If you smell gas, leave the house right away and take everyone with you, including pets. Don't flip any switches, use a phone, or start a car inside the garage on your way out. Once you're outside and away from the building, call PECO's emergency line or 911. Don't go back in until they say it's safe.
Key takeaways
- Leave first, call second. Everything else waits until you're outside.
- Any spark can ignite gas: light switches, phones, garage door openers, doorbells, and car ignitions.
- PECO is the gas utility for Philadelphia, Lower Bucks, and the Main Line, and its emergency line is staffed around the clock.
- The utility shuts off and makes the meter safe; repairs to appliances and house piping come after, from a licensed plumber or HVAC contractor.
- A faint smell that comes and goes still deserves a call. Don't wait for it to get stronger.
What should I do right now?
Don't investigate. Don't open windows to air it out. Don't look for the source. Just get everyone out. Here's the order:
- Leave the house immediately. Take children and pets. Leave the door open behind you if it's already open; don't stop to close windows or gather things.
- Don't touch light switches, thermostats, garage door openers, doorbells, or appliances on the way out, on or off.
- Don't use a phone, flashlight, or anything with a battery until you're outside and away from the building.
- Don't start a car in an attached garage.
- Once you're outside and a safe distance away, call PECO's gas emergency number or 911. Tell them your address and that you smell gas.
- Stay out until PECO or the fire department tells you it's safe to go back in. Warn neighbors in attached homes.
Why can't I use a switch or my phone inside?
Natural gas by itself isn't what causes the damage. Gas mixed with air in the right proportion needs only a small spark to ignite, and the fumes can spread through a house faster than you'd expect. A light switch makes a tiny arc when it flips. So does a doorbell, a thermostat clicking on, a garage door motor, a cordless phone base, or a cell phone connecting to a tower. None of those are risky on a normal day. In a house full of gas, any one of them can be the spark.
That's why the rule is simple and absolute: leave the house exactly as it is. Don't turn anything on, and don't turn anything off either. The utility and the fire department are trained to enter safely and vent the space. Your only job is to get out and make the call from outside.
What does natural gas smell like, and what else could it be?
Natural gas has no smell on its own. Utilities add a chemical called mercaptan that smells like rotten eggs or sulfur so leaks get noticed. If you smell that, treat it as gas until proven otherwise. A faint whiff near the stove that clears when you turn the burner knob fully off is usually a burner that didn't light. A smell that lingers, gets stronger, or shows up in a room with no gas appliance is a different matter and needs the call.
Two things get mistaken for gas. Sewer gas from a dry trap or a cracked vent smells like rotten eggs too, but it tends to come from a drain or the basement and doesn't respond to shutting off gas appliances. And a sulfur smell only in the hot water usually means bacteria reacting with the anode rod in the water heater. Both are plumbing problems we can help with once gas has been ruled out. When in doubt, call PECO first; they'd rather check and find nothing.
What happens after PECO or the fire department arrives?
The utility's responder will check the house with a gas detector, find the general source, and shut the gas off at the meter or the appliance. If the leak is on the utility's side, in the service line or the meter, PECO repairs it. If it's on your side, meaning the piping inside the house or an appliance, they'll typically shut it off, tag it, and tell you it needs to be repaired by a licensed contractor before gas can be restored. Confirm current PECO procedures with them directly.
That follow-up is where a licensed plumber or heating contractor comes in. Common causes on the house side include a worn flexible connector behind a stove or dryer, a failed gas valve or thermocouple on a water heater or boiler, a corroded fitting on old black iron pipe, or a joint that was never properly sealed. The repair often involves a pressure test of the house piping before the utility will relight, and a permit and inspection may be required. Philadelphia L&I and the surrounding townships each have their own rules; confirm current requirements.
How do I lower the chance of a gas leak, and what's next?
Most leaks come from worn parts and old connections, not sudden failures. Having your gas water heater and heating system inspected every year catches corroded fittings, loose unions, and failing safety controls before they become a smell. Don't move a gas stove or dryer yourself; the flexible connector behind it is the most common leak point in a home. Install carbon monoxide detectors on every level, because a burner that isn't venting right is a separate danger that has no smell at all.
If PECO has cleared your home and tagged an appliance or a section of pipe, that's when to call us. We're licensed in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, we'll find and fix the problem on the house side, coordinate the test and inspection, and get your hot water and heat back. Learn more about our gas line service, or request service and tell us what the utility found.
People also ask
Should I turn the gas off at the meter before I leave?
The smell is very faint. Do I really need to call PECO?
Will Plumbing Pals come out for a gas smell?
What if the smell is only near the water heater?
References: PECO. Requirements vary by municipality and change over time; confirm current rules with the authority having jurisdiction.