Gas Leak? Not on My Watch

If you have gas appliances or a natural gas furnace, you could be at risk of a gas leak.

An untreated gas leak can be extremely dangerous and can cause long-term health problems for those exposed to toxic gas for an extended period of time. Preventing gas leaks is an important part of keeping your home safe.

Thankfully, you can learn to identify and prevent gas leaks by knowing the signs and getting your HVAC system tuned-up regularly by professional HVAC technicians.

Signs You Have a Gas Leak

One easy way to spot a gas leak is by smelling it. Many people discover gas leaks this way. Gas leaks often have a distinct smell of rotten eggs or sulfur.

Both of these smells are purposeful and are due to a strong-smelling compound called mercaptan being added to gas in homes. Otherwise, gas is odorless, and it would be harder to identify a leak.

Another way to look for any potential gas leaks in a house is by checking out the health of any plants inside the home.

A dead plant may not always be a sign of a gas leak, but prolonged gas leaks can kill plants in some cases. If plants in your home begin to die for no apparent reason, it could be due to a gas leak.

Another sign of a possible gas leak is a hissing or whistling sound. If your home’s furnace makes a constant hissing noise, it could be due to a gas leak. This hissing or whistling noise is the sound of gas escaping into your home from fittings or pipes.

What to Do if There’s a Gas Leak

If a gas leak is discovered in your home or building, all occupants should evacuate immediately. Don’t stop and grab any valuables on the way out! These leaks can be deadly in some cases and stopping to grab memorabilia could put you at risk.

It’s important that you and your family members (including pets!) get a safe distance from your home. A gas leak can cause a sudden fire or explosion that could affect everyone in the immediate vicinity.

As with most emergencies, call 911 as quickly as possible. A gas leak may not seem like an emergency, but it is vital that emergency services are notified about the leak.

A gas leak can ignite at any time, which could lead to a fire or an explosion that could not only affect your home, but your neighbors’ homes. Don’t reenter your home after evacuation until the authorities say it’s safe to do so.

Consequences of an Untreated Gas Leak

Allowing a gas leak to continue without taking the necessary steps to fix it can be disastrous. An untreated gas leak can cause a house fire or an explosion that could devastate your home and may possibly spread to your neighbors’ properties.

Fires caused by gas leaks often start without any warning and spread quickly, which is why it’s so important to evacuate the area and notify the authorities to correct gas leaks quickly.

Even without a fire or explosion, untreated gas leaks can cause serious medical problems for those that spend a lot of time in the area. Gas leaks harm people by reducing the amount of oxygen available in a space. This, in turn, leads to people developing health problems. In some cases, gas leaks can be fatal if you’re exposed to them for too long.

How to Prevent a Gas Leak

A great way to prevent a gas leak in a household is by keeping the home’s HVAC system in good condition. HVAC maintenance is crucial to make sure gas leaks do not happen, and professionals are available to perform this task at a moment’s notice.

Professionals can analyze the system’s combustion gases, which is one of the main aspects of the overall system.

Anyone can monitor their appliances for gas leaks if they know what to look for and how. To begin, turn off all of your gas appliances, then check the gas meter. If the gas meter is still spinning with all the appliances shut off, it’s possible that there’s a gas leak.

You and your family should evacuate your home and contact emergency services to report the gas leak.

Another way to prevent gas leaks is with professional maintenance from an HVAC technician. They can monitor your system and replace any old or worn gas fittings, which can help to prevent leaks. A professional should also do this work, as doing it without training could lead to accidents or injuries.

Gas leaks are serious problems that can have long-lasting impacts on a home and the people who live inside it.

If you need HVAC maintenance in the Los Angeles area, schedule an appointment with Adeedo today.