Home Maintenance
Gas Smell at Home: What to Do in the First Five Minutes
A gas smell is an emergency, not a repair job. Here is exactly what to do, and what never to do.
2 min read
If you smell gas at home, this is not a problem to diagnose. It is a problem to leave.
Do this now
- Do not switch anything on or off. Not a light, not a fan, not the UPS. A switch can spark.
- Do not light a match, a lighter or a stove.
- Close the gas valve at the meter or the cylinder, only if you can reach it without walking through the smell.
- Open doors and windows on your way out.
- Get everyone out, including pets, and move away from the building.
- Call your gas company's emergency line from outside. Use your phone only once you are outdoors.
Do not
- Look for the leak with a flame
- Start a generator or a car near the house
- Go back inside until the gas company says it is safe
Why PakFix will not talk you through this
When the PakFix assistant recognises a gas leak, electrical fire, exposed high-voltage wiring, structural collapse or flooding, it classifies the problem as an emergency and gives only safety instructions. It will not offer repair steps, because following repair advice from a screen in that situation is how people get hurt.
Once the gas company has made the line safe, a professional can repair the fitting or appliance that leaked.
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