Natural Gas Safety

Natural gas is important source of energy for many households and businesses:  it is used to fuel stoves, water heaters, dryers, furnaces and other appliances.  However, if not used carefully, natural gas can be dangerous.  Follow these tips to safely use natural gas:

Learn the signs of a leak:  Natural gas leaks are rare, but there are signs that indicate a leak has occurred.  The most common sign is a distinctive odor, but you can identify a leak by sight and sound as well.

• Smell – a strong odor, like rotten eggs.  Natural gas has no scent, so a strong odorant is

              added to help you detect possible leaks.

• Sight – bubbles in standing water, dirt or debris blowing into the air, or vegetation that appears dead around the pipeline area.
• Sound – a roaring, hissing or whistling sound.

What to do if you suspect a gas leak:

• Evacuate everyone from your home immediately and leave the door open.  Move away from the premises and call your utility from a safe location such as a neighbor’s house.
• Don’t use/do anything that could create a spark, such as light a match, turn appliances or lights on or off, use a telephone or cell phone, ring a doorbell or start a car.

Apply safety rules with appliances

• Do not use a gas range (oven or burner) to heat your home—prolonged use of an open oven in a closed house or apartment can lead to a build-up of carbon monoxide, an odorless, poisonous gas.
• Never use a gas grill to cook or heat in the house or any enclosed space like the garage or basement.  This practice can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. 
• Keep the area around natural gas appliances clean and unblocked
• Keep cleaning products, gasoline, paints and other combustible materials away from natural gas appliances.
• If the pilot light goes out, make sure all knobs are turned off and wait a few minutes before reigniting.  Light the match first and hold it to the pilot light before turning on the gas.  If you have difficulty getting the pilot light to reignite, turn the gas valve off and call  your utility.