Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 36

Thread: Finding a gas leak

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,656

    Finding a gas leak

    Somewhere in our laundry/utility room there is a minute gas leak. If you close the door for a couple days the odor is noticeable, with the door open DW can smell it, I can't. This has been the case since the piping was installed. It passed the required pressure test for inspection.

    I've been over every junction with soap solution and can't see any sign of a leak. The odor is so faint, I expect that the leak is very small (along with it having passed the pressure test). Between furnace, HW heater, gas dryer, and piping to the generator there are a _lot_ of joints.

    Is there a more sophisticated leak detection system available?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    I wonder if a refrigerant leak detector would work. Some are pretty sensitive. I never studied how mine works, but know it uses a heated diode. It can find a Very slow leak.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,889
    Call the gas company. they will do it for free with top quality equipment.
    Bill D

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,889
    Are you sure it is not urine or skunk? at very low levels they can smell similar.
    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 08-29-2021 at 10:29 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio
    Posts
    1,346
    Quote Originally Posted by roger wiegand View Post
    Somewhere in our laundry/utility room there is a minute gas leak. If you close the door for a couple days the odor is noticeable, with the door open DW can smell it, I can't. This has been the case since the piping was installed. It passed the required pressure test for inspection.

    I've been over every junction with soap solution and can't see any sign of a leak.

    soap all fittings completely , probably a "sand hole" in one of the fittings, not a leaking thread joint
    good luck
    Ron

  6. #6
    Might look at this. Or, talk to a home inspector, they may have one already?

    A bit outside the scope of the problem, but if you work in confined spaces and worry about the atmosphere, try a clip-on 4-gas detector.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    337
    There's also the off chance that the gas valve/internal piping on the furnace, HW heater, gas dryer might be leaking.
    Hobbyist woodworker
    Maryland

  8. #8
    Just thinking out loud-- how about draping a cheap red shop rag around all the connections you can, and check them all a few days later for residual smell trapped in the fibers--
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Hartland of Michigan
    Posts
    7,628
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Soaper View Post
    There's also the off chance that the gas valve/internal piping on the furnace, HW heater, gas dryer might be leaking.
    That's what I'm thinking also. The only thing I used to find gas leaks is water, a little Dawn, and a spray bottle.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,656
    I think I'll try shutting the gas supply to the furnace and dryer off and see if the small goes away. I'm most suspicious of the dryer.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    New Westminster BC
    Posts
    2,981
    I'm with Bill, call the gas company, gas leaks are not a DIY thing.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Medina Ohio
    Posts
    4,516
    It could be a pin hole leak in a length of pipe we had some bad pipe back in 1990 that had pin holes had to replace all the lines

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    2,043
    Does the dryer use a flex line? If so, spray the whole length of it. They recommend you replace them when you replace the appliance because they develop leaks if flexed enough times.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,656
    Yes, flex line on the dryer, new about three years ago when the dryer was installed. It has only been moved once that I can recall, but that is certainly a candidate. Shutting off the supply to the dryer will help me pinpoint that, but it will probably take a week or so tell. Again, the odor is very faint. We've been debating for years whether or not it's really there. (She's right again, of course. When will I learn?)

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    5,428
    My gas utility will usually come within 90 minutes if a gas leak inside or outside of a house is suspected. I called once because I smelled gas in my utility room, but they found nothing. Another time I smelled gas near the meter. That time they found my natural gas generator was leaking and the technician red tagged it. It must have been leaking pretty good to be detectable by my nose outdoors. The gas valve in the generator was bad and not closing all the way.

    Like others have said, call the gas company.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •