.
- Grade 3 leaks are non-hazardous leaks with very low readings and low probability of migrating out of a building.
If you suspect there is a gas leak in your home or another building there are a number of steps to take to identify the leak, evacuate, and report the problem. For safety, if you identify the smell, stop there and exit the building. Like any emergency procedure, evacuating the area is the first and most important thing to do, regardless of how minor you think the leak might be.
Signs:
- Rotten odor
- Hissing or blowing sounds
- Dust blowing from a hole or a bubbling in water
- Dead vegetation in a green area
- Presence of flames
Response:
- Exit the area immediately and call the gas company
- Do not turn on anything electric--light switches, appliances, or telephones. Definitely don’t use an open flame or light anything.
- Don’t shut off anything--valves or appliances or lights.
- Don’t start your vehicle in the area and don’t re-enter the area.
- If there is a flame burning, do not put it out.
After evacuating the area you should always report the leak. Most importantly, taking preventative measures is the most assured way to avoid gas leaks. Besides potential for fire and explosions, gas leaks can cause asphyxia if inhaled. Using gas appliances as intended, checking pipes and connectors regularly, setting your water heater to 120°F or lower, and ensuring proper installation of gas lines will help prevent gas leaks from occurring in the first place. Keeping a well-ventilated space when using gas appliances will help prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide.