Kitchen Gas Appliances - Occasional Gas Smell - Kitchenaid Range

We have a Kitchenaid range that is hooked up to propane. The range is about 5 years old. We occasionally smell gas/propane near the unit. It seems to occur when we come home after being out of the house for a while. There doesnt seem to be any obvious source. Kitchenaid sent a technician out and he couldnt find anything wrong with the unit. Any ideas? Is this normal and not something to worry about? The range is the only appliance burning propane in the house.

Hello: pjsny

Locating small gas leaks can be difficult for the do it yourself person. Since the appliance person was not able to locate the source of the odor, assuming he/she also checked the connections behind the appliance as well as the appliance itself, the odor may not be from the stove or it's local connection(s).

A small leak may have developed at a pipe or tubing connection or at a fitting in the gas supply line, etc. May be best to contact the propane suppler and get their opinion.

Unless you are handy with tools, confident and sure you can locate the leak within the gas piping/tubing system to the stove. In this case, leak detection soap would need to be used to locate the leak if it's not within or behind a wall, etc.

If all else fails, suggestion is to contact a professional gas plumbing and piping contractor. A gas leak not in an appliance requires specialized skills and electronic leak detection tools. In my opinion, gas leaks are often best left to a professional for your safety and peace of mind.

Hello: pjsny

Locating small gas leaks can be difficult for the do it yourself person. Since the appliance person was not able to locate the source of the odor, assuming he/she also checked the connections behind the appliance as well as the appliance itself, the odor may not be from the stove or it's local connection(s).

A small leak may have developed at a pipe or tubing connection or at a fitting in the gas supply line, etc. May be best to contact the propane suppler and get their opinion.

Unless you are handy with tools, confident and sure you can locate the leak within the gas piping/tubing system to the stove. In this case, leak detection soap would need to be used to locate the leak if it's not within or behind a wall, etc.

If all else fails, suggestion is to contact a professional gas plumbing and piping contractor. A gas leak not in an appliance requires specialized skills and electronic leak detection tools. In my opinion, gas leaks are often best left to a professional for your safety and peace of mind.


All I have to add is.........AMEN

Just a little to add, propane has a lower flash point than natural gas. Also Propane settles to the floor, unlike natural gas. My point is a propane leak even small can be a dangerous thing in a short time. Please have a professional find your leak.

Reading this reminds me of allot of horror story's I have encountered from the homeowner or friend trying to save a buck. More often than not the DIY gas plumbing job is not correct, from the small leak to the down right deadly

Thanks for your replies and information. Now that it has been mentioned, we did have the propane supplier in to have a look as well. They could not identify any leaks or problems either. As I had indicated, the smell seems to be intermitent, and unfortunatelly it was not present when we had the professionals in. Could it possibly be something internal to the range that periodically releases a burst of propane? Not sure where to go from here?

This is probably a continuous leak. You don't smell it when you are home due to doors opening and traffic thru the house. If to strong a soap mixture is used the leak may not show right away. Sometimes you have to use an electronic leak detector. And don't forget the flex connector and valve. Many more leaks are found here then on the appliance. You may find better service from a hvac co who has the meter. Small leaks can be difficult at times. Areas I would check:
Flex connector (entire lenght)
Line valve core
Flex adapter where it screws into range regulator

Soap and use a mirror to see entire fitting

Mbk3, not to discredit your advise on locating the leak but my question to the original poster is this:

Do you know if your gas company preformed a leak test on the system? If so, ask for a copy of the test on company letter head or a work order.

You can go around with soapy water, leak test solution, electronic gadgets and gizmos all day but you may come up empty! The only sure fire way to determine if a leak is present is to do a leak test with a water manometer. What is done is a manometer is connected to the system and pressurize the system. Once pressurized, you shut off the gas supply at the tank and bleed the pressure to 9 inches water column. Then test the system for a minimum of 10 minutes.

This method will test the entire gas system from the tank valve to (and including) all of your gas appliances. If the pressure holds steady for the entire time, there are no leaks. If the pressure drops then there is a leak.

If it is determined that there is a leak due to a drop in pressure I would isolate appliances with the shut off valves that are (hopefully) in the gas line next to (or behind) each one. That way you can pinpoint where a leak would be and then concentrate on that area with soaps and sniffers.

Mbk3, not to discredit your advise on locating the leak but my question to the original poster is this:

Do you know if your gas company preformed a leak test on the system? If so, ask for a copy of the test on company letter head or a work order.

You can go around with soapy water, leak test solution, electronic gadgets and gizmos all day but you may come up empty! The only sure fire way to determine if a leak is present is to do a leak test with a water manometer. What is done is a manometer is connected to the system and pressurize the system. Once pressurized, you shut off the gas supply at the tank and bleed the pressure to 9 inches water column. Then test the system for a minimum of 10 minutes.

This method will test the entire gas system from the tank valve to (and including) all of your gas appliances. If the pressure holds steady for the entire time, there are no leaks. If the pressure drops then there is a leak.

If it is determined that there is a leak due to a drop in pressure I would isolate appliances with the shut off valves that are (hopefully) in the gas line next to (or behind) each one. That way you can pinpoint where a leak would be and then concentrate on that area with soaps and sniffers.

Thank you, I agree, having worked thousands of gas leaks and performing lines tests on most of them I understand your concerns.