Smelling natural gas... maybe, maybe not?

[Anonymous]

This happened in front of our house. It came and went, but I called Washington Gas. They came out and as soon as they opened the cover the smell of gas was overwhelming. Turned out there was a leak across the street from us. Go ahead and call.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the moral support, everyone. I will at least try calling the gas company line first and see how that goes. Of course when I got home tonight I didn't smell anything, but it is a little breezy.

[Anonymous]

Call the gas company. Over the course of two years I called in four time for the faint smell of gas outside. It was a leak every time.

[Anonymous]

Call in the morning early. Then they won't be there at night. Hopefully.

[Anonymous]

You can now get combination explosive gas/CO2 meters that plug into the wall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call 911 first.

No you don’t. You call the gas company. They get there in record speed!

Yes you do call 911 first always.

I know. I was wrong, apologized and provided the direct wording from Washington gas, most of the dc area’s gas provider.

I came back today to check on op.

[Anonymous]

It’s always a leak. Our nanny could smell it when she got out of her parked car on the street. Gas company sent someone out right away and found a major leak in our neighbor’s line across the street. Their front yard had to be dug up to put a new line in. If they suspect a tiny leak from a visible pipe, they will brush some soapy water over it to see if it forms bubbles. Never ignore a gas smell since it is either a leak, gas was left on, or a pilot lot is out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s always a leak. Our nanny could smell it when she got out of her parked car on the street. Gas company sent someone out right away and found a major leak in our neighbor’s line across the street. Their front yard had to be dug up to put a new line in. If they suspect a tiny leak from a visible pipe, they will brush some soapy water over it to see if it forms bubbles. Never ignore a gas smell since it is either a leak, gas was left on, or a pilot lot is out.

*light

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call the gas company. Over the course of two years I called in four time for the faint smell of gas outside. It was a leak every time.

I did the same thing a few years ago. Houses in my neighborhood were built in the 60s and a lot of them had pipes that were decaying which the gas company replaced.

Natural gas is nothing to mess with. My mom lived abut 7.5 miles from where a guy in Indianapolis, in order to get insurance money, created a natural gas leak and then rigged a microwave to spark. It killed 2 people next door, injured 7 and totally destroyed 33 houses. My mom thought it was an earthquake when it happened since the earth moved, windows rattled and some stuff fell off the walls/shelves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Hill_explosion

[Anonymous]

Hoping and praying this was not OP and that nobody was hurt.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/building-fire-possible-explosion-reported-in-in-gaithersburg-maryland/3210342/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hoping and praying this was not OP and that nobody was hurt.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/building-fire-possible-explosion-reported-in-in-gaithersburg-maryland/3210342/

No, not me. But that certainly caught my attention. Haven't smelled anything in the last 24 hours, but plan to call if it returns. -OP

[Anonymous]

My husband worked for the gas company and he is ALWAYS calling in leaks around town. So, don’t be embarrassed or feel like it’s weird. They usually are there within an hour which is cool! He has a sensitive nose to it, but doesn’t hesitate.

[Anonymous]

I smelled it again when I got home tonight, so I went ahead and called Washington Gas directly and reported it. They sent a technician to check it out within the hour. It seemed like he walked around, checked things out, then sat in his truck for another half hour or so before heading out. So I guess it must have been nothing But it was easy to report it and the response was very low key/caused no commotion which was nice. -OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I smelled it again when I got home tonight, so I went ahead and called Washington Gas directly and reported it. They sent a technician to check it out within the hour. It seemed like he walked around, checked things out, then sat in his truck for another half hour or so before heading out. So I guess it must have been nothing But it was easy to report it and the response was very low key/caused no commotion which was nice. -OP

Don’t give up. There is definitely a leak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I smelled it again when I got home tonight, so I went ahead and called Washington Gas directly and reported it. They sent a technician to check it out within the hour. It seemed like he walked around, checked things out, then sat in his truck for another half hour or so before heading out. So I guess it must have been nothing But it was easy to report it and the response was very low key/caused no commotion which was nice. -OP

Don’t give up. There is definitely a leak.

You were right! Went outside today and the smell was back and strong as ever. I walked around the area for a bit and was able to pinpoint that it was strongest near where the water co. had dug their hole a couple weeks back. Called Washington Gas again, and the tech that came out this time quickly escalated the ticket. Within a couple hours a crew was out ripping up the street to do repairs. They are just now wrapping up after about 6-7 hours of work. -OP