I Smelled an Odd Odor in My Crawl Space and Used Natural Gas Detectors to Ease My Mind About a Potential Leak

Buying your first home should be an exhilarating experience. But after a few days of being handed the keys over, I soon stepped into a world I never thought I’d find myself in — attempting to be a handyman in my spare time.

I’ve already used endoscope inspection cameras to determine whether or not knob and tube wiring was still present, so that was one thing crossed off my potential big ticket fix up list. Next on my list was getting someone to come in for mold remediation treatment. Soon after, a representative came over to do an initial assessment; he told me that he smelled an odd odor when he entered the crawl space in my home.

That’s when it hit me; there was a corroded gas pipe that our home inspector noted in our report. The last thing I needed with an unattended home was natural gas slowly leaking and becoming a ticking time bomb. Without waiting a day further, I picked up a natural gas leak detector.

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Don’t Ignore Signs Of A Gas Leak

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Knowing that you might be wondering how the mold inspector would have smelled gas coming from the crawl space. Gas companies, however, add this gas called mercaptan that gives natural gas its distinct ‘rotten egg‘ smell.

In addition to smell, you can probably determine if you have a gas leak of some kind if you hear a hissing sound of some kind. I thought the odd smell was just due to the age of the house, so needless to say I was surprised that my mold expert noticed it as well — indicating to me that it could be a gas leak.

After he left, I didn’t waste any time and went to my local hardware store to pick up a natural gas detector.

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Things You Should Know About Natural Gas Detectors

What surprised me most was that there wasn’t much of a selection when I went looking, so I opted to get what was available right there. The First Alert Natural Gas Detector was the obvious (and only available) choice that connects to a wall outlet directly, with a battery backup in place.

I placed it right next to the wall outlet closest to the crawl space opening in this small closet. Experts, home insurance companies, and organizations like the National Fire Protection Association all recommend installing natural gas detectors in locations close to natural gas sources. Other areas to consider for homes and apartments are near gas stoves, dryers, and even near your furnace since they commonly use natural gas.

Additionally, you should also give your natural gas detectors a little bit of time to calibrate. After an hour passed, the First Alert wasn’t registering any leaks, nor was it going off. I was suspicious about whether or not I got a bad unit, so it’s also a good idea to try out different models for added peace of mind.

Here are just a few of the other options to consider.

Having multiple options helped ease my mind. The GasKnight 2.0 Natural Gas Detector is a USB-powered option I used, replacing the First Alert near the crawl space area. I really liked its large LCD display that showed the current level. Luckily, it didn’t register any levels during the three hours I had it on. If it did, it would emit a loud 85 dB siren to indicate the presence of natural gas.

I still wasn’t convinced and had to do some kind of test to confirm whether or not there was a gas leak. That’s when the GasKnight Pro Natural Gas Detector eventually confirmed my suspicion. You can adjust the sensitivity of this handheld natural gas detector by turning the knob on it.

With its flexible 15.5-inch hose, I turned on one of the gas burners on the stove to a very low position. From there, I slowly approached it with the GasKnight Pro Natural Gas Detector in hand — and to my amazement — it did go off to indicate the presence of natural gas. Adjusting its sensitivity again, I went around the crawl space area and even directly to the corroded pipe to see if it would go off.

Luckily it didn’t. Knowing that three gas detectors didn’t once get tripped by the presence of natural gas, I felt confident there wasn’t a leak. But still, that didn’t stop me from hiring a plumber to replace the corroded gas pipe a few days later.

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Life Saving Potential of Natural Gas Detectors

Becoming a new homeowner definitely opened my eyes. Living in an apartment, I would rely on my landlord to address and fix any concerns. However, they now all fall on me. That’s why I appreciate the life saving potential of these natural gas detectors.

There have been stories about gas leaks causing major explosions. That’s why it’s imperative to do whatever you can to protect yourself, your home, and your family. Similar to how smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors have saved countless lives, natural gas detectors should also be included on your list to have at home.

Not only can I now sleep at night knowing there’s no leak, but in the worst case scenario, these natural gas detectors are helpful in informing me about any potential gas leak.