Home » Ask a gas plumber in Melbourne: detecting and reacting to gas leaks

Ask a gas plumber in Melbourne: detecting and reacting to gas leaks

You get home one day and find that the entire place smells like rotten eggs. You check your bins, pantry, and fridge, but nothing seems amiss.

So if it isn’t eggs, what else could it be?

In many cases, a rotten egg smell is a common sign of a gas leak.

You don’t need us to tell you that gas leaks are dangerous affairs. In addition to elevating your fire hazard, they also pose health risks – just this previous June, two adults and five children in NSW suffered from nausea and dizziness due to a gas leak in their pool heating system.

Any damaged or malfunction in your gas system may put you and your whole family at risk – that’s why you should call a gas plumber in Melbourne ASAP to inspect your home and solve your gas emergencies.

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Signs of a gas leak

As with many problems, early detection of gas leaks is crucial in safeguarding the health and safety of your family.

Of course, that kind of necessitates an understanding of the signs of gas leaks!

Luckily for you, there are a couple of dead giveaways that you’re currently experiencing a gas leak…

Rotten egg smell 

We touched on this above, but we’re going to go back over it again because, quite frankly, it’s the most obvious sign of a gas leak!

Natural gas is odourless, so gas companies actually add the rotten egg smell in order to help homeowners like determine that there is a gas leak.

If a nasty rotten egg smell is pervading your entire home, there’s a good chance there’s a gas leak somewhere!

Dying plants

The human body isn’t the only thing that can be harmed by exposure to gas – so too can your prized indoor plants!

If you notice your potted plants wilting or dying, you may have a gas leak on your hands. That’s because just like humans, plants also need oxygen to survive.

Gas leaks in the home mean a lower percentage of oxygen in the air, essentially starving your plants.

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Yellow or orange flames

The flame in your gas appliances usually burn blue. If you notice while making dinner that your stove is emitting a yellow or orange flame instead however, take this as an indication that you may have a gas leak.

A blue flame indicates that your stove is working efficiently, and that the ratio of gas to air is correct. A yellow flame isn’t burning at optimum efficiency, and may be burning a different ratio of gas and air.

What could be throwing off the balance of gas and air? It could be a gas leak.

Physical symptoms

Prolonged exposure to gas leaks can cause physical reactions – over time, you may also experience the following physical symptoms:

  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue 
  • Difficulty breathing

If you notice that you only ever experience these symptoms when you’re at home, you might have a gas leak on your hands.

I suspect a gas leak – now what?

If you’ve got a suspected gas leak in your home, you should do the following:

1) Turn off the gas and other electrical appliances

The first thing you’ll want to do is head outside to your gas line system and turn off its main valve or switch, as well as your other electrical appliances.

Shutting off everything stops the flow of gas, and protects your home from sparks that can start a fire.

2) Open the windows immediately

Air out your home: open your windows and doors to let gas out of your home, lowering the chance of a fire and making it safe to re-enter later on.

3) Leave the place immediately

Until the gas has been fully ventilated, you’ll want to get out of the house immediately.

This will help protect your health by saving you from having to inhale gas and protecting you from all the health consequences.

4) Don’t smoke or light a match

Hopefully, this should go without saying!

5) Call a gas plumber! 

And finally, once you’ve done all of that, you’ll want to get in touch with a gas plumber in Melbourne!

Gas is no laughing matter.

It’s a dangerous substance, both to your health and property – as such, it should only ever be handled by somebody who knows what they’re doing.

When choosing a gas plumber, it’s important that you choose one that offers emergency plumbing services.

You don’t want to be stuck outside, or without your electricity and gas for hours on end. You want somebody who can turn up quickly and fix the problem, minimising disruption to your routine.

More importantly, you’ll want somebody who you can trust to do the job properly. While gas and water may both use pipes, not all plumbers are licensed to work with gas fittings – be sure your plumber has the necessary qualifications and licenses.

Don’t worry about using your mobile – many studies prove that the myth of mobile phones igniting gas in the air are just that: myths.

Need a gas plumber in Melbourne?

Call Watermaster Plumbing today!

So you’ve got a gas leak on your hands. Luckily for you, you also have a solution, thanks to Watermaster Plumbing’s gas plumbers in Melbourne. 

In addition to working on your home renovations, unclogging your drains and fixing burst pipes, our Masterful plumbers also fix gas emergencies for you.

Watermaster Plumbing’s team of licensed, registered and experienced gas plumbers in Melbourne can detect and fix gas leaks. We can install, reconnect or repair any faulty gas fittings in your home or workplace.

We can work with:

  • Gas connections
  • Gas leak detection and repairs
  • Appliance disconnection
  • Gas hot water installations
  • LPG hot water system repair and replacement
  • Gas appliance installation
  • Workshop & light industrial gasfitting

Contact Watermaster Plumbing today on 1300 156 650 or fill in this form and we’ll get back to you. 

Our rapid-response emergency plumbing service means we’re ready to answer the call whenever you detect a gas leak!

2022-01-25T02:18:59+00:00 August 27th, 2019|Blog|