Faint natural gas oder outside?

[KLS]

When we had a hot tub and were sitting outside in the winter, we would periodically smell that additive (you're not smelling the natural gas, you're smelling the chemical additive that the utility company puts in it to make it detectable for the human nose), and we realized it was our own gas furnace kicking in: the exhaust (high efficiency) was to the side of the house perpendicular to the hot tub, and the west wind would bring it around for us to enjoy. We had it checked out, and learned there was nothing to worry about, if this is the kind of exhaust you have (side vent, not up through the old chimney).

[Li]

In hard to find cases, many gas companies are now using GasFind IR FLIR equipment to locate leaks. You can literally see a leak with this stuff. We use them at the plants to check for leaks.

[hallerb]

had a home explode, totally leveled, when i was groing up. several streets away, had debris in our yard.

it may be nothing but it could be critical.

not long ago in pittsburgh a cable crew hit a gas line, and left the area never reported it to anyone,.

a couple hours later a family came home, and detonated their home.

[The Daring Dufas]

For years many people complained about the odor of natural gas whenever I was around. I finally discovered the source and took corrective action.

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

I thought most gas company guys knew not to search leaks with a lighter or fire? Guess not. Most of them using this techniqe have already blown themselves up.

[Stormin Mormon]

Worse, is when the pressure comes back, and the burning gas is still burning.

Anyhow, capping the line to the gas grill is one option. Replace the rusted section of pipe is another option.

[MLD]

Such was the case in my neighborhood for a number of years. It was gas leaking into the air from the underground gas lines. The lines were very old and started leaking. The Gas Co. fix was to drill holes into the street at various locations, where the smell was the worst, in order to allow the gas to escape into the atmosphere. Finally, after it got too bad to deal with, the Gas Co. installed new, small diameter plastic, lines snaking them right through the center of the old ones. Good bye smell. MLD

[daszkiew2000]

check for carpenter ant infestation in your house's frame......

[metspitzer]

Two gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor and a young trainee, were out checking meters in a suburban neighborhood. They parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter. Finishing the meter check, the senior supervisor challenged his younger coworker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck to prove that an older guy could outrun a younger one. As they came running up to the truck, they realized the lady from that last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath, she replied "When I see two gas men running as hard as you two were, I figured I'd better run too!"

[Norminn]

clipped

Did you call the gas company? Even if it isn't now detectable, I would call (actually, I would have called as soon as I did detect it). If no response, I would have checked with the fire department.

[Forrest]

A friend of mine just e-mailed me saying that she was feeling very sick today after inspecting one of her rentals and finding that a stove burner was left on low, with no flame. Just for the hell of it I googled around a bit and came up with this page. Rather long but shows that breathing that stuff is a no bueno. You say that it's outside but then again, how much of it wafts in when the breeze is in the right direction?

Somewhere on the page it said this about detectors: What can families do to help protect themselves?

Purchase a methane detector. Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors do NOT detect natural gas leaks. Kidde Nighthawk makes an explosive gas/methane detector for sale at Target. You can also purchase a natural gas detector online. I have no financial interest in either. Educate yourself and family on the health symptoms to look out for and never leave a leak un-repaired.

[NickySantoro]

What he said. We had the same situation some years ago and it was a break in the main in the street in front of the house. I called and a guy came with the sniffer, checked inside, then outside and found it there.

[Hvac-tech1]

replying to Goldlexus, Hvac-tech1 wrote: Did you find out ? I think its these new gas furnaces they are flued out with pvc and the odor is coming from the flue its faint because it goes away when the furnace kicks off ! Was that your issue ?

[Unquestionably Confused]

We'd ask Goldlexus about that, but the house blew up two weeks after he posted the question in November 2009! He was never found (unless you count the one shoe that still had his foot in it)

;)

[trader_4]

Just for the record, I have a direct vent furnace, have stood near the exhaust many times when it's firing and I've never smelled even a whiff of gas. Been around another one at a friends house, nothing there either. The whiff we did smell there, we traced down to a leaking gas regulator at the outside meter. And the OP did state:

"We do have a gas furnace, water heater, dryer and fireplace. None of which is on when we smell the gas."

[micky]

Yes, I wish the homeowners crowd would learn to quote the previous post, even if they have to do it the hard way by copying and pasting.

About a year ago I was walking to a friend's for dinner and noticed a gas smell at a house 5 doors away, on the corner. A few hours later while leaving, I noticed the smell then too, still quite weak.. when i got home I called the gas company, and when I was by there a week or two later, saw no signs of digging. Didn't talk to the owners or neighbors.