- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 24 years, 5 months ago by
Art_xyz.
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MasterPlumbers
I recently called the gas company regarding a natural gas smell in our attic where the hot water heater is located. The man from the gas company checked the joints with a soapy spray and also checked for any leaks in the wall (the gas pipe to the oven is located in the wall next to the water heater). He couldn’t find any leaks and said that gas water heaters release a small amount of gas whenever the heating unit comes on and since Texas legislation recently increased the amount of odorant required in the gas, I was just smelling the stronger odorant before it was able to dissapate. Is this true? Should I be smelling any gas at all?
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Odorant is added to the natural gas. At the time it is added, any gas leak you have will be intensified. On occasion you may smell some gas, but you should not constantly smell gas. Many , if not most, W/H’s do leak slightly from the gas control OFF/PILOT/ON selector. There are several ways to check for a gas leak, soap solution is the least reliable. I prefer to use a combustible gas detector. Another tool the gas companies use is a gas detector which will actually give you a percentage reading of natural gas in the air. I feel you should call the gas company again with another gas leak complaint. Hopefully they will bring some test equipment that is more high tech than a soap solution.
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Did anyone bother to check for spillage? Thats when the down draft forces the buring fuel BACK into the home. Being from TEXAS IM suprised the TECH from the gas company didnt use a DANG match to blow the house away looking for the gas leak.
Why not call the gas supplier BACK and tell them to try to use something that has been discovered SINCE WW1 OTHER than kids bubbles.
Either that or TAKE out heavy insurance on your home. Good luck sounds like your going to need it. MOST localities use a Master plumber for IN HOUSE gas locating leaks.
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Natural gas is lighter than air, so unless you have a backdraft condition, the initial gas prior to ignition should vent out the chimney rather than into the room. I have never seen a properly functioning gas control that leaked gas into a room. If there is a leak the soap bubbles should find it, except that sometimes you really have to be patient and check carefully, since the leak could be very small and/or in an out of sight location.
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HJ
Get a combustible gas detector and check ten W/H’s, you’ll find a majority leak. When I say they leak, I don’t mean enough to be dangerous but enough to be able to smell it when the gas co. dumps the perfume bottle.
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