Gas leaks mostly occur where the home pipes join together at the fittings such as tees, regulators, flex lines, and valves.
Gas leakage in the home increases the risk of explosion and fire if left unchecked. Therefore, it should be examined regularly to avoid the consequences that you or your family might face. Continue reading to find the best ways to detect gas leakage in your home with ease.
Checking for A Gas Leakage: 5 Key Methods
1. The Sense Test:
Natural gas leakage can be easily detected by our sense of smell, hearing, and sight. You can start by detecting any unpleasant odor by using your sense of smell. If you smell a Sulphur scent or rotten eggs in your home air environment; this is an indication of gas leakage.
Next, listen to a hissing sound that can be heard near your home pipes or where appliances are kept. Not all gas leaks make this sound, it can, however, be a useful tip to look for possible leaks.
Another thing that you can use is your sense of sight. Look for the flame color. If it changes to orange or yellow from blue, this might be an indication of gas leakage. Gas stoves usually have blue flames and this means that there is sufficient oxygen for the gas to combust. When the flame changes its color, it means that it is not completely burning and the leakage needs to be fixed.
2. Using Gas Detectors
Employing gas detectors is useful to look for possible leakage at home. Here’s the list of the most popular gas detectors that you can choose from:
a. Carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon dioxide is an odorless and colorless gas that is toxic to the body. Take special care while plugging this detector so that airflow shouldn’t get restricted. It is best to plug this detector at the knee level or a lower place. This is because carbon monoxide can interfere with the home’s internal atmosphere as it is heavier than air.
b. Handheld natural gas detector.
Nowadays, portable gas detectors are becoming popular. These detectors can easily sense gas concentrations at the home. When the concentration level becomes too high, it will ring an alarm to indicate the area is not safe.
c. Radon Detector.
Radon is an odorless gas that you can’t sense without any equipment. It lets you monitor the condition of gas in your home by providing accurate calculations. You need to place it in a dry place that is situated at the lowest level of your home. Now leave it for 90 days and get your home tested for radon detection.
3. Conduct a Soapy Water Test:
The soapy water test is specifically useful when it is difficult to hear the hissing sound of gas leakage due to low pressure. Sometimes it is also hard to see gas escaping from the pipe with your sense of sight. In such a case, perform the soapy water test to detect gas leakage at your home.
For this purpose, you need to mix a spoon of dishwashing soap with a cup of water. Use this mixture on your pipework to see what happens. If bubbles are formed in the solution, it means that the pipe is leaking. If you witness no change then there is nothing to worry about.
4. Check Your Gas Bill
Another way to gauge a leakage at your home is by comparing your gas bill with the previous months. If you see drastic changes over time then it’s time to contact your nearest plumber to look for possible changes. However, make sure that you analyze the situation realistically. If you are using more furnaces than in previous months, the gas bill will be high.
5. Note Any Unusual Physical Symptoms
Another possibility of gas leakage can result in unusual physical symptoms while you are at home. For instance, if you experience headaches, body aches, or nausea without any apparent reason, get your home checked.
Excessive natural gas makes it difficult to breathe at home. Therefore, if you find any of these symptoms, do not overlook them and get the help of your nearest plumber.
How To Fix Gas Leaks?
When you have detected gas leakage at home, it’s time to fix it. Here are some efficient ways to fix gas leaks at home.
- Turn off your gas and remove the outer covers.
- Detach the gas line.
- Clean the line by removing residue gas pressure.
- Attach the gas line and apply epoxy.
- Test and call your plumber.
If you take safety precautions, it will save you from the dangers of gas leakage especially when you are away from home. invest your time in the following precautionary measures to save your property, home appliances, and everything inside the home.
- Perform routine maintenance on all equipment used by gas. These include furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, etc.
- Check for possible signs of corrosion and get them immediately fixed up.
- Get your home inspected by a professional plumber to avoid any bad consequences.
FAQs:
The common causes of gas leaks include poor home ventilation and faulty piping. Poor ventilation causes carbon dioxide to leak into the home along with natural and propane gas.
As a result, the level of oxygen becomes low and it can lead to problems related to breathing. This is one of the major signs of gas leakage. Another reason is faulty piping. Piping can get faulty with time and lose its seal thereby causing a gas leak.
Gas leakage might lead to potential fires, explosions, or natural gas poisoning. Therefore, it is important to detect gas leakage and fix it to save people in and around your home.
Inhaling leaked gas in your home can cause breathing problems. The level of oxygen gets too low and this leads to hypoxia. As a result, you might experience symptoms like decreased vision, fatigue, headaches, short breaths, etc.
Conclusion:
Gas explosions can be life-threatening if they get exaggerated. Knowing how to detect a gas leak at home is imperative for ensuring the health of your family. It aids you in preventing a disaster and ensures the full safety of everyone in and around.
Use a variety of detection tools and methods or call a plumber to fix leakage issues. We hope that you have benefitted from the given tips and tricks and you’ll implement these in your home.
