If you think you can smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999 and evacuate to a safe location.
A gas leak at home can be scary and have serious consequences if you don’t deal with it quickly. It’s important to know what to do if you have a gas leak.
What type of gas is there?
There are two common kinds of gas that are likely to affect you and your home:
- everyday ‘natural gas’ - which is used in cookers and plumbing
- carbon monoxide - which is a byproduct of improperly burned fuel like gas, coal and wood, and is very poisonous
What does gas smell like?
If you’ve got a natural gas leak, you should hopefully be able to smell it.
Natural gas is actually odourless, but when it’s used in the home something called mercaptan is added which gives it a sulphuric smell. This smell is designed to essentially warn you about its presence.
Carbon monoxide on the other hand is completely odourless, tasteless and invisible.
It can sometimes be released by a faulty home appliance like a fireplace or stove, or a blocked chimney.
The only way to detect it is with a monitor, placed somewhere near the appliance. It’ll automatically beep when it’s detected and should be tested regularly.
What to do if you smell gas in your home
There are a few steps to follow if you think you smell gas.
One of the most important things to remember is do not strike matches, light cigarettes or flick any electrical switches.
Ask yourself if your home has gas
If your home doesn’t have gas and you can smell it, you know it’s coming from somewhere else. If it’s strong enough to reach your home, it’s likely to be a significant leak so leave as soon as you can.
Try to identify the source of the leak
The smell will be strongest closest to the source. A leak in the kitchen for instance, may just be coming from a gas ring on the hob that’s turned off. If the smell is coming from a basement or cellar, leave your home right away as it may be coming from a broken pipe.
Ventilate the space
Open the doors and windows to help the gas escape and to bring in fresh air.
Turn the gas off at the meter
Turn off your gas at the meter if possible. It’ll probably have a physical valve which needs turning like a tap.
Call for help
Call 0800 111 999 to contact the National Gas Emergency Service to get an expert to your house to deal with the leak.
Let your neighbours know
In the case of a serious leak and you’re evacuated, warn your neighbours. This is especially important if you live in a flat, terraced house or semi-detached home.
How to prevent gas leaks
To prevent gas leaks, you should make sure:
- you regularly inspect and keep gas appliances well-maintained
- appliances are installed properly
Does my insurance cover gas leaks?
It depends on your insurance.
For instance, our buildings insurance covers you in the event of a gas explosion that causes structural or other physical damage to your home.
If this happened, you’d be able to claim any possessions damaged by the explosion on your contents insurance.
I’m a landlord – is my rental property insured against gas leaks?
Again, it depends on your insurance and insurer.
Our landlord insurance gives the same cover against explosions as our home insurance.
Landlord Emergency cover is an optional extra on our landlord insurance and covers the cost of 24-hour emergency call outs if there’s a gas supply or boiler failure.
It’ll cover the repair and replacement of leaking pipes after the National Gas Emergency Service has found and isolated the source of the leak.
You need to report the emergency within 48 hours to be covered. Policy limits and exclusions apply, so always check your policy book.
