If you need to inspect a gas line for damage, then you should know how to perform gas line leak detection. There are three main ways to detect a leak in the gas line — a natural gas odor inside the house, dead plants outside, and ill health effects.
Check For Natural Gas Smell Inside
The number one best way to know, whether you are a professional plumber, contractor, or just a homeowner, that there is a gas line leak is by detecting the smell of natural gas. Gas lines that provide natural gas to homeowners and residents have added odors to the fuel so that when there's a gas leak the otherwise undetectable gas leak can be found. If you smell natural gas inside of the home, then you can be reasonably certain that you have detected a gas line leak. From there, you can turn off the gas line, determine where the leak is coming from, and fix the leak.
Dead Plants Outside
Another great way to detect a gas line leak is by seeing if the exterior of the house or property has dead plants in strange spots. There are plenty of reasons why there could be dead plants on the property of the house you are performing gas line leak detection on, but if you can rule out neglect, overly dry weather, and accidental chemical use by the homeowner, then it's worth investigating further. For example, if there are dead plants surrounded by perfectly healthy plants, then that could be a sign that there's a gas leak.
Health Effects
Finally, one way to know that something is wrong with the air quality of the house is by experiencing negative health effects once you enter the property, or if the residents have experienced negative health effects over time. This can include breathing issues (or worsened issues, for those with respiratory illnesses), dizziness, and flu-like symptoms for those just entering the house. Meanwhile, those living on the property with a gas leak may experience all of those symptoms, plus pink skin, bright red lips, frostbite, blisters, numbness of skin, and even vision loss.
If you are performing gas line leak detection, then you should watch for bad smells in the home, dead plants on the property, and health effects upon entry or of the residents. Call a professional or gas engineer to handle the gas leak if you suspect you have a gas leak.
Share21 August 2020
My homes have always had either copper or PVC plumbing pipes. But when my plumbing system needed an overhaul last spring, I wanted a piping system for my home that I could work on myself when needed. There were a lot of good reasons to choose PEX piping, but my favorite thing about the PEX piping is that it's easy to work with, even if you're a beginner like me. Now I can make small repairs myself instead of calling the plumber every time I have a minor leak or other small problem. I still call the plumber for the big stuff, but it's more affordable now that I can take care of small issues myself. I started this blog to help others learn how they, too, can do DIY plumbing repairs at home.