The Primary Indicators Your Emergency Plumber Will Look For When Determining If Your Home Has A Gas Leak | Sandy Springs, GA
Gas Leaks are one of the plumbing emergencies that might result in fatal consequences. Besides increasing energy utility bills, they also might negatively impact your health and wellbeing. However, the risk of fire is perhaps the worst. Most of the gasses used to power appliances at your home are flammable. Hence, a fire outbreak might arise whenever there is a leakage at your home, resulting in severe damage or even death.
Protracted gas leaks can be identified easily due to the smell. However, small leaks might go unnoticed for a while. Most of the gas products are odorless. However, the gas companies add mercaptan to the gas, which gives it the characteristic smell. In case of a large gas leak, a fire might be ignited by the slightest of sparks. Smaller, silent gas leaks might harm your health by silently adding to indoor pollution. The adverse impacts of over-exposure to the slowly leaking gas line might cause vomiting, respiratory issues, headaches, and much more.
Therefore, you should enlist an emergency plumber for a gas line repair service in Sandy Springs, GA, whenever you notice any leaks. You must enlist a professional for a gas leak inspection semi-annually to ensure that your home is safe. This is a measure to ensure that your home and family are safe from the devastating impacts of a gas leak. In this article, you will learn of the various signs that you have a gas leak. However, let’s first understand what might be the reason for the gas leak.
Causes of Gas Leakage
The main causes of gas leaks are poorly fitted gas lines and badly maintained gas-powered appliances. Substandard pipe fittings might also cause a plumbing emergency. The gas can escape from an appliance if it isn’t properly fitted. In most instances, the gas piping that leads to your appliance might not be properly fitted or sealed, resulting in a gas leak. Fortunately, all these are issues that an emergency plumber can fix if caught on time. They can also be fixed during routine gas leaks and plumbing inspections.
Indicators of a Gas Leak Issue
Whether your home’s gas lines are underground or on the surface, they may corrode or deteriorate over time. This makes them have pinholes where the gas might leak out through. Whenever you notice or suspect a gas leak issue, you should have an emergency plumber come over for gas line inspection and repair in Sandy Springs, GA, as soon as possible. But how can you identify a gas leak at your home? This is only possible if you understand the signs. Below are several signs that can help you in identifying a gas leak.
Abnormally High Gas Utility Bills
At times, the gas leaks might remain unnoticed and hidden for long. In such an occurrence, you might notice that the gas bill has suddenly started increasing to levels higher than average or what you are used to. Whenever you notice unexplainably high gas bills and haven’t added a gas-powered appliance to your home, that is a surefire sign that gas is leaking at a certain point. This should be enough for you to call an emergency plumber to come over, inspect the gas lines, and repair or patch any present leaks.
Dead Plants
Although underground gas leaks are pretty hard to detect, the plants on the surface can give a clue. If the nearby plants above or near the gas lines suddenly start dying, that is a clear indication that there may be a gas leak. Though plants may die or wither for various reasons, if they do so for no apparent reason, that could be a sign of gas leakage. When excessive, natural gas can block the source of oxygen for the plants. Additionally, the vegetables and fruits change color whenever they closely come into contact with the leaking natural gas. Whenever you notice this, immediately call an emergency plumber to have the gas lines inspected, leaking point diagnosed, and sealed to save your home from its devastating impacts.
Hissing Sound
There is no clearer sign of a gas leak than a hissing sound from the gas line. Your gas lines have a substantial leak whenever you hear a loud hissing sound. This isn’t a problem to ignore. Ignoring the sound or postponing gas line repair could lead to devastating and fatal consequences. So, whenever you hear or notice the sound, call a professional emergency plumber to come and resolve the issue. The plumbers specializing in gas line repairs have specialized gas leak detection devices that make pinpointing the leaking point easy.
Health Concerns
Getting exposed to gas leaks for a long time also raises health issues. If you observe either of the following health conditions without any viable explanation, you could have been exposed to gas leaks. The health conditions you might develop on exposure to gas leaks include headaches, nausea, fatigue, chest pains, irregular or difficulty breathing, drowsiness, light-headedness or dizziness, and flu-like symptoms. Whenever you experience one of these conditions, seek medical attention and ensure that an emergency plumber in Sandy Springs, GA, comes over for a gas leak inspection.
Fog or White Mist
Sometimes, you also might notice an uncharacteristic cloud of fog or mist around your home, which could signify that your gas line might have ruptured. Whenever you notice such, enlist the help of a plumber specializing in gas line repair for further inspection and fixing. Ruptured gas lines can cause serious damage to the immediate plants and might result in a fire breakout.
Rotten Egg Smell
As mentioned above, natural gas is colorless and doesn’t have any smell. However, gas utility companies mix the gas with a component called mercaptan for safety purposes. This compound gives the previously odorless gas an odor. Hence, it becomes easy to notice whenever there is a gas leak. Mercaptan smells like sulfur or rotten eggs. Have you noticed this smell in your home? Call an emergency plumber immediately for a gas leak inspection and gas line repair service.
Reliable Emergency Plumbing Service Providers
Gas leaks can have silent but devastating consequences. Therefore, homeowners are advised to enlist for routine gas leakage inspections to ensure their homes are safe. However, should you notice either of the signs above, you should immediately seek the help of an emergency plumber to patch the gas leak. For prompt emergency plumbing services, reach out to us at Peach Plumbing & Drain at any time.