man smelling bad odor in house

A gas leak can be very serious, potentially causing serious harm to your family and yourself. While they are rare, it is important to know how to tell if you have a gas leak from your furnace and what to do about it. We’ll explain the basic symptoms and what you should do.

Symptoms that Your Furnace is Leaking Gas

Here are the symptoms that your furnace is leaking gas:

  • Gas smell: Natural gas doesn’t have an odour, however, producers add in mercaptan for safety. This adds a horrible smell to the gas. It is often described as rotten eggs or rotten cabbage. If you can sense this smell, it is a sure sign that you have a gas leak in your home.
  • Hissing sound: The release of gas from the intake line or valve may create a very small hissing sound. Or, in the case of a large leak, it may be very audible. While there can be other causes of a hissing sound, you should take the possibility of a gas leak seriously because it is a large safety issue.
  • Brown vegetation: Underground gas leaks can result in a big patch of our lawn or garden turning brown. There can be other causes of this too, like a lack of water or a nutrient issue. Still, an underground gas leak is serious so you should look into this issue right away.

Physical Symptoms of Gas Leaks

A gas leak can have physical effects on you and your family members, so it’s important to know what they are. The severity of the symptoms will depend on how much gas you’ve been exposed to and for how long, but they can include:

  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Eye and throat irritation
  • Breathing problems
  • Pale skin or blisters

If you are experiencing a leaky furnace or other issues with your furnace, please give our experts a call today.

technician providing maintenance service

What to Do About a Gas Leak?

If you suspect that you have a gas leak in your home, you should treat this as an emergency situation. Here’s what you should do:

1.     Turn off: The gas will continue to accumulate the longer it runs, and become more of a hazard, so turning it off is wise.

2.     Evacuate: You should take yourself and your family members out of the house so that they won’t be exposed to the gas. Pets should be taken out too!

3.     Call the authorities: Depending on where you live, you may be required to call different authorities. Usually, your gas supplier and your fire department are wise choices to call.

After that, you should reach out to the professionals at your B&B Climate Care. They can help you fix the gas leak in your furnace and ensure that your home and gas furnace is safe.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/gas-leak-symptoms

https://asm-air.com/heating/my-furnace-smells-like-gas/

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