If your home's boiler, fireplace or central heating system runs on gas, any one of them could be the site of a gas leak. It could also be coming from another source, such as your garbage, sewage or piping, or a dead animal somewhere in your home.
Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to detect smells that aren't actually in your environment. It can happen in one nostril or both — and the odors may be foul or pleasant. Common causes include colds, allergies, nasal polyps and dental issues.
If you smell this odor in the home, you could have a natural gas leak. If a faint, similar smell is coming from the bathroom, you could have a different problem. Sewer gas can leak into your home through a broken toilet seal or unused drain pipe.
It is very likely what you smell is “sewer gas” which can come up into a house when the traps in drains get dry. It's a pungent gas-like smell. Natural gas smells like rotten eggs (on purpose). This is more 'sewer' like.
Here's what you should DO if you smell gas: DO leave the home, building, or area of the suspected leak. Get to a safe area as quickly as possible. After leaving your home, DO call the 24-hour emergency number for Peoples at 1-800-400-4271, or call your local emergency response number.
Rotten Egg Odors
Natural gas and propane have a distinctive smell for a reason. For safety purposes, utility companies use an additive called mercaptan that gives colorless and odorless gases a smell that is hard to miss. Most people describe this smell as something like rotten eggs, sewage, or sulfur.
There are physical indicators, like feeling dizzy or lightheaded. Plus, some appliances might also serve as hints if there's a gas leak in your home. The flame from your stove should normally be blue and strong. If the flame is weak-looking, yellow or orange, it is best to check it out.
Gas leak signs in the home
Small gas leaks may not have a smell or other physical signs. However, if there is a gas leak in the home, a person may notice: the smell of sulfur or rotten eggs. a hissing or whistling sound near a gas line.
It's easy to get sewer gas confused with the smell of natural gas. Because natural gas is odorless, the skunk odor comes from a chemical called mercaptan that is added to the gas to help warn people of danger if they smell it.
Exposure to a slow gas leak in your house or apartment may cause deadly symptoms including sickness, weakness, nausea, suffocation, and headaches. If you feel sick or abnormal, immediately call an ambulance to confirm if you have been exposed to gas poisoning.
The final location where gas leaks most commonly occur is where gas is actually being used in your home: your gas appliances. Not every home has a gas appliance, but some common gas appliances include hot water heaters, central heating, and gas range ovens.
Gas leaks are subtle in smell but very obvious in bills. They can even go on for months undetected.
If you're outside a property and can smell gas, then it's likely that there's a leak and you should contact the National Gas Emergency Service number. A gas leak in the home is often caused by a faulty or poorly fitted appliance. The leak tends to come from the pipe that leads into your appliance.
The most notable sign there is a natural gas leak is a rotten egg smell. Another indication that you may have a gas leak is through the sense of hearing. If you are near a gas line or a gas appliance and hear whistling, hissing, or perhaps even a roar, it can be an indication that there is a leak.
Stop using electrical devices. Again, even a small gas leak can lead to fires or explosions—and a spark from any electrical device, phone or light could do the trick. As you're evacuating, don't touch any electrical devices—even light switches. If something is on, leave it on.
So, smelling some natural gas when you start your oven is perfectly normal, and if the strength of the smell fluctuates, this is also likely to be perfectly normal – it is simply the result of how much or when the odorant has been added to the gas or propane. However, the gas odor should go away when the gas ignites.
If you suspect there's a gas leak in your home, stop whatever you are doing and go outside. If you inhale it in higher amounts, it can cause asphyxia, which can occasionally lead to death.
Possibly the greatest danger of all that could result from a gas leak is an explosion. Even a small leak in a confined space that builds up over time can cause an explosion if there is a spark or some sort of ignition source.
3,200 ppm: After only 5 to 10 minutes, headache, nausea, and dizziness may occur. And after 30 minutes of gas exposure, collapse and unconsciousness. 6,400 ppm: After 1 to 2 minutes, similar symptoms of headache and dizziness. Loss of consciousness and potential death within 10 to 15 minutes.
The smell of rotten eggs.
In its natural state, natural gas is odorless and colorless. To make gas leaks easier to detect, gas companies add chemicals called odorants to create a natural gas smell similar to sulphur or rotting eggs. The stronger this smell, the more likely it is that you have a gas leak.
1. If you smell gas in your home, fully open windows and doors. Do not open windows and doors if you smell gas outside your home. Natural gas is lighter than air, so opening windows and doors will diffuse the gas to outside of your home.