Gas Plumbing
What Should I Do If I Smell Gas?
The short answer
Leave the home immediately and call your gas utility from a safe distance. Don't use light switches, phones, or anything that could create a spark while you're inside. The utility will shut off the gas and confirm the area is safe — then we handle the repair.
Common symptoms
- Sulfur or rotten-egg smell inside or near the home
- Hissing sound near a gas line or appliance
- Appliance won't stay lit
- Yellow or flickering flame instead of blue
- Dead or dying vegetation near a buried gas line
Most likely causes
- —Corroded or cracked gas pipe
- —Failed fitting or threaded connection
- —Damaged appliance connector
- —Shifting soil cracking a buried line
- —Improper installation
Safe things you can check
- ✓Do NOT use light switches, appliances, phones, or anything that could spark while inside.
- ✓Leave the home immediately — don't open windows or try to find the source.
- ✓Call your gas utility from a safe distance (not from inside the home).
- ✓Don't re-enter until the utility confirms it's safe.
When to call a professional
After the gas utility has shut off the gas and confirmed the area is safe, we locate and repair the gas line. A plumber never works on a live gas leak — the utility handles the emergency, we handle the repair.
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Reviewed by Paul Hall, Owner & Licensed Plumber
The Classic Plumber · Knoxville, TN · License #4268
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