natural gas detector?

G

Gary007

Joined
May 17, 2002
Messages
1,452
Moved into a new home a few months ago that has a gas stove. My wife ocassionally thinks she smells gas, but not sure if it's just her imagination. I've never smelled it. Although last night my 14 said she could smell rotten eggs, but I didn't smell anything.

Who makes a good natural gas detector? I'm getting a little paranoid.
 
I'm not sure about a natural gas detector, but you can find a gas detector that can be plugged in to an outlet at your local hardware store. I had the same problem when my family and I had moved into a new home and with the detector close to the stove, I felt much more relieved.

BTW, this recommendation came to me via my father in law who is a federal fire inspector.
 
Call Public Service immediately. Better yet, call the fire dept. Most likely they will have a NG detector. If they (fire dept.) suspect a leak Public Service will come right out if they request them. Call now! It is better that they come out now than when your house has exploded.
 
You can also call your local gas provider using their emergency line. I had to do that one time and they sent a guy in with a detector. The smell of rotten eggs is sometimes an indication of the presence of sulfur. As Ken said, CALL NOW!
 
OK, the wife is making the call......

thanks everyone!

grnamin said:
You can also call your local gas provider using their emergency line. I had to do that one time and they sent a guy in with a detector. The smell of rotten eggs is sometimes an indication of the presence of sulfur. As Ken said, CALL NOW!
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Good idea on calling. I've had some scares with my propane stove. I don't know if its specific to "natural gas" but they do make CO2 (I think they're called) detectors and you should have them together with the regular smoke detectors.
 
They put a mercaptan in the natural gas and propane.Mercaptans are organo-sulphur compounds that have a pungent aroma [also found in onions and skunks !] .Call your supplier ,they have instruments that can detect minute amounts of gas. I had a regulator relaced recently and then they checked it out - said there was a leak. I was amazed since I couldn't detect any smell but there was a leak !
 
The odd faint wisp of natural gas marker odor in a kitchen with a gas stove happens when you turn the burners on and off. Sometimes, just a tiny bit of gas escapes unburned and you'll get just a momentary faint odor of it.

But, any odor when you're not immediately turning the burners on or off is a serious sign and should be promptly investigated.
 
Not to threadjack, but have I ever told you guys about the time my Rhodesian Ridgeback tried to kill me? She tried to get some leftovers off of the stove and turned the gas on with her paw but it didn't light. I woke up from my nap with the heavy smell of gas. Seriously lucky I didn't die :mad: That little b*tch!
 
Don't go dissing Rhodesian Ridgebacks around me. They're adorable, a little energetic, but friendly and adorable.
 
Hi All-

Gary007, just another vote to verify the condition of the gas line to your house with the fire department and gas company. They'll use a "sniffer" that can detect very minute leaks...typically, NG enters your house around 3-4 p.s.i.

If you really want to identify a possible leak, have them turn off service outside and exhaust whatever gas you have in the line. At that point, install a valve and pressurize the system with plain AIR up to about 150 p.s.i. and walk around with a solution of warm water and liquid soap to spray where pipes and fittings are joined. You may even hear the faint "tick-tick-tick-tick" of a leaking pipe, if it exists.

Lastly, Shann, don't be blaming those awesome Rhodesian Ridgebacks for your gas problems! Gollnick and I will have to come up there and get medieval on you for badmouthing those cute little hounds! :D

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Blue Jays said:
Hi All-

Gary007, just another vote to verify the condition of the gas line to your house with the fire department and gas company. They'll use a "sniffer" that can detect very minute leaks...typically, NG enters your house around 3-4 p.s.i.

If you really want to identify a possible leak, have them turn off service outside and exhaust whatever gas you have in the line. At that point, install a valve and pressurize the system with plain AIR up to about 150 p.s.i. and walk around with a solution of warm water and liquid soap to spray where pipes and fittings are joined. You may even hear the faint "tick-tick-tick-tick" of a leaking pipe, if it exists.

Lastly, Shann, don't be blaming those awesome Rhodesian Ridgebacks for your gas problems! Gollnick and I will have to come up there and get medieval on you for badmouthing those cute little hounds! :D

~ Blue Jays ~
Click to expand...

Oh, puhleeze, she's got it soooo, tough at my house. Last night she had to sit with me (all 90 pounds of her) in my recliner all evening. Tonite I have to stop at the deli and pick up her friday night treat of beef soup bones or she'll turn her nose up at me. . :D RRs are the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen and she's the sweetest thing ever. And she's got some "gas problems" of her own, let me tell you!

I've got a book of stories about her, ahem, behavioral issues, though! Let me know if you want me to post a few stories. :rolleyes:
 
Hi Shann-

Shann said:
"...[Rhodesian Ridgebacks] are the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen and she's the sweetest thing ever. :D I've got a book of stories about her, ahem, behavioral issues, though! Let me know if you want me to post a few stories. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
You can obviously tell that I was teasing you about your four-legged natural gas emitter. I've wanted a Rhodesian Ridgeback (RR) for more than twenty years and it seems that now that I have property that can support that energetic dog, I may get my wish. That would be great if you could start a separate new thread about RRs. There is nothing on BladeForums.com with those keywords in the title. It certainly would be helpful for BladeForums members considering that independent-minded breed.

Gary007, to get this back on track, how are you doing with determining if you have a natural gas leak in your home? Has the fire department or gas company been around to visit with an electronic sniffer?

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Blue Jays said:
Gary007, to get this back on track, how are you doing with determining if you have a natural gas leak in your home? Has the fire department or gas company been around to visit with an electronic sniffer?

~ Blue Jays ~
Click to expand...

we called them at about 8am yesterday, never showed up! Waited all friggin day. :grumpy:
 
Hi Gary007-

If you're talking about the fire department, you might want to request an "officer's call" which means they they'll arrive in a regular car without the firetrucks, sirens, lights, airhorns, and guys with bunkercoats and axes. It will be to help determine the nature of the odor condition in your house.

As an example, there was once an acrid smell filling my home. I could have sworn it was smoldering plastic or something else burning behind the old walls...it was very strong. As it turns out, it was a family of skunks living beneath my porch! :eek:

Skunks apparently migrate between three or four different lairs. Since they were in such close proximity and the odor was so concentrated...it didn't even smell like a skunk anymore...but like burning housing materials. The guys from the fire department found this when we took a prybar to the porch as we followed the smell. We drove them away by throwing towels soaked with household ammonia into the nesting area and playing loud music with the speakers aimed towards the front of the house. It worked like a charm.

If you're waiting on the gas company I would give them a call and remind them it's an emergency situation if you still have the odor in your house. They don't need to send an entire crew, just a supervisor to check on things. Good luck with determining the cause.

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Yeah, try calling the gas company. They may be more able to come quickly.
 
As a general rule, too, it's a good idea to know where your house's main gas shutoff valve is (usually right by the meter) and how to operate it. Most require some sort of wrench. A gas leak is not a good time to be rummaging through your toolbox looking for a wrench much less running to Home Depot. So, buy the wrench now and hang it on the wall in the garage (not in a drawer where it will get burried under other stuff, or even put it by the valve if you can. If you're gonna put it outside near the meter, use a small chain or some rope or something to tie it to the valve so that if it falls on the ground and snow or leaves fall over it, you can find it quickly.
 
Hi All-

Gollnick, great advice about the wrench.

Having a wrench tethered to the outside shutoff might even be a law in California due to earthquakes. I believe they enacted legislation in the event a passerby smelled NG the good samaritan would have the correct tool to do the simple work of turning off the gas immediately available.

I would get a stainless wrench and then give it a good healthy coat of oil/grease to prevent rust before attaching it to the meter exposed to the elements. I suppose you could always route the chain into a small sealed box containing the wrench, too.

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Hi Gary, I work for major gas co in SoCal. I worked in the appliance end of it for several years, and fortunately in a better dept after 25 years.

First of all is your stove electronic ignition or does it have pilot lights?
If it has pilot lights check all of them to make sure they are all lit. IE top burners, griddle, oven and broiler. You mentioned that this a new house that you have moved into. Was the gas on or did the gas co turn on and service all your appliances. If they turned it on they would have done a clock test at the meter to see if you had any leaks. Even a pilot light out would have shown up on a two minute clock test.
Who installed your stove? Alot of the problem arise out of using an improper fitting on the 3/4" pipe to gas connector. This is usually the #1 problem. The fitting on the reducer is fine thread and the connector fitting is coarse thread. Install the correct fittings and this should solve the problem. A good way to test is with soap. Just fill up a cup of water with dish soap and put on fitting you should see alot of small bubbles where there is a leak. Also alot of times on a pilot top stove, one of the pilots will turn off. This can be caused by delayed ignition. This happens when tubes that ignite the burner lite and give back a small amount of blast which blows out the pilot. Adjust air settings and tube alignment or could be a hole in the burner. The best thing to get the gas company out there asap, is to tell them that you have childred and are very afraid because of the HEAVY gas ordor. This will place a high priority on the order. Don't worry people exaggerate all the time. Some people call in just because they are lonely and need someone to talk too or open a jar :eek: Isn't strange how wives have the most sensitive noses? Good luck.
 
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