What to do if you smell gas :
- Open windows to ventilate the home.
- Do not attempt to locate gas leaks with matches or other open flames.
- Do not attempt to operate electrical switches or use telephones in the presence of a strong odour; to report a gas leak, use the next nearest phone away from the odour, go outside your home and call IRM emergency contact number on 1800-891-1310.
- Keep curtains, papers, fluids and other flammable materials away from open gas flames.
- Never try to repair a natural gas leak yourself.
- Close the gas isolation valve
- Do not start any motor vehicles, and do not use lighters or matches or smoke near a natural gas leak.
How to Detect Gas Leaks:
Although gas leaks occur infrequently, here's how you can tell if there is a leak:
Smell
Naturally, gas is odourless. To help customers detect leaks, a special odorant is added to the gas so that even small leaks can be detected quickly.
Sound
An unusual noise from your appliance, or a hissing sound from piping or connections may also indicate a gas leak.
Sight
A gas leak may also be detected by unusual flame behaviour at an appliance burner. On the outside of the appliance, black or brown scorched areas. Although rare, a fire in or near a gas appliance or piping are also signs of a leak. Fire near pipeline, a white cloud or fog, dying plants in a pattern amid healthy ones, persistent bubbles in water.
Usage
A sudden increase in your gas consumption may indicate a leak in your gas appliances or piping. Check your gas bill and see if it is higher than normal.
Reasons for Gas Leaks:
- A gas appliance is improperly connected.
- A gas appliance is improperly operated.
- Gas lines are damaged by excavation, corrosion, or stress caused by improperly moving an appliance.
- Improper gas pipe materials.