Smelling natural gas... maybe, maybe not?
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Anonymous
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Intermittently over the last week-ish, I've noticed a slight odor that could be natural gas in the street out front of our house. It is very inconsistent. Every time I convince myself maybe I better call it in, I put it off, then the next time I'm heading out I don't smell it anymore. I think it started around the time that the water company did work on our block, but I wasn't paying that close of attention at the time. Also, my husband most of the time doesn't smell it when I do, which is weird because I actually have a relatively weak sense of smell usually. There is a dead squirrel in the next door yard, but it looks too far gone to be the source and dead animal smell is pretty distinct.
How dramatic is the response if you call 911 with this? I feel like there's a 90% chance it's nothing, and they are going to send lights and sirens and I'm going to end up feeling like an idiot with DH saying, told ya so. I was hoping maybe I could just call the gas company, but their instructions are to call 911 first, then call them. Anyone called in odor of gas, and how'd it go down? Talk me into or out of it. |
Anonymous
| Call the gas company. I have when I smelled gas similar to the way you were smelling it. It comes and goes. They respond quickly! Better to be safe then sorry. |
Anonymous
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It's not that uncommon to have small gas leaks like this. Don't call 911, but call the gas company. (It would be different if it were a strong smell inside your house, that's 911 territory).
We had this in front of our house. They eventually got around to fixing it - and when they drilled down to get to the pipe, the smell was really strong and came into our house and that sucked for about a day. But after that, no problem. |
Anonymous
That’s weird. We’ve called the gas company for this exact same thing and they came out same day and found a bad pipe. 911 does seem a bit extreme, but where I live (not DMV), sometimes the 911 folks don’t even answer the phone for immediate emergencies. |
Anonymous
| Call the gas company ASAP. They can come and measure. Do not hesitate on this. |
Anonymous
| We went through this. You could only smell the gas on windless days, so it was infrequent enough that I usually forgot about it until a couple of weeks later when I smelled it again. I think one of the neighbors eventually called the gas company because they came around and found the leak. It still took them another couple of weeks to fix it. |
Anonymous
| This happened to me. I called the gas company and there was a leak near the street. |
Anonymous
| Call 911 first. |
Anonymous
No you don’t. You call the gas company. They get there in record speed! |
Anonymous
| Check your gas grill. One time I had squirrels chew through the line and it caused an intermittent gas smell. |
Anonymous
major apologies. I have always called the gas Company directly but Washington gas states to call 911 and then call them. If you suspect a natural gas leak or other emergency: 1. RECOGNIZE: Natural gas smells like sulfur, or rotten eggs. If you smell that, it may be a sign of a leak. 2. REACT: Upon smelling natural gas, leave your building or location immediately. Natural Gas Emergencies 3. RESPOND. Call 911 then the Washington Gas Emergency Line: 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427) - Select option 1 |
Anonymous
Yes you do call 911 first always. |
Anonymous
| Probably a gas pipe leak. Tip: If you call in evening, they could start digging at midnight into the wee hours. Just a heads up. |
Anonymous
| They tell you to call 911 but if you are uncomfortable with that, just call the gas company and they will send someone out very quickly. Been there. Better safe than sorry and that's what their emergency crews are there for. |
Anonymous
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This is why you call 911 always. Every single time!
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