Gas leak: where to call, what you can and cannot do if the apartment smells of gas

Leak Detection Methods

Sometimes there is a need for urgent diagnostics before the arrival of gas service specialists. In order to take the necessary measures in a timely manner, the question arises of how to check a gas leak at home using available methods. There are several simple methods to identify the cause or find the location of the damage.

The main signals by which you can suspect the spread of gas in the apartment:

the fact of a leak is not in doubt when it periodically smells of gas. If there is an odor when the burners are lit or after turning off the equipment, this is the first signal that there is a leak somewhere.Under normal conditions, natural gas has no smell. When used for domestic needs, in order to timely detect a leak, its composition includes a substance that has a specific pungent odor;

another signal that is easy to detect is a change in the color of the flame of a burning gas. If the equipment is functioning correctly, the flame will be a solid blue color. Otherwise, it will be yellow, acquire red hues;

when a whistling sound is heard at the depressurization site, this indicates that gas is escaping at the damage site.

How to check for a household gas leak to make sure it exists?

Sometimes pipes or a gas valve are located in such a way that kitchen furniture hides them. How to check for gas leaks in such hard-to-reach places? You can apply the method of pressure testing for residual pressure. First you need to open the burners in order to pass gas through them. Then turn them off and close the valve on the pipe. So the remaining gas that has not burned to the end will appear in the gas pipeline. In order to understand if there is a leak, you need to wait only a few minutes. Then you need to open any burner, turn it on to the maximum position and try to light it. When there is no leakage, the remaining gas will ignite and burn to the end. If nothing happens and the gas does not ignite, it means that its residue managed to escape at the site of damage.

If the gas pipes are not covered by the kitchen set and there is access to them, then there is a trick on how to check for a gas leak simply by touch. It is enough to run your hand along all the connections on the gas pipe. Leakage can be felt as a stream of thin cold jet.

You should know how to check with soapy water.A gas leak can be checked with soap suds or shaving foam. It must be applied to the gas pipe, as well as all connections. Soap bubbles will appear in the gas outlet areas. Soap solution is best applied with a brush or brush.

Special gas analyzers are capable of helping to detect a leak. Such sensors can be installed together with sound detectors. When the permissible level of gas concentration is exceeded, the sensor is triggered, the alarm is activated.

It is important to know how to check for a gas leak safely to yourself and others. It is strictly forbidden to use a burning match or a lighter for this! It threatens to explode

What to do if you smell gas

If you act correctly and quickly in extreme situations, you can avoid many troubles. You should start by studying the rules for operating gas appliances.

What to do if you smell gas in the apartment

If there is a strong smell of gas in the kitchen or in any other room, it is strictly forbidden to turn on or off the light, as this can provoke a spark that will cause explosive combustion of the gas-air mixture when the concentration of the gas component in the air is 15% or more .

In such cases, you should act quickly and decisively:

• Do not use open fire and electrical appliances, including doorbell, intercom.
• Turn off the gas supply valve.
• Start ventilating the room by opening window and door openings.
• Leave the gassed room and call the emergency gas service.

What to do if you smell gas in the entrance

When it smells of methane from the entrance or basement of a dwelling, the procedure should be as follows:

• By calling 104, call the emergency gas service.
• Proceed to airing by opening and fixing window and door openings.
• Help people leave the apartments of the gas-polluted entrance and go out into the street.
• Attempt to establish the boundary of the zone of gas contamination until the called emergency brigade arrives.

What to do if you smell gas from the boiler

If the gas boiler smells of gas, then an explosion is possible. To avoid this, you must:

• Close shut-off valve.
• Open windows and doors.
• Call the emergency gas service.
• Help family members get out of the apartment and report what happened to the neighbors;

What to do if the stove smells of gas

If the smell of gas emanates from a working stove, then this is a cause for alarm, since the inhaled gas is not only harmful to health, but can threaten people's lives. Gas that fills an enclosed space for a long time can explode. This can provoke the slightest spark. What to do when the house smells of gas?

As soon as the smell of methane, propane or butane appears, you must immediately turn off the fuel by shutting off the valve, and ventilate the room. At this time, smoking, the use of matches, and electrical appliances are excluded.

What to do if you smell gas outside

If it is felt in the area where the gas well, gas-cylinder complex, distribution point is located, you cannot hesitate. First you need to call "104" in gas emergency service.  

Then you need to start organizing the protection of the gassed area until the called gas team arrives to prevent people from entering the danger zone.

Signs of a gas leak

For domestic use, two types of gas mixture are used - carbon propane-butane in cylinders, methane - is supplied through the pipeline.

Natural methane does not have the characteristic smell of gas that we feel at all, but for everyday use, a special substance is added to it, which gives the gas an aroma.

Due to the fact that the room stinks, the consumer can immediately determine that an explosive leak has occurred. Therefore, the main sign of the undesirable spread of methane or propane-butane is the appearance of a sharp unpleasant odor.

Leaks can also be identified by ear. All equipment operating and supplying gas flows, including stoves and ovens, operate under pressure, therefore, when the household gas is weathered, a characteristic whistle or hiss will be heard.

Inhalation of methane or propane-butane vapors causes a headache, choking, dry mouth in a person, so if you suddenly feel bad, you need to check all gas equipment in the house for leaks.

Unknown air rising from the ground is another clear sign that is often the cause of plant death. Green spaces that die for no apparent reason may disappear precisely as a result of the release of gas from the pipeline.

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How to check if there is a leak?

If there is no characteristic smell and no suspicious whistle or hiss, but you have a suspicion of a possible release of methane from the pipeline, then you should know how to check for a gas leak.

Even though the gas is invisible, the leak can be identified visually. If soapy water is applied to the methane outlet, it will begin to actively bubble.

A reliable way to determine a leak is to check the intended location with soap suds. In water, you need to dilute washing powder, dishwashing detergent or shampoo.

Whip up a resistant foam and apply to the intended methane outlet area and to all threaded connections, hoses, pipes

Particular attention is paid to connectors and valves

If there is a leak, then the soap suds will begin to bubble in this place.

If a gas leak occurs outside the house, then the yellowed grass or snow on the site may become a signaling device.

For timely diagnosis of the occurrence of methane leaks, special sensors are installed that signal a deviation in the chemical composition of the air using light and sound. There are several types of gas analyzers:

1. semiconductor sensor. Works only from the network, very economical. The principle of operation is based on chemical reactions.
2. Infrared sensor. The analyzer is air, which is checked for the presence of gas by infrared radiation. The sensor responds to exceeding the reference level of methane. The sensitive element is a filament or an LED. The sensor beeps and starts flashing. The device works from a network and from batteries.
3. catalytic detector. The air is analyzed by detecting the level of oxidation in the alkaline solution. The built-in microcircuit reacts to the excess of the gas content, signals with light and sound. The analyzer can operate on batteries or mains power.

It is important to observe the nuances of installing gas analyzers. In an apartment building or a village with a centralized gas supply, appliances are mounted closer to the ceiling

If a private house is heated with bottled gas, then closer to the floor.

Expert opinion
Tarasov Dmitry Timofeevich
Master of sports in mountaineering. Author of scientific articles on the topic of survival in the wild

This difference is explained by the different density of the gases formed. Natural gas from the central supply leaks upwards, while heavy bottled gas flows downwards.

It is desirable to install sensors in all rooms or at least on all floors. Before installation, you need to check the operability of the ventilation system.Appliances must be installed in open areas, not in contact with furniture or curtains.

Detection methods

Methane is non-toxic and is considered physiologically harmless. It is impossible to understand that a leak is occurring. The first signs of exposure - dizziness, dry mouth, increased heart rate - appear at its concentration in the air of 25-30%. However, methane forms an explosive mixture with oxygen much earlier, already at 5–6%.

There are special tricks to help make leak detection easier.

Approximately

Methane is colorless. It is impossible to visually detect it in the air of the kitchen. However, the incorrect operation of the gas appliance can indeed be detected by eye. The normal color of the flame in the burner is blue. If yellow or red flames appear, this means that the methane does not burn completely and the flame changes color due to the appearance of soot.

As a result, carbon dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide are released into the air. The latter is much more toxic. If the burner burns red, you must immediately turn off the device and call the gas workers: the stove clearly needs to be cleaned.

If a suspicious whistle is heard in any area, the pipe or junction is lubricated with soapy water. Soap bubbles appear when leaking.

Aurally

Although the pressure in the gas pipeline is minimal, the pressure in the room is even lower. You can find out that a leak has occurred by sound. When you turn on the stove or boiler, a whistle or hiss is heard.

By smell

Since a gas leak is extremely dangerous, odorants are added to natural gas to make it easier to detect. These are sulfur-containing substances with an extremely unpleasant pungent odor, which are detected at negligible concentrations.

On the territory of the countries of the former USSR, ethyl mercaptan is added to the gas. Its main advantage: the specific smell of rotten cabbage or eggs appears when the original liquid is diluted 1 million times. According to the norms, 16 g of ethyl mercaptan is needed for every 1000 cubic meters of methane.

Leak Detection Methods

Sometimes there is a need for urgent diagnostics before the arrival of gas service specialists. In order to take the necessary measures in a timely manner, the question arises of how to check a gas leak at home using available methods. There are several simple methods to identify the cause or find the location of the damage.

The main signals by which you can suspect the spread of gas in the apartment:

the fact of a leak is not in doubt when it periodically smells of gas. If there is an odor when the burners are lit or after turning off the equipment, this is the first signal that there is a leak somewhere. Under normal conditions, natural gas has no smell. When used for domestic needs, in order to timely detect a leak, its composition includes a substance that has a specific pungent odor;

another signal that is easy to detect is a change in the color of the flame of a burning gas. If the equipment is functioning correctly, the flame will be a solid blue color. Otherwise, it will be yellow, acquire red hues;

when a whistling sound is heard at the depressurization site, this indicates that gas is escaping at the damage site.

How to properly use gas cylinders

Violation of the rules for storing or using gas containers can often lead to an explosion, so you need to know the following:

1. Store the cylinder only in a well-ventilated area.Do not lay it down, it must be in a vertical position. A basement with high humidity is not suitable for storing it. Also, do not bury the balloon. In addition, the place of its storage should not be exposed to sunlight.
2. Do not start replacing equipment if there is an open flame or working electrical appliances nearby. The taps must be completely closed. Having changed the old cylinder, do not be lazy and check the tightness of the connections. To do this, prepare a regular soap solution and apply it to the pipe, if bubbles appear, then the joint should be tightened.
3. Any gas equipment should be checked and repaired only by a specialist.
4. Gas containers that you are not currently using should be stored in a separate room.
5. Clean your burners regularly. Don't let them get clogged.

Household gas and the causes of the explosion

memo

According to Art. 210 Civil and Art. 30, 67 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, the responsibility for the safe use of gas equipment and maintaining its serviceability lies with the owner of the apartment (tenant).

Follow the rules:

1. Do not leave gas appliances running unattended.
2. Do not allow children to use gas.
3. Light the match first, and only then turn on the gas supply.
4. Do not use gas appliances in the absence of draft in the ventilation.
5. Do not rest or sleep in the room where the equipment is installed.
6. Do not dry things near the stove and do not use it for heating.
7. Do not store gas cylinders in a garage, closet or balcony.
8. Monitor the health of the equipment and repair it in a timely manner.

By violating the rules for using gas equipment, you endanger not only yourself, but also others!

How to prevent gas leakage?
The installation of gas equipment must be carried out by a master with the appropriate approval. Further, new equipment must be inspected every 36 months. After the end of the warranty period, maintenance is carried out annually. It is worth giving preference to stoves with gas control, which turns off the gas supply when the flame is attenuated. It would also be useful to get a sensor that signals the gas content of the room, and every 3 months to check the ventilation system.

Why can't you repair gas equipment yourself?
First, it is prohibited by law. According to Art. 7.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, for unauthorized connection to the gas pipeline, citizens are required to pay a fine in the amount of 10-15 thousand rubles. And if this entailed the death of a person or other serious consequences, the tenant will face criminal liability and restriction of freedom for up to 8 years. Secondly, for the desire to save money on connecting and repairing equipment, you can pay with your health and life. It is worth remembering that not every master has permission to carry out such work, but only a gas service specialist.

The smell of gas in the apartment cannot be ignored. This is an alarm signal that a leak has occurred. Even a moment's delay in such a situation can cost a life. When it is detected, it is necessary to act quickly and harmoniously. It is strictly forbidden to try to fix the problem yourself. All you can do is turn off the gas equipment, open the windows and go outside to call the gasmen.

General information about the use of gas for domestic purposes

Gas is used for various purposes: as a fuel for cooking stoves, gas generators, gas water heaters, water supply boilers, heating stoves, etc.

Natural gas is mainly used as a heating component. With it, you can heat both residential and industrial premises. A slightly smaller volume of gas is used to kindle gas furnaces. The smallest percentage goes to refuel cars. Gasoline prices are constantly rising, so many motorists are switching to gas fuel. Special equipment is installed on the machine - a gas installation, thanks to which natural gas is refueled. Such installations are becoming more and more popular, but most often they can be found in trucks and buses. Such a solution helps not only to save on refueling, but also to make an environmentally correct choice - emissions from natural gas are less harmful than from gasoline.

Natural gas is also used in autonomous gas supply systems. Gas holders (special containers) are also supplied with liquefied natural gas. Their refueling should be carried out only by highly qualified specialists. For hard-to-reach gas tanks, hoses up to 80 meters long are provided. The gas supply from the gas carrier can be carried out independently in the tank; for this, equipment is installed at the facilities. Filling of gas tanks occurs only at 85% of the nominal volume. Therefore, this makes it possible to ensure the operation of autonomous gas supply systems as safely as possible.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Effective way to detect gas leak:

If you have at least the hundredth boiler in a row, always study the operating instructions. Perhaps the manufacturer came up with something new.The best way to repair is to call the gasman. Blue fuel jokes are bad. Don't skimp on quality service. Excessive frugality can turn sideways.

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