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Gas Smell in House Langley | What to Do
Gas smell in house Langley? Get out first, then call FortisBC. Here's what happens next, who fixes the pipe past the meter, and when a gas fitter comes in.
GAS & HEATING
Plumblink Crew
9/18/20264 min read
Smell Gas in Your Langley Home? What to Do First, and Who Fixes It
Natural gas has no smell of its own. FortisBC adds an odourant so a leak smells like rotten eggs, and that smell is the only warning most people get. If you're reading this because you smell it right now, stop reading and do the steps below first. The rest can wait.
What to do in the first two minutes
Stop what you're doing. Don't flip light switches, unplug anything, light a match, or start the car in an attached garage. Any spark can ignite gas.
Don't make calls from inside. That includes your cellphone.
Get everyone out, pets included. Leave the door open behind you, and leave open any windows that are already open.
Once you're outside, call the FortisBC 24-hour emergency line at 1-800-663-9911, or call 911.
Wait outside until FortisBC arrives. Don't go back in to grab anything.
Don't email or message FortisBC about a gas smell. Phone them. Don't try to find the leak yourself, either. That's their job first.
Don't wait it out
The most common mistake is living with a faint smell for days because it "comes and goes." A small leak that comes and goes is still a leak, and it will usually be worse the day you finally call. FortisBC has said publicly that some callers tell them they've been smelling gas for a month. Call the day you notice it.
Is it gas, sewer gas, or your hot water tank?
A few other things in a house can smell like rotten eggs. The honest rule is simple: if you're not sure, treat it as gas and call. FortisBC would rather attend a false alarm than miss a real leak. Here's how the three usually differ:
Natural gas: the smell is strongest near the furnace, water heater, range, fireplace, dryer, or gas meter. It may come with a hissing sound near a line or appliance.
Sewer gas: the smell is strongest near a floor drain, a basement bathroom, or a tub nobody uses. Usually a drain trap has dried out, or a vent is blocked. This isn't dangerous the way natural gas is, but it does mean something in the drain system needs attention. Our post on why drains keep clogging covers the common causes.
Hot water: the smell only appears when you run the hot tap. It usually comes from a reaction between the tank's anode rod and your water, and it's more common on well water. Plumblink's hot water tank team can sort that out.
What happens when FortisBC arrives
FortisBC owns the gas meter and the service line that runs from the street to it. If the leak is on their side, they fix it, and it doesn't cost you anything. The one exception is if you damaged the line yourself while digging.
If the leak is past the meter, meaning in your house piping, an appliance, or a buried line to a garage or shop, FortisBC will make it safe. That often means shutting off the gas at the meter or at the appliance and leaving a notice. They don't repair your side. Until a licensed gas fitter fixes it, you may be without heat, hot water, or a stove.
Who fixes the pipe past the meter
Everything downstream of the meter is the homeowner's responsibility, and in BC only a gas fitter licensed through Technical Safety BC can legally work on it. A handyman can't do it, and neither can a plumber who holds only a plumbing ticket. That difference trips people up, and we explain it in plumber vs gas fitter: what's the difference.
A proper repair looks like this:
Pressure-test the system to find every leak, since a leak rarely comes from just one joint.
Repair or replace the failed section.
Re-test until the system holds pressure.
Pull a permit where the work requires one.
Restore gas and relight the appliances.
Plumblink's Red Seal crew handles plumbing and gas fitting in Langley in-house, so a job that touches both trades takes one call.
Where leaks usually start in Langley homes
Appliance connectors. A range pulled out for cleaning or a dryer shoved back against the wall can kink or loosen the flex line behind it.
Old threaded joints. In homes from the 1970s through the 1990s, pipe sealant in basement and mechanical-room fittings can dry out over decades.
Fireplace valves that haven't been serviced in years.
Buried lines to detached garages, shops, BBQs, and patio heaters. These are common on larger Langley lots, and they belong to the homeowner, not FortisBC.
Gas smell vs carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a different danger, and it has no smell at all. A gas leak and a CO problem can happen separately, so not smelling rotten eggs doesn't mean your furnace is safe. Headaches, dizziness, or nausea that ease when you step outside are a warning sign.
Put a working CO alarm near the bedrooms and on every level with a fuel-burning appliance. Test it when you change your clocks.
Before the heating season starts
The best time to find a slow leak is before the furnace runs every day. When you book your annual furnace or fireplace service, ask the gas fitter to check the piping past the meter at the same time. It's a small add-on, and it's the part of the system nobody looks at until it smells.
Gas repair after FortisBC has been out? Call Plumblink 24/7 at (236) 233-9696, or request a quote for non-urgent gas line work. For a suspected leak right now, call FortisBC first at 1-800-663-9911, or 911.
Langley, BC, Canada
Plumblink Plumbing Inc.
