Natural gas smell in water (from water heater) HELP !

I keep smelling natural gas (not sewer gas), coming from an area just to the top left where the vent cover is. I also smell natural gas whenever I take a shower. It stays on my hair and towels until it is washed off. The water heater was replaced a few years ago by my landlord - but everything he has "fixed" in the house has kept breaking. (he re-did the electrical and not that is also on the fritz.) I suspect he did not have this checked by a professional and he is cheap and won't get anything done professionally.

Should I call the gas company to check it? Is this normal?

PS I've been through 5 gas leaks in my life- so I DO know what natural gas smells like.

I just don't want to call them for something so minor.

PLEASE RESPOND ASAP.

Reply to
gas girl
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I don't know how nat gas smell could ever make it into the water. If it were just that, I'd suspect it's something else. But you also say that you smell nat gas at the vent cover, whatever that is. Standard advice, especially if you have to ask, is if you smell nat gas, don't know what's going on, get out of the house immeadiately and call the gas company.

Reply to
trader_4

Yep

Call at once from outside the house

Reply to
philo

...

There's no way for the gas to actually get into the water that I can see possible. I suppose there's an outside chance the new installation could have manged to get some of the "skunk scent" odorant that can collect in a sediment/water trap into an exit water line by transferring it on hands or the like, perhaps. How long has this been occurring; can't think if that were the case it could last long at all, though, and it seems remote at best...

...

No, it isn't normal and it's part of the gas company service/responsibility to check for leaks so, yes, call...

Reply to
dpb

there may be a water leak in the street and a gas leak too. there are high pressure gas lines that can force gas into water lines

BIG HAZARD! CALL GAS COMPANY IMMEDIATELY!

If water is from a well thats the source

in any case gas got into water lines 15 minutes from here several homes exploded. people died

call gas comany immediately or turn off water well

either case call fire department, they have gas detectors safety comes first!

Reply to
bob haller

I'd be interested in finding out more about how a gas leak wound up getting into water lines. I guess it's possible, if it's a high pressure gas line, the gas remains confined, there is an adjacent water line link. Even then, I tend to doubt it would result in a catastrophe. You have any links?

Reply to
trader_4

You could have a natural gas leak, or you could have something else, or you could have BOTH a natural gas leak AND something else.

You should not smell natural gas odorant near the water heater. If you do there is a leak and you should call.

But your nose can be fooled by the smell caused by bacteria in hot water ta nks or in the drain. If it is in the drain, pouring a cup of bleach down t here usually cures it. If it is in the tank, we have some disagreement, se e past threads on this one.

Try this: pour a glass of hot water and a glass of cold water from several different sinks and the shower, see what each one smells like. Water shou ld be odorless. If your local water supply disinfects with chloramine, whi ch most do, there are other possibilities. The correct mix is odorless. A little too much chlorine in the mix gives a slight chlorine smell and is n ot as effective a disinfectant, and a little bit more gives a medicinal odo r like scotch whiskey and is not disinfectant at all.

Reply to
TimR

Your name is gas girl. What do you expect?

I had a landlord like that once. He was a plumber when he found ou the building was for sale. I thought there were two possibilities: We'd get our plumbing repairs done quickly because he was a plumber, or done slowly because he'd put us at the end of the list. I didn't figure on the third possibility: He thought he was a plumber, but he wasn't.

Down in the furnace room, he couldnt' even stop the leak in the oil supply pipe, and had to put a plastic dish pan underneath a joint to catch the drip. It was about 1/3 full last I looked.

Duh.

Yes. No doubt.

I've heard there are small smells that don't represent a problem, but you're not the one to make that judgment.

Believe you me, the gas company WANTS you to call. You won't think it's minor when the whole building explodes. Did you see on the news a couple days ago, a vacant house exploding, totally destroyed, and all the papers floating down?

If you don't care about living, you have a duty to your neighbors to call the gas company and let them find the leak or decide there is none.

Since your first answer was 3 hours ago, I haven't read it yet but I presume you've called the gas company already, and I would expect they were there within 15 minutes. So what did they say?

Reply to
micky

Good point. Water heaters can a nasty odor from a reaction between the anode and minerals in the water. Most often it is a rotten egg smell. Replace the anode with a zinc one and it usually cures the problem.

Dosing the tank with bleach can help but it is temporary.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

What part of the country do you live in? Have you checked to see if there is any fracking taking place within 50 miles of your location?

Reply to
thekmanrocks

Per gas girl:

Having worked for a major utility company for 25 years, I would:

- Get out of that house ASAP

- Go to a place at least several houses away,

- Call the gas company and tell them in no uncertain terms that you smell gas and get a commitment from them as to how soon they are going to have somebody there to investigate.

- Tell the neighbors (preferably from afar, by phone...) what is going on

- Call the gas company after an hour or so

- If they have not been to the site and given a plausible explanation check into a hotel or call in a favor with friends/relatives and pursue it from there.... but do *not* go back to the building.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

From: gas girl

Well, another web user invades Usenet. Anyone want to guess how many replies this will get, over the next ten years?

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

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. .

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Fracking would be most likely to get real natural gas in your water.

In that case, you would not smell anything.

Natural gas has no smell, they add mercaptan to natural gas to make it smell.

So, it's really unlikely that fracking would break a natural gas line.

Reply to
Dan Espen

Oren posted for all of us...

Canaries are goners...

Reply to
Tekkie®

I am currently caring for a vacant home, the family moved in with us after the boiler broke, had no heat in sub freezing weather, and the home began t o freeze, breaking water lines etc thru he home. the owner of the building is in prison.

some electric heater were provinding a little heat. the homes are very clos e together I didnt want the home to become a neighborhood nuisane. so I cal led the pittsburgh water authority they refused to turn off the water, insi sting on needing to talk to the home owner. he couldnt call them he is in p rison....

well once the water line broke, flooding the neighbors basement the water c ompany turned off the water at the curb. the main valve was bad and couldnt be shut off in the basement.

I then called the gas company, reported a gas leak, they turned it off.

electric was more resistant, til I said if a fire destroys the neighbors ho mes you will see me on TV, reporting you refused to turn it off.

I dont want to provide electric to the scrappers, since they will be rippin g out the copper pipes shortly.

Reply to
bob haller

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