Plumbers In Longview TX: 5 Signs You May Have A Natural Gas Leak

If you use natural gas in your home for heating and cooking, you’re not alone.  Its the most widely-used form of household energy in the United States.  And while natural gas is generally safe to use, plumbers in Longview TX who service gas lines in homes in the East Texas area can tell you that there is always the chance that gas can leak in your home.  Gas leaks that are undetected can lead to death by asphyxiation or by fire when gas leaks accumulate in unventilated areas and cause an explosion.

While you don’t have to be continually paranoid about gas leaks, it is important to be vigilant and to know some of the signs of a leak:

1.  A hissing sound coming from gas pipes or gas appliances.  Natural gas is pressurized so that it can travel through the pipes into your home.  A cracked pipe, failed seal or loose fitting one can allow the gas to escape, which can make a hissing or blowing sound.

2.  A rotten egg smell. Natural gas is colorless, odorless and tasteless so gas companies add a small amount of a foul-smelling gas called mercaptan so that any gas that leaks can be detected by smell.  Mercaptan is sulfur compound and the sulfur gives it the smell of rotten eggs.

3.  Dead or discolored vegetation. If you spot dead or dying vegetation outside in an area near gas lines, especially if the area is moist and green except around the dead spots, you could have an exterior gas leak.

4.  Dust or dirt blowing up from the ground.  Since natural gas is pressurized, when there is a leak underground it can push dirt and dust up in bubbles or it can blow up steadily.  Underground gas leaks are more difficult to detect by smell because dirt can often filter out the sulfur smell, which normally alerts us to natural gas.

5.  A flame near a gas pipeline.  If leaking gas has found a source of ignition like a spark, the result could be a flame or fire.

If you suspect you have a gas leak, evacuate your home and call your gas utility company.  If you can’t reach your utility company, call your local fire department.  Once they have located and stopped the leak, plumbers in Longview TX can make repairs to ensure that you don’t have any further problems.  To be sure that future leaks aren’t a problem, you should call one of the best plumbers in Longview TX, Bird Dog Plumbing, at (903) 225-2272 for regular gas line inspections.  To find out more about us, visit www.birddogplumbingllc.com. And remember, we don’t charge extra for Saturday work.

Plumbers Longview TX
Bird Dog Plumbing LLC
2206 Balsam St
Longview, Texas 75605
903-225-2272

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