Gas Leak Detection – How to Check for Gas Leaks In a Home

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gas leaks

Many workplaces and homes have gas powered appliances, yet never think anything of potential gas leaks once it’s been installed. Unfortunately gas leaks happen fairly often, sometimes leading to detrimental accidents. If you use gas in your home or at work, you must know how to recognize gas leak symptoms and have the proper tool to check gas lines on a regular basis.

The Danger of Gas Leaks

Did you know that the sulfuric smell associated with propane isn’t a naturally occurring scent? Propane and other gas leaks are potentially very dangerous which is why manufacturers add in this easily recognized smell.

There are Two Main Reasons Why Gas Leaks Can Be Dangerous

First off, natural gas is popular because of high combustibility. It produces a lot of heat, even in small amounts. While this is a benefit for cooking in the home, heating water and other applications, it also means gas can prove detrimental when not controlled. When there is a leak in a gas line and the room begins to fill, even a tiny spark can ignite the cloud.

The second reason gas leaks are dangerous is because it can produce carbon monoxide when there is incomplete combustion. This means if something goes wrong and the gas isn’t completed burned up, carbon monoxide forms. According to the CDC, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for 500 deaths a year. It is fatal in large amounts, but even non-fatal carbon monoxide poisoning can still cause long term health issues and brain damage.

Recognizing Gas Leaks

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If I have a gas leak in my home, will I die?

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Gas Leak Detectors
Carbon monoxide detectors can alert you if levels become unsafe in your home.
Carbon monoxide detectors can alert you if levels become unsafe in your home.

That sulfuric, rotten egg odor that signals a natural gas leak isn’t an ordinary component of the carbon-hydrogen compound. Because of the potential danger associated with natural gas leaks, suppliers add the noxious scent to natural gas as an olfactory warning that the harmful vapors are loose in the air.

This precautionary measure indicates the inherent hazards of natural gas that can, at the right levels, kill you. That said, natural gas is repeatedly touted as one of the safest and cleanest-burning fossil fuel sources. More than 65 million homes in the United States use it to power their gas stoves, water heaters and other essential appliances [source: Safe Gas Indiana]. When correctly burned, natural gas produces mostly water vapor and carbon dioxide and far fewer greenhouse emissions than wood, coal and oil [source: Alberta Energy].

Natural gas has become a widespread energy source because it’s highly combustible, which means that it can produce large amounts of heat when you burn small amounts. Consequently, a natural gas leak can increase the risk of fire and explosion since it spreads quickly and combusts easily. An electrical spark or fire source can set this off if you have a leak in your house.

If you suspect a natural gas leak inside, immediately stop what you’re doing (do not flip any electrical switches, unplug anything or use a telephone) and go outside. Inhaling high concentrations can also lead to asphyxia (when the body is deprived of oxygen) and possibly death. Early symptoms of asphyxia include fatigue and chest pain.

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Although generally safe to use in the home, when natural gas does not burn up completely because of faulty installation or lack of ventilation, it emits a byproduct of carbon monoxide. The more carbon monoxide present in the air, the less oxygen you can inhale, potentially killing you. In fact, 500 people in the United States die of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning every year [source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. ­

What if you have a cold or a poor sense of smell? Is there any way to detect a natural gas leak besides that signature scent?

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How to recognize a gas leak

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When installed and used correctly, natural gas is safe and convenient. But gas leaks can occur. These leaks can lead to physical symptoms and, in some cases, the gas can cause carbon monoxide poisoning in people and animals.

According to the American Gas Association, over 73 million residential, commercial, and industrial premises in the United States use natural gas. It is highly flammable, and gas leaks increase the risk of fire and explosion.

If people suspect a gas leak, it is essential that they evacuate the area immediately, and call 911, the local fire department, or the utility company’s emergency line.

In this article, learn about the signs and symptoms of a gas leak and what to do if a gas leak occurs in the home.

Gas leak signs in the home

A gas leak may cause houseplants to die.

A gas leak may cause houseplants to die.

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Gas detector

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A gas detector is a device that detects the presence of gases in an area, often as part of a safety system. This type of equipment is used to detect a gas leak or other emissions and can interface with a control system so a process can be automatically shut down. A gas detector can sound an alarm to operators in the area where the leak is occurring, giving them the opportunity to leave. This type of device is important because there are many gases that can be harmful to organic life, such as humans or animals.

Gas detectors can be used to detect combustible, flammable and toxic gases, and oxygen depletion. This type of device is used widely in industry and can be found in locations, such as on oil rigs, to monitor manufacture processes and emerging technologies such as photovoltaic. They may be used in firefighting.

Gas leak detection is the process of identifying potentially hazardous gas leaks by sensors. These sensors usually employ an audible alarm to alert people when a dangerous gas has been detected. Exposure to toxic gases can also occur in operations such as painting, fumigation, fuel filling, construction, excavation of contaminated soils, landfill operations, entering confined spaces, etc. Common sensors include combustible gas sensors, photoionization detectors, infrared point sensors, ultrasonic sensors, electrochemical gas sensors, and semiconductor sensors. More recently, infrared imaging sensors have come into use. All of these sensors are used for a wide range of applications and can be found in industrial plants, refineries, pharmaceutical manufacturing, fumigation facilities, paper pulp mills, aircraft and shipbuilding facilities, hazmat operations, waste-water treatment facilities, vehicles, indoor air quality testing and homes.

History

Gas leak detection methods became a concern after the effects of harmful gases on human health were discovered. Before modern electronic sensors, early detection methods relied on less precise detectors. Through the 19th and early 20th centuries, coal miners would bring canaries down to the tunnels with them as an early detection system against life-threatening gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane. The canary, normally a very songful bird, would stop singing and eventually die if not removed from these gases, signaling the miners to exit the mine quickly.

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