Do you know what to do if you have a gas leak in your home? Do you know how to detect one? Many feel that it is simple enough to do. If you smell gas, then don’t light! Shut off the valve. Then open doors and windows, right? Well, that is a good bit of the procedure, but there are a few more details that could save you and your family from possible suffocation.
Asphyxia from Gas Leaks
Asphyxia is the clinical term for suffocating, and gas leaks in homes can easily cause you or your loved ones harm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are around 500 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning every year, and recommend that you leave the house immediately if you happen to smell gas. The thing about leaking gas is, depending on what type you have leaking, it can be hard to tell how strong the odor will be. For example, propane gas is heavier than air. So, if there is a leak, the fumes would be closer to the floor, and your nose. If you use natural gas it is much lighter than oxygen, so it would be hanging up near the ceiling of your home. Needless to say that if your ceilings are very high a lot of it could be in the air before you find out about it. If anyone is asleep, they could possibly breathe in the harmful fumes long enough to asphyxiate.
Detecting Gas Leaks
If you have ever experienced a home gas leak, you probably remember it not smelling like gas at all. In fact, it probably smelled more like rotten eggs. This is actually a good thing, an odorant that the utility company has added just in case your nose doesn’t detect a light gas leak immediately. Mercaptan is what it’s called, and it can reek so badly that it will probably initially have you checking your trash cans and refrigerators for something smelly! But, enduring the alarming odor for a while is a lot better than one of your family members asphyxiating from not being aware of the gas in the air.
We Can Help in Gas Leak Emergency
Firstly, if you detect the bad egg smell, hear a hissing sound, or see bubbles in your water, then these are some good signs of a gas leak. Go ahead and open the doors and windows, check the pilot lights, then call the utility company. They’ll come out and identify if you have a serious problem. If there is something that needs to be fixed, our dedicated professionals can help. We are experts in the area of bad gas lines and/or pipes, and we urge you not to hesitate to call us to come to your home and promptly attack the problem. If there is a piece or two that the utility company says you may need to buy, call us before buying it. We have many of those special parts right here at our Denver location.
