Defective gas lines are no joke. They’re a serious issue that can jeopardize the health and safety of you and your family. You cannot overlook potential leaks. You ideally want to make sure your gas lines are as well maintained as your landscaping and anything else in your home or on your property. This requires both a keen sense of your surroundings, particularly where your gas lines are located, as well as a good nose to sniff out a potential problem. Here are four things to look at to determine if there’s a possible leak that warrants a gas line repair.

What Do Your Senses Tell You?

The most obvious indicators of a gas line problem are those you can smell, hear, or feel around your house. This requires you to be in tune with your senses.

First, how are you feeling? Are you noticing dizziness, nausea, fatigue, or the fact that you’re sleeping more when you’re home? Although those symptoms could be unrelated to your gas lines, they can also be a sign of a potential gas leak.

While many people associate a smell with a gas leak, natural gas has no smell. This makes smaller leaks impossible to detect by scent alone. That said, a smell may be noticeable with a more serious leak or multiple leaks. Your best bet to detect a leak is to call your utility company or a plumber who can add a mercaptan – a harmless sulfur or rotten egg smelling chemical – to the gas.

Evacuate the premises immediately if any of the following is experienced:

  • Hearing a hissing or whistling sound near a gas line
  • A sulphur or rotten egg like smell
  • A visibly damaged gas line connection
  • Dying or dead plants with no explanation
  • Seeing a white cloud, blowing dust, or bubbles in standing water

If a gas leak is suspected, avoid turning on or touching any electrical appliance. This may very well spark a fire. Instead, vacate the premises, leave the door open, and move to a safe location. From there, you should call your local gas company, fire department, or 911 to report the leak.

What Do Your Surroundings Say?

Not only can you smell, hear, or feel a gas leak, there might also be other physical signs to watch for. One possible sign of a gas leak is dead or dying vegetation near the gas line. Most plants are easily damaged from exposure to leaking gas.

Another sign of a gas line leak is excess condensation on any window near it.

Look for these possible effects of a gas leak on your landscaping or the exterior of your home. Once noticed, contact your gas company or local police/fire department immediately to find and repair the leak.

How Are Your Appliances Running?

Appliances can also be impacted by a gas leak. An appliance near a leaking gas line might make unusual noises or work less efficiently. Particularly gas-powered appliances. Many times the actual leak might be coming from a damaged connection to a gas-powered appliance. Parts of the gas line might even be exposed and visible if you take a look. This is why it’s always a good idea to periodically check gas-powered appliances to ensure the gas lines running to them are in good shape and operating properly.

Is Your Gas Bill Rising for Absolutely No Reason at All?

Has your gas bill inexplicably increased? A damaged gas line will typically use more gas, which will be reflected in your gas bill. Your local gas company might also have previous gas leaks at the property documented. In that case, it’s not a bad idea to have those lines inspected more than others.

In either scenario, you’ll want to get the gas line repair done ASAP. Not only for you and your family’s safety, but also because you’ll be paying more every month on your gas bill.

Need Gas Line Repair in Ventura or Los Angeles County?

While there are a number of warning signs of a potential gas leak at your house, it’s not always easy to detect where exactly that leak is coming from. The longer you wait, the riskier it gets. An experienced plumber in the Oak Park CA area can help you find the impaired line and seal it. T-Top Plumbing’s goal is to help homeowners in the area repair gas lines efficiently and affordably. Contact us today at (805) 527-8867 or by visiting https://www.ttopplumbing.net/contact