Every once in a great while, you hear a story of a home exploding because of a natural gas leak. It’s sobering stuff. Here in the Pacific Northwest, where most homes use natural gas to power their furnaces and often their water heating systems, it’s important to be alert to the signs of a gas leak.

Signs of a gas leak

1. Your monitor is beeping. If you heat with natural gas, a gas monitor is an essential piece of equipment. Like a fire alarm with smoke, it beeps when it detects natural gas in the air. These often are combined with CO2 alarms, another vital monitoring system. While the monitor could just need a new battery, it’s best to assume the worst and evacuate the house.

2. You smell rotten eggs. While natural gas (and CO2) is an odorless substance, most gas companies add a substance to the gas so that it can be detected by smell. That smell is best described as smelling of rotten eggs.

3. You notice a hiss or air escaping from your furnace. A small amount of natural gas escaping from your furnace can sound like a valve is being gradually opened. This is another sign you need to have your heating system evaluated quickly.

What to do in the event of a gas leak

If you suspect your home has a gas leak, you can’t be too careful. Quickly bundle up your kids and pets and exit the house as soon as possible. For obvious reasons, avoid smoking or using anything with an open flame. Only when you are a good distance away from your house should you call the gas company and alert them.

Working with Kaufman’s Home Maintenance

The best way to avoid a gas leak is to keep current with your furnace and other home maintenance. Annual furnace inspections can catch potential problems before they have a chance to develop into life-threatening situations. Kaufman’s Home Maintenance can help you keep abreast of your regular maintenance as well as insure that you have the necessary monitors in place to protect your family.

At Kaufman’s Home Maintenance, we offer both on demand service and a subscription service that we tailor to fit your home and your family’s needs. The subscription service takes the budgeting guess work out of maintaining your home correctly. To learn more about Kaufman’s Home Maintenance Service, call 503-798-4357 or e-mail us at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.