What to Do if You Smell Gas in Your Home

If you smell gas in your home, act straight away. Gas leaks are one of the few plumbing issues where waiting is genuinely dangerous. Here is exactly what to do, step by step, from our licensed gas fitter servicing Baldivis, Rockingham, Mandurah, Secret Harbour, Port Kennedy, and Perth's southern suburbs.

What to Do the Moment You Smell Gas

Follow these steps in order:

• Do not use any switches, appliances, phones or naked flames inside the home

• Open doors and windows as you leave to let the gas escape

• Turn off the gas at the meter if you can do so safely

• Leave the property and move everyone, including pets, well away

• Call Atco Gas on 13 13 52 from outside the property

• Once the supply is safe, call a licensed gas fitter to find and fix the fault

Never try to locate or repair a gas leak yourself. Gas work in WA must be carried out by a licensed gas fitter, and for good reason. Unlicensed gas work is illegal, dangerous, and can void your home insurance.

What Does a Gas Leak Smell Like?

Natural gas has no smell on its own, so a chemical called mercaptan is added to make leaks easy to notice. It smells like rotten eggs or sulphur. If you notice that smell near your stove, oven, gas heater, hot water system or gas meter, treat it as a leak until proven otherwise.

Some leaks are subtle. If the smell comes and goes, or you only notice it in one room, it is still worth getting checked. Small leaks rarely fix themselves and usually get worse over time.

Other Signs of a Gas Leak in Your Home

The smell is the most obvious sign, but not the only one. Watch for:

• A hissing sound near gas appliances or pipework

• Gas appliances burning with a yellow or orange flame instead of blue

• Dead patches of grass near underground gas lines

• Higher than normal gas bills with no change in usage

• Headaches, dizziness or fatigue that improve when you leave the house

Any of these on their own is worth a call to a licensed gas fitter. More than one at the same time means act now.

What Causes Gas Leaks in Perth Homes?

The most common causes we see across Baldivis, Rockingham, Warnbro, and surrounding suburbs are ageing bayonet fittings, corroded pipework, poorly installed or worn appliance connections, and unused gas lines that were never properly capped. Older homes are at higher risk, but we find gas fitting faults in newer builds too, especially where appliances were installed cheaply or by unlicensed operators.

How We Can Help After the Leak Is Made Safe

Once Atco has made the supply safe, the fault still needs to be found and fixed before your gas can be reconnected. That is where we come in. Greg is a licensed gas fitter (GF17197) with over 25 years of experience, and we handle gas leak detection, gas leak repairs, repiping, capping of unused lines, and gas appliance servicing across Perth's southern suburbs.

A gas space heater service starts from $250, and a hot plate replacement from $395. You can view all our gas fitting prices at willowsplumbing.com.au/pricelist.

We also install and service gas appliances including stoves, ovens, gas heaters and gas hot water systems, and carry out new gas connections and bayonet point installations. See everything we offer at willowsplumbing.com.au/services.

Stay Safe With Regular Gas Appliance Servicing

The best way to avoid a gas leak is to catch problems before they start. We recommend having your gas appliances serviced every one to two years, especially gas heaters before winter. It is a small cost compared to the risk, and it keeps your appliances running efficiently too.

For licensed gas fitting across Baldivis, Rockingham, Mandurah, Secret Harbour, Port Kennedy, Byford, Wellard, Kwinana, and Perth's southern suburbs, call Willows Plumbing & Gas on 0467 981 596 or book online at willowsplumbing.com.au.