Natural gas is safe and reliable when used properly; however, leaking gas can mean danger.  Natural gas on its own is odorless and can penetrate walls, even if your home or building isn’t supplied with gas, so it’s important to keep these safety tips in mind.  

Regularly Maintain Your Natural Gas Appliances

Keeping your natural gas appliances in good working order requires property maintenance to keep them running correctly and monitor for corrosion and leakage.  That’s why it’s essential to have your gas appliances maintained on a regular basis.  A partnership with a trusted company, like Mayflower Power & Gas, to inspect and maintain the safety of your appliances can help prevent dangerous leaks and ensure the safety of those inside the building.  

If You Smell Rotten Eggs, Call Your Utility Provider

Since natural gas is odorless and you will never smell gas alone, gas companies add a very distinctive additive to the gas supply that signals there may be escaping gas, as a safety precaution.  This additive smells like rotten eggs.  If you detect this smell near a natural gas appliance, check the pilot light.  Most modern appliances will have safety shut-offs to control the escape of natural gas if the pilot goes out.  However, manually controlled appliances or older appliances may not have this safety feature built in, so it’s important to know how to check that the pilot light is lit.  

Never attempt to locate the source of the leak or to stop it on your own.  Immediately leave the area, stay calm and contact 911 from a safe location. 

Install A Carbon Monoxide Detector

Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is an odorless and invisible gas that is poisonous.  It can build up quickly to unsafe levels and can kill a person in minutes in an enclosed area.  This is why it is so important to install a carbon monoxide detector.  These detectors are very similar to smoke alarms and can warn you when unsafe levels of carbon monoxide are present and it’s unsafe for you to be in the building.  

Know How To  Shut Off Natural Gas 

Natural gas leaks and explosions can be responsible for high numbers of fires following disasters. Therefore, you should always know where your main gas service shut-off valve is located in case of an emergency.  Don’t forget, if you turn off the gas for any reason at your location, a qualified professional must be the one to turn it back on.  Never attempt to turn the gas supply back on yourself.  

Summary

While Mayflower Power & Gas encourages you to enjoy the convenience and comfort that natural gas provides, we encourage you to get familiar with these safety tips in case you encounter an emergency situation. 

Have more questions about natural gas safety? Our team at Mayflower Power & Gas has options. Reach out to us today to learn more by calling 718-629-3569.