ideas for creating an outdoor living space

ideas for creating an outdoor living space

You Smelled Gas, But Now What?

by Kyle Brown

Have you just bought your first home, and it's also your first gas-powered home? Using gas is a lot different from using electricity to cook and heat the house, with the main difference being that gas can leak. If you smell gas, you have to treat that as an emergency. The procedure you have to use changes a bit, however, compared to what you'd do as a renter.

Call Your Utility Company First

This first step is the same anywhere: Call the gas company to report the smell of gas. The company will still send someone out to your home to locate the source of the smell. Where the process diverges is that, if there is damage to a line or something needs to be replaced on your side of the meter, which means any of the lines that run from the meter to your appliances, you are responsible for fixing it. The tech will take emergency action to stop the leak, of course, but the gas company will fix only those lines leading up to your meter.

Arrange for Alternate Methods

The technician will turn off the portions of the gas lines that are leaking. Sometimes this will isolate one particular appliance (for example, if the lines to your kitchen are fine but the line to your outdoor cooking station are the ones leaking, the tech will turn off those lines). However, sometimes all the gas to your home has to be shut off for safety. Until you can get things fixed, warn any housemates not to turn on the gas lines at all. Buy an electric hotplate or use your microwave, and if your water heater is gas-run, you may have to rely on solar water heaters made for campers until you arrange for a contractor to fix the lines.

Prepare Your Property

Once the appointment with the contractor is set, remove potted plants or cover them just before the appointment to protect them from dirt if the leak was located outside. Move pets indoors or arrange for them to stay in a kennel for the duration of the repairs. If the leak appeared to be inside your home, move furniture away, preferably into another room if possible. If the contractor has to open up the walls in your home, that will create dust that you don't want to have to clean off furniture.

When you're getting bids, find out how long the repairs might take; they could be as simple as unearthing a section of line and replacing it, or they could be more complicated. Get several bids to get a better idea of timing and cost. Contact a company like Precision to learn more.


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About Me

ideas for creating an outdoor living space

Do you enjoy spending time outdoors? Do you struggle to have enough space to hold family dinners with all of your extended family? If so, it is time to consider adding an outdoor living space to your home. Something as simple as a furnished patio can make your life a little more enjoyable. You could even go all out like I did and have a full outdoor kitchen installed. During the summer, I never use the kitchen inside my home. I am always outside cooking dinner, baking goodies and spending time in the fresh air. To get a few ideas about how to design your outdoor living space, go to my site.