Signs of a Gas Leak in Your Home
Gas leaks in a home can cause damages to both your home and health. Knowing signs of a gas leak can help you avoid any serious issues. New Age Plumbing can help you identify and fix a gas leak in your home. There are multiple common signs to watch for, as well as some uncommon signs, that you want to be familiar with to catch the problem early on.
Most Common Signs of a Gas Leak
Gas leaks have some very common signs which can help you avoid serious trouble. The number one sign that something is wrong is if you smell gas. Now, this can happen for a number of reason. One of them is a crack in the furnace. Or gas line break. Or it can be caused by leaving the stove on. To check the last, flick the switches on your stove a few times. You can also pull the stove out and turn off the gas line. If the gas smell is faint, you can check for it by lighting a match in the area. Be sure that you do not light the match directly near the gas line. Rather go a foot or so away, then light it. This method should only be used if you can barely smell the gas. Do not try this if the smell of gas fills the room.
Besides smelling gas, your gas burners may begin to act funny. One way to check this is to turn on the stove and see is the flame stay blue, or flickers green or yellow. If the flame begins to flicker, then you may have a gas leak. Lastly, you can check the pilot light on the furnace. If it turns off and on a number of times, then you may have a gas leak. If you see any of these signs on your home, call the gas company immediately and leave no one in the home. Gas leaks can cause serious lung damage and you should not expose yourself more than needed.
Uncommon Signs
Besides the common and fairly obvious signs, there a few uncommon signs of gas leak too. One is if you and your family begin experiencing cold or flu like symptoms. These symptoms can include random headaches that do not leave. It may also be stinging behind the eyes and nose. Nausea and lightheadedness can also be a sign. In addition, these symptoms should not become a full blown cold or flu. They should remain in the symptom category only. They should also be felt by everybody in the house, around the same time. These symptoms can be signs of gas poisoning, and you should contact the gas company if you and your family experience them. Another sign is if you see soot or black marks around your stove or furnace. This can be a sign of the gas spiking. This means that the gas flow is becoming blocked, and then bursting. This can be very dangerous as it may eventually cause an explosion.
Gas leaks are dangerous things. But identifying them can be hard. New Age Plumbing can help protect your home from potential disasters. There are many signs that can signal a gas leak in your home. When you know the signs, you can better protect your family.