Natural Gas Leaks
Natural gas leaks are rare, but they can have very serious consequences. Use your senses to detect a natural gas leak in your home or business. If you detect any of the below issues, immediately move to a safe place and call 911. Do not turn on or off any lights or appliances, including a phone.
Look
Dead or discolored vegetation: Is your usually lush garden suddenly brown with decay? Or perhaps there’s a mysterious brown patch in your yard. Dead vegetation can be a sign of a natural gas leak beneath the soil. The gas blocks the plants’ natural source of oxygen.
Blowing dirt: Does it look like a mini-whirlwind in a corner of your home? Are the dust bunnies swirling or blowing? Natural gas leaks can easily send stray particles into flight.
Bubbles: Don’t ignore bubbling water on your street – This can be a sign of a natural gas leak lurking below.
Listen
Hissing sound: That quiet hissing or blowing sound shouldn’t be ignored. It could be the sound of natural gas exiting a pipe in an undesirable location. This is especially true near appliances or after a natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood.
Smell
Rotten egg-smell: Natural gas is naturally odorless; however, a chemical called mercaptan is added in order to warn people of a potential natural gas leak.
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