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How can you prevent gas explosions in your home?

Introduction

Natural gas is used in almost all residential homes for cooking and/or heating purpose. Understanding the safety tips is very important to ensure accidents don’t happen due to gas explosions. Natural gas has an added chemical called mercaptan which smells like rotten eggs to detect any gas leaks.

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Gas leak detection equipment

Symptoms of gas leak

 

One of the main ways to detect if there is a gas leak is if you detect the smell of rotten eggs. The stronger the smell is the more likely you have a gas leak and in higher concentrations. Note that older gas appliances give out a little bit of smell when they are turned on but most newer models do not produce any odor when the appliances is turned on.
Larger gas leaks can be detected by a hissing sound even with the appliance turned off. Natural gas leaks outside in the underground can be detected if you see dead or dying plants since natural gas prevents the plant roots from absorbing the nutrients from soil. Natural gas leak also causes stunted growth in leaves and yellow patches of grass. Bubbles in standing water is also a symptom of a underground gas leak where a burst natural gas pipe is leaking and the gas is flowing through the soil up to the atmosphere.
An abnormal increase in the gas bill can also indicate a small leak which is hard to detect by smell. Seasonal increase or decrease in natural gas usage is normal, like the gas bill going up in winter if you have a gas boiler or a furnace and a lower bill in summer since there is no heating.

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how to detect a gas leak

What to do if you suspect a gas leak

 

If you suspect a gas leak, leave the area immediately. Do not turn on any electrical appliances or switches as that could cause sparks and the gas to catch fire. Leave the door open so that the gas escapes into outside atmosphere. Call 911 or national grid immediately and report a gas leak.

Gas safety tips

 

Make sure the house has a working carbon monoxide detector and a natural gas detector. Ensure that the batteries are replaced in these detectors every six months. Make sure the area around the gas appliances is clean and ensure there are no blockages for air flow around the appliance. Keep combustible products like cleaning products, paints, gasoline away from the natural gas appliance. If the cooking range does not light up because of a faulty or clogged pilot light, make sure all the knobs are turned off, open windows and door to get the gas out and wait for a few minutes before trying to reignite. Use a candle lighter or a match stick to ignite the flame.  Turn off the knob and try to ignite the gas burner again using the pilot light if it still doesn’t turn on, if you are still having difficulty with the pilot light, turn off the gas valve and call the plumber in Manhattan to get the appliance checked. Ensure that you are in compliance of all the gas safety inspections like Local Law 152 and other requirements.

If you need any help with your gas appliances like a hot water heater or a boiler installation or repair, Call Neo Plumbing & heating Corp today or schedule a plumber online and our technicians can come and ensure that the appliances are working in the correct manner without any leaks or dangers.

 

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