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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