What to Do If You Smell Gas at Home
Natural gas has a rotten-egg smell added so you can tell when it's leaking. If you notice it, act first and investigate later.
Request a plumberGet everyone out
Leave the house right away with people and pets. Don't stop to open windows, look for the leak or gather belongings.
Avoid sparks
Don't turn lights or appliances on or off, use a phone inside, light a match or start a car in an attached garage. Any spark can ignite gas.
Report it from outside
From a safe distance, contact your gas utility's emergency line or 911. The utility will send someone to check and shut off the gas if needed.
Who repairs what
The gas company handles the meter and the line up to it. Leaks on your side of the meter are repaired by a licensed plumber. In Texas, gas piping is plumbing work. See gas line plumbing.
Prevent problems
Replace old flexible connectors behind ranges and dryers, have gas appliances checked, keep the area around a gas water heater clear and install carbon monoxide alarms.
After the repair
The plumber pressure-tests the line before gas is turned back on. Ask for the test results and any permit paperwork for your records.
Carbon monoxide is different
Carbon monoxide has no smell. It comes from gas appliances that aren't burning or venting properly. Headaches, dizziness or nausea that ease when you leave the house, or a CO alarm going off, mean get outside and have the appliances checked before using them again.
Know your shut-offs
Find the gas shut-off at the meter and the valve beside each gas appliance. A quarter turn so the handle sits across the pipe closes it. Only the gas company should turn gas back on at the meter.
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