Plumbing and Piping - gas leak detectors? useful or not

landscaping people who removed a tree stump from my backyard cut a gas line. we did not smell anything,but I called the gas agency . they came & checked out - in their opinion it is a dead line. nothing to worry about. I am new in the house. I am not sure of where all gas lines are in my backyard. As aprecautionary measure , should I be doing in the future somthing regarding t he gas lines/ other utility line. The gas people said they cannot locate the lines which are inside the property. who should I call if I have to locate the lines? what will I detect if someone cut a gas line outdoors?

On the same note is there any gas leak detectors available? I have small children & I want to make sure the property is safe while I am away . Due to a medical condition I don't have best of the ability to smell.

Sorry it took so long to reply.

Even if you had the best ability to smell...it isn't always easy.

Gas leak detectors can be expensive...i'd call and ask your gas company which they would recommend for the type of gas you have. They range from $200-$5000 depending on what you want the detector to pick up and how your gonna use it.

As far as locatin glines..that is a bit more difficult. You can check with the local municipality if they have anything in their files from when the house was built..blueprints, etc. Other then that nobody is going to know except the guy who put em in...and depnding on how long ago that was he may not remember.

The best bet is to try and find a local company that handles gas and provides service. Maybe find one that has a service contract type of deal or one that is willing to once a year maybe come out and check you house (or more often if you need it) to perform tests for you. They usually have better equipment and have already spent the tons of money it takes to get em.



Wish i could be of more help.

thanks. I may very well do that, since the local gas company was not much helpful.

I don't know if other states have this or not. In California, there is a FREE service called Dig-Alert. You can obtain this service simply by dialing 811. They come out and locate all buried gas, water, electrical, and communication cables in the area where you propose to dig. In fact, it is a violation of law to dig without this preparation.

Now , they will not wander all around your yard to find buried lines every which way. They identify the service mains from the utilities to your house. Your line may be an old abandoned line to a barbecue or pool heater. However, if it is a metal pipe, and you lay out the area you propose to dig, they might find it.

In Washington state there is also a service to call before you dig so they can locate utility lines underground..If a gas line was broken you can usually hear it blowing and just a little bit of natural gas will smell like rotten eggs/sulfur because of the odorant mercaptian which is added into the system. A good detector to have if you don't have one already is a CO detector since CO is deadly and odorless

Steven B

She already checked with the utility company to have em located..problem is, as you guys stated, they won't locate them on the property..just the service lines which isn't what she needs located. :)