Gas Leaks

Today’s Inspection yielded 5 gas leaks. What is the most gas leaks you have ever found during one inspection?

Chris,

Could you smell any gas?

And once your machine detects gas what do you recommend?

How old do you think the pipes were?

Quick question have changed the sensor in your tester lately?

time to out the liquid soap and find out if there is a real leak

Nope. Those are definite leaks. No question about it.

I’m not saying they aren’t.
Question is what if there are tiny leaks?
What is the course of action?

No often but when we found a leak called the gas company and very shortly a crew showed up .

This happened three weeks ago .

In an old set of gas lines there will be tiny leaks at the fittings.
Are you reporting those?
A detector may pick them up but do they pose a risk?

Let’s say your detector finds a tiny leak and you can’t even smell the mercaptan.
Do you report that a few fittings are leaking?
And what is the course of action?

I have had available to me for over 40 years electronic leak detectors Freon and or natural gas I don’t like any of them. They remained in the case I have always went with a liquid detector. The yellow liquid for Freon and Dawn dish soap for NG they can not be beat. Pinpoints the leak and indicates the size.

BTW size does not matter to me small leaks become large leaks over time so on the repair list they go;-) Plus the PIC of the bubbles makes for a nice pic:shock:

In my area, nat. gas is delivered at very low psi (about 3psi ) after the meter so tiny leaks can’t release enough gas for it to build up.

All over the country gas lines leak, residential, commercial, industrial and utility lines.

Why aren’t buildings blowing up all the time?

A. serious gas leaks are dealt with by the utility.
B. the low pressure residential gas is delivered at makes it difficult for a cloud to build up.
C. mercaptan is added to the odorless natural gas so if there is a significant leak it’s easy to notice because mercaptan stinks.

I don’t use a detector (other than my nose) and I don’t use a spray bottle.

And before people start posting cases of buildings that blew up…
Yes, sometimes it happens and it’s always in the news.
In a nation of 400 million it’s pretty rare.

There was one in NYC a couple years ago, took down a 3 or 4 story multi resident building. Some morons had been illegally tapping into the gas lines.

Can you provide the Nose sniff rates per second for checking gas leaks:p

Last time I checked I still breathe in and out from time to time as necessary.
And I have my certified Mercaptan Detector recalibrated yearly. :wink:

Me thinks you have been smelling what you have been eating;-) and passing it off as testing for gas leaks:D

Can you post a pic of you sniffing a gas line as proof of your leak testing abilities

Charles, you’re an older “gentleman” but still act like a adolescent.

I am a kid at heart, but I also like to jam up guys that make no sense with some of their post

All you’re doing is jamming up the discussion which had been going pretty well.
So if you could control your immature side you could explain whatever it is you’re attempting to say.

You better have a better way than just the noise , I do not think a nose sniff will hold up in court to long . Soap or meter . The reason I asked my question sometimes the sensor goes bad .

Being you had no clue as to what I was talking about. Wayne made it pretty clear you would look plain stupid telling a Judge that you use your nose for testing for gas leaks. You display your self as a seasoned HI but your post are very amateurish. I sure hope the newbies don’t take you serious and start sniffing for gas leaks

Happened to come across this comment from InterNachi regarding combustible gas detectors. Machine made and human based. :wink:

“A combustible-gas detector detects small amounts of combustible gases. Most inspectors use their noses since the most common combustible gases – natural gas and propane – have odors that are easy to detect.”

Many of you seem to live in fear of lawsuits and courtrooms.
It comes up over and over again in many discussions.

Inspecting since 2009 and never once have I been sued or even threatened with such.

If you want to worry about what will happen in court then good luck with that.

Your much feared bogeyman the prosecuting attorney will call your gas detector into question, your maintenance of the detector and your training in the use of it.

No different with your squirt bottle.
Once you’re on the stand they will slice and dice you.

But go ahead and worry, your call.