Smell gas in your home? What to do, step by step

What should I do in the first minute?

1. Get everyone out, including pets, and leave the door open behind you if that is quick and easy.
2. Do not create a spark. SDG&E says not to smoke, light a match or candle, or turn electrical appliances or lights on or off, and not to use anything that could make a spark. That includes the garage door opener, doorbells and plugging or unplugging cords.
3. Move well away from the house before using a phone.
4. Call 911 and your gas utility from that safe spot. Both SDG&E and SoCalGas tell customers to call from a safe location.
5. Stay out until the responder says it is safe to go back in.

Do not try to find the leak yourself, and do not go back in to open windows or turn off appliances. If a neighbor smells gas outside, the same steps apply.

Which gas company do I call?

It depends on where you live, and in one town it is not the company that sends your electric bill.

SDG&E serves gas and electric customers across San Diego County and southern Orange County. San Clemente's General Plan names the Southern California Gas Company as its natural gas provider even though SDG&E supplies the city's power, so a San Clemente household with an SDG&E electric bill still reports a gas leak to SoCalGas. Murrieta and Wildomar both name SoCalGas as their gas utility, and SoCalGas lists Temecula among the cities it serves.

Your gas bill shows your utility. Some homes, especially newer all-electric builds and rural properties around Fallbrook and Bonsall, have no utility gas at all; homes on propane should call their propane supplier along with 911.

How do I know it is really gas?

SDG&E says natural gas has an odorant added so people can notice a leak, giving it a distinctive smell. It lists other warning signs too:

• A hissing, whistling or roaring sound near an appliance, the meter or a pipeline.
• A damaged connection to a gas appliance.
• Dirt or debris blowing into the air, or dead plants over a buried line in an otherwise healthy yard.
• Exposed pipe after an earthquake, fire or flood.

SDG&E also warns that you may not always smell a leak, for example with a cold or allergies, or when other odors cover it. If you are unsure, treat it as a leak. Calling and being wrong costs nothing compared with the alternative.

A faint whiff right after lighting a stove burner that goes away immediately is usually just the burner lighting, but a smell that lingers, grows stronger or appears with no appliance running is a reason to leave and call.

Should I shut off the gas at the meter?

Not if you smell gas inside. Getting out comes first, and the utility's responder will handle the meter. SoCalGas keeps separate instructions on how to shut off natural gas on its emergency information page; read them ahead of time rather than during a leak. If you already shut the meter off, tell the utility when you call and ask how and when service will be restored.

If you have never located your meter or the shutoff valves on individual appliances, do it on a calm day. Knowing where the water heater, furnace, range and dryer valves are saves time when a plumber needs to isolate one appliance later.

What happens after the utility arrives?

The responder checks the area, finds the source if possible and makes it safe, which can mean shutting off service to the house or to one appliance. Ask the responder to show you which part is the problem and whether it is on the utility side or your side of the meter.

If the leak is in your house piping, a flex connector, a valve or an appliance, it is the homeowner's job to have it repaired. That is when a plumber who does gas line work in Oceanside comes in. Typical repairs include:

• Replacing a cracked or kinked flexible appliance connector.
• Replacing a leaking shutoff valve.
• Repairing or replacing a section of gas pipe, then pressure testing the system.
• Repairing or replacing an appliance, such as a water heater with a failing gas valve. See water heater repair in Oceanside.

Gas piping work usually needs a permit. Murrieta's permit bulletin, for example, says a permit is required to install, alter, repair or replace any gas, mechanical or plumbing system. Your plumber should pull it and arrange the inspection before service is restored for good.

What about digging near gas lines?

Buried gas lines can be hit during yard projects. If you are planting, setting fence posts or having a sewer line replaced, California law requires a DigAlert request through 811 before any excavation. SDG&E says to submit it at least two working days ahead; the locate is free, and within 24 inches of a marked line you dig only with hand tools. If you nick or dent a gas line, leave the area and call 911 and the utility, even if you do not smell anything yet. Our sewer replacement guide covers how this applies to lateral work.

What if the smell is outdoors?

A gas odor in the yard, near the meter or along the street gets the same response. Move away from the area, keep others back, and call 911 and the utility once you are clear. SDG&E lists dead vegetation over a buried line and dirt blowing into the air as signs of an underground leak, so mention anything like that when you call. Do not try to tighten fittings at the meter or dig to find the source.

If you smell gas in a car port, a shared laundry room or an apartment hallway, leave and call from outside just as you would at home, and let the property manager know once the utility is on the way.

How can I lower the risk going forward?

• Have gas appliances serviced on the schedule the manufacturer recommends; SDG&E notes that safety and efficiency start with good maintenance.
• Keep the area around the water heater and furnace clear of stored items and cleaning products.
• Do not move a gas range or dryer without checking that the flexible connector is not kinked or stretched.
• Know where the meter is and keep a clear path to it.
• Save your utility's emergency number in your phone now, so you are not searching for it while standing in the street.

Could it be something other than gas?

A rotten-egg smell from a sink or tub drain can come from a dry trap or a sewer vent problem, and a sulfur smell only from the hot water can point to the water heater. Those are plumbing issues, not emergencies, but you only rule out gas after a utility responder has checked. The guide on when to call an emergency plumber helps sort out what can wait.

Where can I get help in my town?

Once the utility has made the home safe, the plumbing repair is a normal service call. Inland readers can start at the Temecula gas line page or the Murrieta plumbing page; coastal readers in Orange County can use the San Clemente gas piping page. For a list of every town we cover, see our service areas. If the smell came with a gas water heater acting up, the repair-or-replace water heater guide is a useful next read.

Never let a plumber, including one we refer, start work on gas piping while there is an active leak that the utility has not yet checked. The order is always the same: leave, call 911 and the utility from outside, wait for the all-clear, then repair.