Water Heaters - Propane Smell

Two months ago my 500 gallon propane tank got down to less than 10 gallons - I smelled propane and called the fire department. They said not to worry - my water heater is supposed to give off this smell when it gets that low. Now every once in a while when the water heater is running, I smell the propane but I have more than 50% in the tank. When the tank is not running the smell dissipates. Is the fire department right or should I get this looked into? Thanks.

That statement that the water heater is supposed to make that smell when the tank is low is absolutely false.

I suggest that you ask your propane supplier.

You might get a propane smell if the tank is low but its normally outside at the tank. Like furd said, you should call your supplier.

It is entirely possible (and common) that you will get a smell at burning gas appliances when your tank gets low. The reason for this is there is a build up of ethyl mercaptan (the odor injected in the gas) at the bottom of the tank. When the fuel level in the tank gets to a certain point, the concentrated odor is carried through the lines with the propane causing the smell. The mercaptan is not in the gas for that reason. The reason it's there is because propane (and natural) gas has no natural odor. The odor is added so there is an indication of a leak.

Regardless if the tank is low or not, any time you smell gas you should get it checked out. I've checked out gas odors too many times to tell that it was assumed that the tank is running low. Just because it's a possible cause, doesn't mean it's the definitive cause.

If you get the odors only when the water heater is running, the cause is likely a leak in the control valve or burner tube. My professional recommendation is to turn off the water heater and get it checked out by the gas company. I would forward the results to the fire department so they won't assume nothing is wrong the next time they come across a situation like this.

It is not the fire departments place to determine a cause for such problems, it is their place to mitigate the problem, in this case, shut off the gas until it can get checked out by a professional (the gas company). After all, you don't call the gas company when there is a fire.

Disclaimer: I do not have any problems with fire departments (I'm a retired firefighter myself). I have a problems when untrained fire fighters give determinations of problems outside the scope of their job function. By doing so can cause an unneeded liability on their part.

Thank you, Hank, I learned something new today.