JeremyB

Hi Guys

I was wondering is it normal to sometimes small gas outside around the meter when its running? I can sometimes get a whiff of gas when the furnace or water heater are running and I'm outside around it?

I called the gas company and there sending somebody out tomorrow. I never smell it in the house or when a appliance isn't running.

Thanks for any help

Jeremy

Wuzzat?

FWIW:
Our GaCo guy sniffed around with an instrument and found no leak but suggested that there are byproducts of gas combustion called aldehydes and ketones and that is what I was smelling.

I think the odorant is Mercaptan so that is the smell you should be looking for.

JeremyB

Yeah that's what im smelling is what they add to the gas. They said on the phone that it could be a small leak but as long as its outside and not inside the house, plus I only smell it when there is something using gas like my furnace or hot water heater.. You have to be pretty much right beside it to smell it. There coming out in the morning anyways

JoeD

It is not normal to smell gas near the meter. Probably a bad regulator releasing the gas.

JeremyB

Thanks JoeD, the gas company is coming out tomorrow. The didn't seem to overly concerned on the phone. Is this a common problem? and I assume not a dangerous problem or they would have come out no matter what time it was.

Wuzzat?

With gas dissipating in the air I guess the worst that can happen is someone ignites it and then you have a little gas flame on your lawn.
That's probably already on YouTube somewhere along with the guy who ignited water coming out of a water pipe (think fracking).

If they don't show up I recommend writing a letter to them containing the phrases "possible gas explosion" and "Board of Inquiry" and "wrongful death" and "disfiguring burns".
That will get them out to your place in a hurry but they will be hopping mad.

Yes, I did that once for a customer who couldn't them out to her place.

JeremyB

Hi Guys,

The gas company was out today and he said there was a very small leak. He made the repairs came in the house to re-light the hot water heater and check things out and that was that. Im glad I made the phone call. The meter looks a bit different know then it did before ( looks like there are more pipes,lol ) I have no idea on gas lines and fittings so I will take the gas company's word that they did it right

Wuzzat?

The leak was upstream of the meter so you didn't pay for this leaking gas?

I don't work on gas lines. A guy in Rockille, MD blew up his house in the middle of the night and had his wife land on the lawn in her pajamas saying that she couldn't breathe.

BridgeMan

So he was a gentleman, then? Not allowing the explosion to blow her jammies completely off? How much life insurance did he have on her?

Nice guy.

Wuzzat?

The good news is, he's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_proof
I've heard the neighbors took up a collection for him, even though some of their houses were hit by pieces of his house.