Smell of gas near the fireplace

If you smell gas near the fireplace, leave the house first. Get everyone out, touch nothing that could make a spark, and call your gas utility and 911 from a safe distance outside. In Sioux Falls, Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea and most nearby towns the gas utility is MidAmerican Energy; in Crooks and Renner it is Crooks Municipal Gas. Once the utility has cleared the house, we find and fix the source. That visit typically starts with a $150 to $300 service call, and a gas valve, if that is the cause, runs $500 to $1,000 installed. The firm number comes after we have seen the unit.

What MidAmerican tells customers to do

MidAmerican Energy’s winter gas safety advice says:

1. Leave the area immediately.
2. Do not try to find the leak, and do not touch anything that could cause a spark.
3. Call MidAmerican, and call 911 from another location at a safe distance.
4. MidAmerican says it will investigate at no cost to you.
5. Do not go back in until you have been told it is safe.

Crooks and Renner: Crooks Municipal Gas

Crooks Municipal Gas is the city of Crooks’ own gas company. Its brochure says construction began in 1997 and that it serves over 750 customers in Crooks, Renner and rural Sioux Falls. Its leak steps run the same way: evacuate the area, avoid introducing any source of ignition, including cell phones, call 911 or local fire or law enforcement, and notify the pipeline company. Call once you are well away from the house. More on the area is on our Crooks and Renner page.

Is it gas, or something else?

MidAmerican adds mercaptan to natural gas, an odorant it describes as smelling like rotting eggs or a skunk, and it says escaping gas can make a quiet hiss or a loud roar. Heat & Glo’s lighting card for propane says to smell next to the floor, because some gas is heavier than air and settles there. Its FAQ notes a new fireplace gives off an odour for the first several hours as paint cures and oils burn off. If you are not sure which smell you have, treat it as gas.

After the utility clears it: what we check

Once the utility says the house is safe, our techs work through the gas path:

• The shutoff and connector. The City of Sioux Falls homeowner guide calls for a dedicated shutoff with a union fitting or a listed flexible appliance connector at every appliance, plus a drip leg. We test each joint with a gas detector or soap solution, which is how the guide says reconnected joints should be checked.
• Old brass connectors. MidAmerican says uncoated brass connectors no longer meet modern safety standards and that homeowners should not try to replace them themselves.
• The valve and pilot tubing. Fittings here can loosen or corrode over years of heat cycles. See gas valve replacement.
• CSST bonding. MidAmerican notes that corrugated stainless steel tubing is common in homes built after 1990 and says to contact a licensed electrician to confirm a bonding device is installed.

Inside Sioux Falls city limits, the city requires a Fireplace Contractor’s license for fireplace work and separately requires that anyone paid for mechanical work be employed by a city-licensed mechanical contractor. Ask which city licence covers the work you are hiring for. The city’s homeowner guide also says a mechanical permit is required before alterations to an existing mechanical system, and it names fireplaces; ask who is pulling the permit if one is needed.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide has no smell, so a gas nose will not catch it. MidAmerican advises at least one CO detector on every level of the home, with detectors in sleeping areas. If one sounds, leave and get fresh air, and call 911 if anyone feels sick. It also advises having a gas fireplace vent checked and cleaned regularly, which is part of our annual service.