How To Check For Gas Leaks

While you might feel that gas leaks are the most insidious and silent enemies, we are here to tell you how to tackle them.

We receive plenty of questions from homeowners asking us to address their worries about leaking gas. Honestly, you can easily detect regular gas leaks through the rotten egg smell in the air. But sometimes, they do get sneaky. Hence, you need to implement a few techniques and precautions to avoid any unwanted accidents.

Today, in this guide, we take you through all that you can do to prevent and tackle a gas leak. A thorough reading of this guide would throw light on a range of techniques and tricks that you can implement to detect a gas leak.

So, without any more delay, let’s dive right in. 

How Do You Know There Is A Gas Leak?

If something raises your suspicion that there might be a gas leak in your house, the first and foremost thing to do is to turn off the pilot light. Make sure that you also switch off the gas meter and immediately call the gas company or the authorities.

You might not know this, but the rotten smell you get when there is a leak is not the natural smell of gas. Gas is odourless, and to protect you in cases of leakage, the companies add the smell to alert you. So, the moment you smell it, start notifying the authorities and take precautions.

However, the smell is not the only indicator of a gas leak. There might be other signs too. For example, you might hear a whistling sound or see a bubble or a cloud forming on standing water. There might even be damage to the gas line connection. Another unusual sign is your houseplant suddenly dying.

One of the earliest effects of gas leaks might feel similar to carbon monoxide poisoning. As the gas level increases, the oxygen level in your house will start dropping. This might lead to a variety of symptoms:

• Difficulty in breathing 
• Headache and chest pains
• Lightheadedness
• Irritation in the eye
• A sudden drop in appetite
• Mood swings
• Nosebleeds

If you or anyone in your family has asthma, these impacts might get more severe. If the oxygen level drops significantly, one might even lose consciousness. In the worst-case scenario, an untreated gas leak can also become fatal.

How To Best Check Gas Leaks?

Like the canines, keep your nose alert the moment you suspect a leak. If you are careful, you can easily detect a gas leak before the carbon monoxide reaches harmful limits.

The best thing to do is switch off all the gas sources, be it your cooking appliance or water heater, and open the windows as soon as you suspect a leak.

Make sure that you and your family move out of the house before calling the authorities for help. This way, you will be out of any harm. Then, let the professionals come and check, and only when they deem fit should you enter the house.

In this section, we will take a look at some of the ways you can figure out if there really is a gas leak.

Watch Out for The Hissing/ Whistling Sound

Focus and see if you can hear any hissing noise coming from the gas line. But let us warn you that gas does not always move through confined spaces, which means it will not always make a sound in case there is a leak.

So, make sure that you check all the other signs to confirm or negate the possibility of a potential gas leak.

The Soapy Water Test

Forgive us if it sounds like we are churning some old wive’s tale. But we have tested this method, and it works perfectly as gas shows a visible reaction when it comes in touch with detergent. All you have to do is put a concentrated solution of a teaspoon of detergent and mix it in one cup of water.

The next thing that you need to do is apply this wherever you suspect that there might be a leak. If you see bubbles starting to form, you will know that there is a gas leak. Do not delay calling the authorities after that!

Checking The Stove

You must have seen that the moment you turn the gas on, there’s a blue flame. The blue colour indicates that the air in the room has a good oxygen concentration, which helps the gas combust well.

Suppose you switch on the stove and see an orange or red flame; we suggest you immediately turn it off. This indicates that the oxygen supply has gone down immensely and that there can be an accident.

Using Detectors

To be absolutely sure if there is a gas leak, the best thing to do is install a gas leak detector. The carbon monoxide detectors are great at indicating the presence of leaked gas in the air.

Always remember that identifying a leak early can save you from unwanted accidents. The best way to deal with it is to be proactive and solve the problem even before it arises. So, instead of dealing with a leak, it is better to monitor the level of carbon monoxide at all times. As soon as the detector indicates the CO content has crossed the threshold, understand that you are at risk.

Also, apart from gas leaks, there are other factors that might lead to carbon monoxide poisoning at home. For example, using generators at home without proper ventilation might cause a hazard.

Anything unusual, and this device will notify you immediately.

How Do You Prevent Gas Leaks?

Prevention, as they say, is better than cure. So, before a gas connection starts malfunctioning, it is best to take care of it to ensure such a problem does not even arise. We suggest that you stay vigilant about the air quality in your house and conduct routine checks on stoves, fireplaces, and furnaces.

When installing a device that uses gas, make sure that you place it around a well-ventilated area. And if you have a smoke detector or a carbon monoxide detector, maintain them well and change batteries whenever required.

Staying On Top Of Gas Leak Prevention

When handling gas, you always have to maintain a high level of caution. We have made it abundantly clear that the risks of a gas leak are significantly high. If not handled well, it can even be fatal. Thus, everyone must stay vigilant and make sure that there are no catastrophic accidents.

We hope you have learned a few things about detecting and preventing gas leaks after reading this guide. Implement them, and rest assured that you and everyone around you will stay safe.

That said, we now conclude our comprehensive guide here. Keep a watch on this space for more informative guides.

Until then, stay safe and alert until we meet again!