Gas Leak Detectors Save Lives

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When sealed up tightly, natural gas and carbon monoxide aren’t dangerous. Gas pipes both inside and underneath your home are intended to keep you safe. Plus, rules are in place for digging, building houses and installing appliances to ensure that gas leaks don’t happen.

Unfortunately, though, gas leaks still occur, and the consequences can be deadly. Symptoms often feel like the flu – headaches or dizziness, nausea, difficulty breathing, extreme fatigue – but up to 700 Americans die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning. And for every death, one person is hospitalized. It underscores the importance of having a carbon monoxide and/or natural gas leak detector installed in your home.

Natural gas is flammable, so any flame or even a spark can cause a fire or explosion. Gas leaks typically occur when someone is digging outside and mistakenly breaks a gas line. But a poorly-hooked up appliance, like a stove, can also leak natural gas. Although odorless, gas companies add a chemical smell to natural gas that smells like rotten eggs to help detect leaks.

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless – and can be very deadly. Carbon monoxide leaks can come from fuel-burning household appliances that aren’t working properly and from cars running inside a closed garage.

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, install carbon monoxide detectors in each room of your home.  If a carbon monoxide alarm goes off or if you smell the rotten egg smell of flammable gas, leave your home immediately and call 911.  Do not reenter your home until it is safe to do so.  For gas leaks, you may need to call a plumber who handle gas leak detection and repair to find and fix the leak.  Call your HVAC contractor to deal with carbon monoxide problem relating to your furnace.

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