As a manager of more than a dozen facilities, I’ve seen more than my fair share of gas leaks. Here’s what to do when there’s a natural gas leak, and one of my personal experiences of when I had a major gas leak in my apartment.
We heard a bang, and then what sounded like a leaf blower outside our apartment. We didn’t think a lot of it. Maybe our landlord had hired a professional landscaping crew. My wife was going out to investigate, but before she got outside, our neighbor started pounding on our door.
“GET OUT! THERE’S A BIG GAS LEAK!”
Someone had hit the gas meter, and that leaf blower was actually natural gas being blown out of the line.
Someone Hit the Natural Gas Meter With a Truck
I grabbed my phone, bug out bag, and my baby girl and we ran out of there. I stopped at our other neighbor’s house and told them about the gas leak and told them to get out. Without waiting to see if they would, I just ran down the street. I turned around, and these guys were taking their time about things. They spent about 3 minutes in the house, gathering some things, almost like they were going out for a day trip. I don’t think they realized how volatile the situation was, or how easy it would be for that entire area to turn into a gigantic fireball. It was a big, serious, gas leak. The 1″ main line that fed 4 apartments was broken, and they were taking their time.
You are not supposed to use electronics if you suspect there is a gas leak. Many electronics, even flipping a light switch, can cause a spark, which is exactly what you don’t want when there’s a natural gas leak. Our neighbor went outside and started up their car. Cars run by burning fuel. If its bad to turn on lights because they can make a spark and ignite the gas, starting a vehicle that literally burns gas to move is a really bad idea.
The Resolution
Luckily, they were able to pull out without turning my house into a pile of charcoal. The neighbor who had warned us to get out got on the phone and called 911. The fire department showed up about 3 minutes later, and the gas company showed up a few minutes after that and, after about a half hour of the gas running, they got the gas turned off. They gave us permission to go back into the building, and over the next 24 hours they repaired the gas line. I live in an apartment complex, and it turns out that one of our neighbors in another building had hit the meter with his truck, and then drove off without telling anyone. Below is a picture of our apartment’s broken gas meter.
What is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is mostly methane, but has other varying amounts of other chemicals and gasses in it as well, such as helium and carbon dioxide. Like other fossil fuels, its made from decomposing organic material, like old dead plants and animals. Natural gas is commonly used for heating in your furnace or water heater, and in cooking in gas burning stoves.
Natural gas has a chemical added to it that gives it that Sulphur/rotten egg smell. When it occurs in nature, natural gas is actually odorless. The smell is added by the gas company to help people recognize when there is a leak as a safety measure.
What Are the Hazards of Natural Gas?
The most obvious hazard of natural gas is an explosion. In case you were unaware- gas is flammable.
Additionally, according to healthline.com, a person can also experience the following symptoms from exposure to natural gas:
- headache
- dizziness
- nausea
- eye and throat irritation
- fatigue
- breathing problems
- pale skin or blisters, which only occur if skin comes in contact with compressed or liquid gas
If you’ve been exposed to this natural gas air, get yourself some fresh air. If your symptoms are severe, call an ambulance or go to the emergency room. Err on the side of caution, especially with a danger and a risk you cannot see. Please also note that we are not medical professionals. If you’re able to, call your doctor and get professional medical advice in your personal situation.
We also strongly recommend that you get a natural gas detector. Our personal preference is one that detects both gas and carbon monoxide. Appliances that are at risk of having a natural gas leak are also at high risk of having a carbon monoxide problem. Anytime there is burning fuel, that’s a risk. Combining the two into one is just efficient and makes a lot of sense.
What Should You Do?
If there is a gas leak, you want to shut off the gas. You can turn off the gas often right at appliances. There is usually a shut off valve behind it built in. If that isn’t easily accessible or not possible, you can shut off your gas at the gas main. Unfortunately, when the truck hit our gas main, the line broke below the shut off, leaving us unable to shut of the line, but shutting off the gas main is a good fail safe option for 99% of gas leak situations.
If you can’t quickly shut off the gas, evacuate immediately. Don’t turn on any electronics, and leave any electronics that are on already turned on, and get out of the building, leaving the door open as you go out. Then call 911 OUTSIDE. Your phone is an electronic. Don’t use it indoor if you’ve got a gas leak. Then do what you need to do as far as first aid and taking care of your health.
What Do You Not Want to Do?
You don’t want to turn on any light switches if you have a gas leak. In fact, you want to avoid using all electrical devices all together. Don’t plug anything in, but also don’t unplug anything. Both of those actions can create a spark. It should also go without saying- you shouldn’t strike a match, or light a lighter. Added to the list of incredibly stupid things to do if you have a gas leak: don’t turn on a furnace, heater, oven, stove, toaster, or heat element. These things make fire.
Let it Air Out
Be sure you give a natural gas leak plenty of time to air out. Natural gas is lighter than air and will dissipate fairly quickly, leaving the area safe. With all the safety concerns, you want to make sure you give the air plenty of time to clear.
What to Do After the Fact?
After you’ve gotten your leak repaired, wherever that may be, and you’ve aired out your house, the next thing to do is to make sure any furnaces, stoves, or other appliances that have a pilot light get relit. If you’ve shut off the gas at the main, failing to relight these pilot lights will pour gas in the building again if there isn’t a fire there to burn it, and then you’re back where you started. Additionally, as has been already mentioned, make sure you’ve got a natural gas detector in place. We strongly recommend you have one by every appliance that uses natural gas, which is what we do.
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