Don’t muck about with gas leaks. Call the experts!
However, smart homeowners know gas can be tricky. That’s why it’s important to distinguish what you can do on your own, and what belongs to an expert plumber or gas fitter.
#1
Decide if you have an emergency on your hands.
- There is a strong smell of gas by your meter (in which case, call your gas company)
- You can smell gas in the air
- You are aware of damage to gas pipes on your property or on your street
(When your BBQ gas bottle is low on gas, your BBQ can sometimes emit a slight gas odour. If this is the case, but if you aren’t confident the gas is simply low, it is best to treat it as a gas leak.)
#2
If you do, here’s what you should do next:
- Turn off the gas at the meter :
* Turn the gas handle so that it is at right angles to the pipe
* Usually the colour of the handle is yellow
* It is always located exactly at the meter (see above photo) - Turn off all your appliances (including electrical appliances) and pilot lights (for example, on gas-operated hot water heaters)
- If it’s safe to do so, open windows and doors for ventilation
- Extinguish any flames and do not smoke
- Call your plumber or gasfitter.
#3
Who to Call and When
- You smell gas on your side of the meter/on your property
Call your Natural Gas company immediately when:
- The gas odour is coming from the street
- The gas odour is coming from your meter or before it (for example, from the street side of the meter)
Note: Your gas company will charge you if they attend your home and the issue is related to your gas pipes (the house side of the meter) and/or appliances.
131 909 or 1300 676 300
Signs you have a gas leak:
- Gas odours
- Unusually high gas bills
Now that we’ve covered the emergency stuff, let’s take a look at the potentially less serious scenarios.
DIY GAS LEAK TEST:
- Before your household goes to bed, turn off all gas appliances, including the pilot light on your gas hot water system.
- Take a photo of your gas meter reading with a digital camera (make sure you hold it straight), or write down the number.
- Before anyone gets up in the morning, recheck the meter reading. If it’s different, call your Pipe Perfection Plumber.
Think you’ve got a leak? For your safety and the safety of others, call a professional ASAP.
Call us 1300 007 473
GAS SAFETY TESTS, OLD PIPES, and GAS PIPE REPAIRS IN SYDNEY:
The gas line can be tested using a meter or more sensitive pressure-testing to determine the location of the leak. Additional procedures to locate small leaks might be necessary.
Once a leak is detected, if it is a small hole, it can come sometimes be patch-repaired, but if it is larger, a small section of the pipe will have to be replaced.
Do you have gas pipes that are 30 years old or more?
Your gas supply pipes could be made of galvanised steel. Nowadays, galvanised pipe is never used for gas pipes; it is against plumbing codes to use it.
A galvanised steel pipe will corrode over a period of years and develop pinhole leaks along its length. Galvanised pipe wears from the inside out and gives few clues to its impending failure. A visual inspection cannot reveal the condition of the pipes unless they are showing signs of heavy corrosion, and gas can begin leaking well before corrosion can be seen. Obviously, this is a serious safety hazard: one small gas leak in the right place, or one that continues to leak over time, can cause a gas build-up in an area, and one small spark can cause a serious explosion.
Call in Pipe Perfection for a complete Gas Safety Test.
Simple tests can be performed to determine if leaks are present. Such tests will show whether replacement of the gas pipe is necessary now or later (Replacement is inevitable, so you may want to decide if waiting to replace your gas pipes even makes sense.)
A gas test costs only a few hundred dollars, well worth the price for peace of mind and the preservation of your home, personal safety and the safety of others.
Bottom-line? Don’t muck around with gas. That’s our job!