Gas Leak: What to Do Right Now
Get out first. Then call the gas network, or 000 if lives are at risk.
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THE SHORT ANSWER
In short
Treat any gas leak as potentially lethal. Get everyone out of the building. Put out naked flames, don’t use lighters, switches or a phone near the leak. From outside, call Jemena on 131 909, or 000 and ask for the Fire Service if lives are at risk. Once it is safe, call our licensed gasfitters to find and repair the leak.
DO THIS FIRST
Do this first
1
Get everyone out
Leave the building now, and keep people away.
2
No sparks or flames
Put out naked flames. Don’t smoke, use lighters, switches or a phone near the leak.
3
Call from outside
Jemena on 131 909 for a gas leak. 000, asking for the Fire Service, if anyone is in danger.
4
Only if safe
Open doors and windows on your way out, and turn the gas supply off if you can do it safely.
5
Then call us
Once it is safe, our licensed gasfitters find and repair the leak: 0420 102 394.
SOURCES
Where this advice comes from
WHAT IS HAPPENING
How to recognise a gas leak
Natural gas and LPG have almost no smell of their own, so a smell is added to make leaks easy to notice. Jemena describes it as rotten eggs or cabbage (Jemena). If you can smell it, treat it as a leak until a licensed gasfitter says otherwise.
Other signs: a hissing sound near a gas pipe, appliance or meter; bubbles rising through a puddle over a buried gas line; or a patch of dying plants above where a gas pipe runs. A flame that burns lazy and yellow instead of crisp and blue is a different warning: it usually means poor combustion and a carbon monoxide risk, not a leak, and the appliance should be turned off until it is checked.
Leaks can be at a cooktop or heater connection, a bayonet point, the regulator at the meter, a loose joint, or the pipe itself. Finding one takes a licensed gasfitter with a proper leak test; it is never a job for soapy water and a match.
LPG is heavier than air and collects in low spots such as floors, stairwells, gutters and drains. If your gas comes from bottles, turn the bottle valve off only if you can do it safely on your way out, then call your gas supplier, or 000 if anyone is at risk. We work on LPG and bottled gas systems as well as natural gas.
IS IT URGENT?
How serious is it?
| What you can see | How urgent | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A strong smell of gas inside, hissing, or anyone feeling unwell | Get out now | Leave, then call 000 if lives are at risk, or Jemena on 131 909, from outside |
| A gas smell outside near the meter or in the street | Emergency | Keep away and call Jemena on 131 909 |
| Dizziness, fainting or loss of consciousness near a gas appliance | Call 000 | Get everyone into fresh air: this may be carbon monoxide |
| Headaches or nausea that ease when you leave the house | Urgent: today | Fresh air, the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, and the appliance checked before it is used again |
| An appliance with yellow, lazy flames or soot marks | Stop using it | Turn it off and book a licensed gasfitter |
| A gas pipe damaged while digging | Emergency | Leave the area and call Jemena on 131 909 |
DO NOT
Don’t make it worse
- Don’t turn lights, switches or appliances on or off
- Don’t use a phone or start a car near the leak
- Don’t go back inside until it is declared safe
- Don’t try to fix a gas leak yourself: gas work must be done by a licensed gasfitter
- Don’t make your calls from inside the house: get outside and well away first
- Don’t relight pilots or restart appliances after a leak until a licensed gasfitter has tested the system
WHY IT HAPPENED
Where gas leaks come from
Since 2019 our licensed gasfitters have completed 34 gas leak detection jobs. These are the places we look first, and what each one usually needs.
| Likely cause | Tell-tale signs | The usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| A loose or worn appliance connection | Smell near the cooktop, heater or hot water unit | Remake or replace the connection, then leak test |
| A faulty bayonet fitting | Smell at a wall or floor gas point, worse with a heater plugged in | Replace the bayonet |
| The regulator or meter connection | Smell outside at the meter | Jemena for its equipment; a licensed gasfitter for your side |
| A damaged or corroded pipe | Smell along a path or under the house, dying plants over a buried line | Locate and repair it, then test the whole system |
| Poor combustion (not a leak, but dangerous) | Yellow flames, soot, a stuffy room, headaches | Service the appliance and check the flue and ventilation |
CARBON MONOXIDE
Carbon monoxide: the leak you can’t smell
Carbon monoxide has no smell, colour or sound. Smaller amounts cause headaches, nausea, vomiting and weakness; larger amounts cause dizziness, fainting and loss of consciousness. Babies, pregnant women, the elderly and people with heart problems are most at risk (NSW Health).
Dizziness, fainting or loss of consciousness: call 000. Headaches or nausea near a gas appliance: get everyone into fresh air and call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
WHEN WE ARRIVE
What we do when we get there
1
Safe to enter
We start once Jemena or emergency services have made the site safe, and confirm it with you on arrival.
2
Leak test
A leak test on your gas installation shows whether gas is escaping, and narrows down where.
3
Fixed price for the repair
You approve the price before we replace the fitting, pipe or appliance connection.
4
Repair and retest
The repair, then the system tested again before any appliance is relit.
5
Your gas certificate
Homeowners get a copy of the gas compliance certificate for the work.
WHAT IT COSTS
What gas leak detection and repair costs
Half of our 31 priced gas leak detection jobs since 2019 cost between $304 and $890, including GST, with a median of $539.
What moves the price: how hard the leak is to find, how much of the system has to be tested, and what has to be replaced. You approve a fixed price before any repair.
$0 call-out Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm. After hours a call-out fee of $199 to $399 applies, confirmed by text before we dispatch.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Who is responsible?
A gas leak is on the NSW urgent repairs list, so in a rental the landlord arranges the repair. Tenants should still get out and call Jemena first, then tell the agent (tenants: what to do).
In strata, gas pipes that serve more than one unit are usually common property, and a leak in them is for the owners corporation; the appliances and pipes serving only your unit are usually yours (strata: who pays). NSW also sets gas safety rules for landlords and suppliers: NSW Government: gas safety.
INSURANCE
Gas leaks and insurance
Home insurance doesn’t usually pay to repair a gas leak, because a leaking fitting is treated as wear and tear. Where cover matters is what a leak causes, such as a fire.
Keep the gasfitter’s certificate and report: it shows the leak was found and fixed by a licensed gasfitter. How to make a claim
NEXT TIME
Prevent it next time
- Have gas heaters checked by a licensed gasfitter at least every two years
- Consider a carbon monoxide alarm near bedrooms
- Never use outdoor gas heaters or barbecues indoors or in a garage
- Before digging in the yard, contact Before You Dig Australia at least two working days ahead, as Jemena advises (Jemena)
- Keep heater flues and room vents clear; never block them to stop draughts
QUESTIONS
Gas leak questions
WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW
Other plumbing emergencies
MORE HELP
Emergency help
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