Gas Line Safety: What Every Homeowner Should Know

Natural gas powers furnaces, water heaters, stoves, dryers, and fireplaces in many Northern Colorado homes. It's efficient and reliable, but it demands respect. A gas leak is one of the most serious emergencies a homeowner can face. Knowing how to detect a leak, respond to one, and maintain your gas lines can protect your family and your home.

How to Detect a Gas Leak

The Smell

Natural gas is odorless in its natural state, but utility companies add a chemical called mercaptan that gives it a distinctive rotten egg or sulfur smell. If you notice this smell anywhere in your home, even faintly, take it seriously. Don't assume it's something else. The stronger the smell, the more urgent the situation.

The Sound

A gas leak can sometimes produce a hissing or whistling sound near a gas line, appliance connection, or meter. If you hear an unusual hissing sound near any gas appliance or where gas lines run, investigate cautiously and from a distance.

Visual Signs

Outdoors, a gas leak can cause dead or dying vegetation in an otherwise healthy area, persistent bubbling in standing water, or dirt blowing from a hole in the ground. Indoors, you might notice a white mist or fog near a gas line, or your gas appliance pilot lights may frequently go out.

Physical Symptoms

Low-level gas exposure can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. If multiple family members experience these symptoms simultaneously, especially if they improve when you leave the house, a gas leak could be the cause. Carbon monoxide from improperly burning gas appliances is also a serious concern, make sure you have working CO detectors on every level of your home.

What to Do If You Suspect a Leak

Get everyone out of the house immediately. Don't stop to gather belongings, don't use your phone inside, and don't flip any electrical switches, even turning off a light can create a spark. Open doors and windows on your way out if you can do so quickly, but don't delay your exit. Once safely outside and away from the house, call your gas utility emergency number or 911.

Gas Line Maintenance

Annual Appliance Inspections

Have your gas appliances, furnace, water heater, stove, and fireplace, inspected annually. A professional can check for proper combustion, adequate venting, and any signs of wear on connections and fittings. This is especially important for older homes where fittings may have loosened over time.

Don't DIY Gas Work

This bears repeating: gas line work should only be performed by a licensed professional. This includes installing new gas appliances, running new gas lines, repairing leaks, and even connecting a gas dryer or range. The risks of improper gas work, explosions, fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, are too severe to take chances with. Even small mistakes at connections can create dangerous leaks.

Carbon Monoxide: The Silent Danger

When gas appliances don't burn fuel completely, due to poor venting, dirty burners, or other issues, they produce carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas that can be fatal. Install CO detectors on every level of your home and near sleeping areas. Test them monthly and replace batteries annually. If a CO detector alarms, treat it like a gas leak: get everyone out and call for help.

Signs Your Gas Lines May Need Service

Call a professional if you notice: a persistent gas smell even after checking appliances, higher than normal gas bills without increased usage, appliance pilot lights that frequently go out, yellow or orange flames on gas burners (they should be blue), soot or scorch marks around gas appliances, or any visible corrosion on gas line fittings.