Smell Gas? Get Out First, Then Call
What should I do if I smell gas?
Why the Utility Comes Before the Plumber
The gas utility's emergency crew carries detection equipment, can shut off service at the meter, and treats a gas odor call as the emergency it is. Their job is to make the property safe. They generally do not repair the house piping past the meter, which is the homeowner's side.
That is where a plumber comes in. In Texas, gas piping inside a home falls under plumbing licensing overseen by the TSBPE, so the repair, the re-test, and getting service turned back on is licensed plumbing work. Seth Sonnier, one of N-Sink's two owners, is a Texas master plumber.
N-Sink is open 24 hours, seven days a week, so you are not waiting until morning for the repair once the house has been made safe.
Rotten Eggs From the Faucet Is Not the Same Smell, but Rule Out Gas Anyway
A sulfur smell that only shows up in the hot water, at the tap, is usually a water heater problem: bacteria reacting with the anode rod in the tank. It is unpleasant, not dangerous, and homes on well water see it more often.
The trouble is that a homeowner describes both smells the same way. So the rule stays the same: if you smell it in the air, near the water heater, the stove, the dryer, or outside near the meter, treat it as gas and leave. If the smell is only in the water itself, from the hot side, with nothing in the air, that is the water heater, and our page on rotten egg smell in hot water covers it.
What Storms and Freezes Do to Gas Piping Here
Southeast Texas is hard on gas lines in ways people do not think about until something smells wrong. After Hurricane Harvey and again after Tropical Storm Imelda, floodwater shifted meters, soaked appliance controls, and left sediment in places it should never be. Any gas appliance that sat in floodwater should be checked before it is relit, and that applies anywhere in Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin counties that took water.
Winter Storm Uri in 2021 brought a different problem. Pilots went out, people relit appliances they had not touched in years, and some ran ovens or outdoor equipment indoors for heat, which is a carbon monoxide hazard rather than a gas leak but just as serious.
The Gulf Coast clay under most slab homes here also moves. Soil that shrinks in a dry summer and swells in a wet one puts stress on rigid buried gas lines running from the meter to the house, which is one reason a yard line leak is not rare in this region.
How a Gas Leak Gets Found and Fixed
With the house made safe, the work is methodical. The system is pressure tested to confirm there is a leak and how fast it is losing pressure. Then fittings, connectors, valves, and runs are checked, usually starting with the places leaks actually happen: flexible appliance connectors, threaded joints, old valves, and the line where it enters the house.
The repair might be as small as replacing a corroded appliance connector or as large as replacing a section of buried line from the meter. Either way the system is tested again, under pressure, before anything is relit. A gas repair is not finished until it passes that test.
What to do right now
- Leave the building immediately with everyone, including pets. Do not stop to open windows room by room or look for the source.
- Do not create a spark on the way out: no light switches, no unplugging, no phone calls inside, no doorbell, no garage door opener, no lighter or match, and do not start a car parked in an attached garage.
- From outside and away from the house, call 911 or your gas utility's emergency line. On propane, call your propane supplier.
- If you can reach the gas meter or tank valve outdoors safely and know how to close it, you may, but never go back inside to do it.
- Stay out until the fire department or utility says the house is safe. Then call a licensed plumber to locate and repair the leak in the house piping.
If you smell gas, leave the building now and take everyone with you. Do not flip a light switch, unplug anything, use a phone, start a car in an attached garage, or light anything on the way out, because any spark can ignite it. Once you are outside and well away from the house, call 911 or your gas utility (your propane supplier if you are on propane). Do not go back in until they say it is safe. A plumber comes after that, to find and repair the leak in the house piping.
Why this happens in Southeast Texas
N-Sink handles gas line repair and installation across the Golden Triangle, from older homes near the Neches River in Beaumont and Port Arthur to newer construction along Interstate 10 toward Vidor and Orange near the Sabine. Older houses here often still carry original black iron gas pipe and decades-old valves, and a lot of homes have added gas appliances over the years on connectors that were never meant to last that long. The emergency steps on this page are the same everywhere: get out, then call from outside.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a gas leak smell like?
Most people describe it as rotten eggs or sulfur. That smell is mercaptan, which utilities add to natural gas because the gas itself has no odor. Propane is odorized the same way. If you notice it indoors, leave first and call from outside.
Will a carbon monoxide detector detect a gas leak?
No. A carbon monoxide detector senses carbon monoxide, which comes from incomplete burning, not from raw natural gas. They are different hazards. Explosive gas detectors that sense natural gas or propane exist and some units combine both, but check the label. Never rely on a detector over your nose: if you smell gas, get out.
Can I find the leak myself with soapy water?
Not while you can smell gas indoors. That is the moment to leave, not to investigate. Soapy water on a fitting is a technique plumbers use during testing once the area is safe, and the reliable answer comes from pressure testing the whole system, which also finds leaks you could never reach with a spray bottle.
Do you install new gas lines too?
Yes. N-Sink runs new gas lines for ranges, dryers, water heaters, and outdoor equipment, and repairs and replaces existing lines. Every new line is pressure tested before it goes into service.
Ty Malagarie, Owner
N-Sink Plumbing and Drain Specialist · Est. 2026
Licensed PlumberFully Insured
Updated October 2026