Repairing Natural Gas Leaks | Excalibur Plumbing

Ask any home builder or realtor and they will readily tell you that “natural gas is the way to go.” Compared to electric alternatives (electric heat, electric stoves, electric dryers), natural gas is more efficient and affordable hands down.

Natural gas appliances are favored because they are more affordable than their electric counterparts, and they’re more reliable too. How are they more reliable? Because most natural gas appliances will continue working even when your electricity isn’t.

Some of the major advantages of natural gas:

Since the natural gas system is located underground, it’s rare to experience an outage.
As a domestically produced fuel that’s in abundance, there’s plenty to go around.
Natural gas appliances are more energy-efficient than electric appliances.
A natural gas water heater heats water two times faster than an electric water heater.
About 90% of the natural gas that is sent into the pipeline reaches the consumer, as opposed to only 30% of electricity.
Not only is natural gas produced by American companies, but it also provides nearly 3 million jobs in the U.S., according to Alagasco.
When you choose natural gas appliances, you’re helping to minimize your impact on the environment by reducing carbon emissions.

Natural Gas Line Issues

While natural gas is more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient than electricity, as a homeowner you must always be on the lookout for natural gas line issues that can arise.

Although natural gas is considered quite safe, if there is a problem in a natural gas line due to a faulty installation, a natural disaster, or even the passage of time, natural gas leaks can develop. Homeowners and landlords cannot ignore natural gas leaks as they can lead to health problems for the inhabitants and pets, serious injuries and fire hazards.

By itself, natural gas is unnoticeable because it has no odor or color, but this can be deadly because inhaling natural gas is very harmful to our health. In order to eliminate this threat, utility companies (natural gas suppliers) have added a scent that contains sulfur to the gas, causing the gas to smell like rotten eggs. This way, people can smell it when they have a natural gas leak.

Gas Leaks Can Cause Asphyxia

If you detect the smell of rotten eggs in your home, you want to look for the source of the leak. Once you locate the leak, you have to turn off the main valve so it can be repaired.

If you are unable to locate the source of the leak, or if you’re not properly trained on fixing it yourself, please immediately contact Excalibur Plumbing for professional assistance.

If you delay in taking care of the gas leak and your household is exposed to high amounts of gas, it can deprive household members of vital oxygen, which can cause chest pain and lead to sudden death by means of asphyxia.