Signs of a Gas Leak Indicating the Need for Gas Leak Detection and Repair

Stay Safe From Gas Leaks by Identifying Them Quickly

A natural gas leak is one of the few household problems that has to be recognized immediately. Knowing what a gas leak looks, sounds, and smells like is what makes it possible to leave the house and call for help before anyone is harmed. This post discusses the signs of a gas leak, including unusual smells or sounds, visible signs, and health symptoms of a gas leak.

Unusual Smells or Sounds

The smell is the sign most people know. Because natural gas is odorless on its own, gas utilities add a scent similar to sulfur or rotten eggs, and noticing that smell in a home means gas is escaping and gas leak detection is needed.

Sound is the other immediate clue. A hissing or whistling noise near a gas line, an appliance connection, or the meter is gas moving through an opening in the line. A hissing sound and the smell of gas together mean the leak is significant. Either sign calls for leaving the house and having a professional handle the gas leak repair. The gas should be shut off at the meter only if it can be reached safely on the way out.

Visible Signs

Some signs of a gas leak can be seen around a home and property. An unusually high gas bill is one of them, because gas escaping from the line is still being measured and billed even though nothing in the house used it. A bill that climbs over consecutive months without a change in usage is worth questioning.

Outdoors, bubbles in standing water or mud can appear where gas is rising from a buried gas line, and dead or dying plants or patches of grass near the gas line are another indication, as escaping gas displaces the oxygen the roots need. Indoors, dead or dying houseplants can point to the same problem. None of these signs should be investigated with a flame or a lighter, as natural gas is flammable. These are among the signs of a gas leak that warrant a call for gas line repair.

Health Symptoms of a Gas Leak

A gas leak can cause people in the home and even pets to develop symptoms, which is often how a slow leak is discovered. Physical symptoms of a gas leak for people include eye and throat irritation, nausea, fatigue, breathing complications, headache, dizziness, and more, and they tend to improve after leaving the house and return upon coming back.

Pets often show symptoms sooner because they are smaller and spend more time close to the floor. Gas leak symptoms in pets include loss of appetite, vomiting, breathing problems, red, watery eyes, and more. When symptoms like these affect more than one member of the household, or the household and its pets together, everyone should get outside to fresh air, and a professional should be called to locate and repair the gas leak. Symptoms that ease outdoors and come back inside are a strong indication that natural gas is escaping somewhere in the home.

About Plumbing Pals

Plumbing Pals is a family-owned plumbing, heating, and air conditioning company serving Ardmore, Pennsylvania. They offer upfront pricing, 24-hour emergency services, and quality-trained technicians. Call for gas leak detection and repair services in Ardmore, PA.