What to do if you think you have a gas leak, and how do we determine where the leak is
The nose, shnoz, nariz is usually the first bit of detecting equipment that indicates a gas leak.
Thankfully, gas is designed to be detected by smell well before it reaches the gas-air ratio to be flammable.
But don’t mess around, if you smell gas, inside especially, follow these rules.
Vacate your abode with all your family members
Do not switch any electrical devices or appliances on or off (this micro spark in the switch can cause the gas to ignite)
Leave the doors open, and find a safe place away from the house remembering to keep away from any windows or any glass panels or objects that could shatter.
Call a registered gas fitter, or the gas company.
If the gas meter is away from the house (at your front gate for example), isolate the meter, if you know how to do so.
Once we show up to your emergency call, we carry on board our vehicles many sophisticated measuring devices, tools and sundries that can indicate whether and where you have a gas leak.
Meter
Our meter measures small changes in gas pressure level, down to 0.01kPa, which will indicate that you have a leak, but cannot tell you where it is.
Example of some readings taken over a 10-minute period of a gas leak on an installation of a new client. We had to find the location of this leak and repair it before we could add a gas cooktop to their house.
Note reading decreases in each picture 5 minutes apart indicating a small gas leak
Flammable gas detector
Sometimes known as the sniffer, this piece of equipment can perceive extremely low levels, down to 1ppm flammable gas in the air. This helps us pinpoint where a leak is
Leak detection solution
We have a spray that reacts with flammable gas by bubbling, this can help us pinpoint the exact location of the leak. As you can see, it’s very obvious where the leak is coming from once we have sprayed the fluid
Found during a gas test prior to a new installation
Found by an electrician sniffing around outside, the previous gasfitter had not checked the meter test nipple was gas tight
Pump
This is more of a nuclear option, and we have only used this twice. You can pump up the gas line inside your house with air to a higher pressure than usual. The small hole in the pipe, and the higher pressure can lead to a ‘squeak’ or ‘squeal’ that indicates the position of the hole audibly. This is only if the gas pipe is behind finished wall linings, and we don’t want to make too many holes.
Like we say, this is only a very last option.
How we put your mind at ease
Before we carry out any gas work, we always check your gas system is tight, just to be certain that we start with no gas leaks. We need to ensure when we give you a Gas Safety Certificate, that your entire system is safe. If we find a gas leak, we will always repair that first before we start with any new part of the installation.
If you feel you have a gas leak, or would like to be certain you do not, give us a call and we are happy to come out and put your mind at rest. Call on 0273486417, or use our contact page to get fast and efficient service