Safety guide · Federal Way, WA
Signs of a Gas Leak in Your Home
A sulfur or rotten-egg odor, a hiss near a pipe, or sudden dizziness are the classic signs of a gas leak in your home. Get everyone out first, then phone 911 or the gas company from the street.
(253) 540-0002- Leave at onceTake everyone out; do not look for the source.
- Phone from the streetDial 911 or the gas company, well clear of the house.
- Wait for the green lightStay out until responders say otherwise.
Signs of a gas leak in your home at a glance
- Rotten-egg smellUtilities add the odorant so you notice a leak.
- Hissing or whistlingGas escaping under pressure from a pipe or appliance.
- Dead patch of lawn or bubbles in wet groundSigns of a leak in a buried line outside.
- Dizziness, headache or nauseaGet outside to fresh air and tell the dispatcher.
- Leave first, call secondPhone 911 or the gas company only after you are out.
- No DIY gas repairOnly a plumber works on a gas line, after the all-clear.
Smell gas? Leave, then call: the first sixty seconds
The order of action, and what to avoid.
If you smell gas right now, leave first
Walk everyone, pets included, out of the house, and pull the door shut or leave it open only if that takes no extra time. Then, from the yard, the street or a neighbor’s home, phone 911 or the gas company’s emergency number. Leave the light switches alone, keep lighters and matches in your pocket, skip the car in an attached garage and resist the urge to hunt for the cause.
Nothing below needs your attention until you are out of the building and the gas company or fire crew has checked it. Natural gas burns and, in the right mix with air, explodes, and a tiny spark is enough. The safe order is always the same: get out, then call, then learn more.
The first sixty seconds, in order
Gas leaks reward people who move before they think. If the smell is strong, if you hear hissing or if anyone feels dizzy, there is no step that justifies staying inside. A faint whiff that comes and goes still deserves the same response, because you cannot judge from the smell how much has leaked or where it has gathered.
Once you are out, move away from the house, keep other people from going in and wait for instructions. Anyone with symptoms should get fresh air and tell the dispatcher about them.
Stop and get out
Take people and pets, leave the door as you go.
Stay off switches
No lights, garage door openers, lighters or appliances.
Phone from the street
Dial 911 or the gas company emergency line, standing well clear.
Wait for the all-clear
Stay out until responders say otherwise.
What to do and what to leave alone
The list of things not to do matters as much as the list of things to do. Many gas incidents begin with a person trying to help: opening windows by flipping a fan switch, relighting a pilot or running upstairs for a phone. Treat the house as unsafe until a responder says otherwise.
| Do this | Not this |
|---|---|
| Leave on foot, at once | Search for the source |
| Phone from the yard or a neighbor’s home | Use a landline or phone near the leak |
| Keep the door open if you can reach it as you go | Go back to shut windows |
| Tell people nearby to stay clear | Let anyone smoke or light a flame |
| Meet responders and say what you smelled | Run the garage door opener |
Signs of a gas leak in your home you can smell, hear and see
Three senses, and what to do for each.
Signs of a gas leak in your home come through three senses: smell, hearing and sight. Several of them also have harmless look-alikes, so the sections below tell you what each sign looks like and what the sensible response is.
The smell, the sound and the sight
Utilities add a sulfur-like odorant to natural gas so people notice leaks. The smell is often described as rotten eggs or a skunk. A hissing or whistling near a pipe, a meter or an appliance can mean gas is escaping under pressure. Outside, look for dead or dried patches of plants in an otherwise green lawn, dirt blowing from a hole, or bubbles rising in standing water.
Indoors, a pilot flame that burns yellow or orange instead of steady blue, soot around a stove or heater, and a gas appliance that cuts out and relights can signal poor combustion or a leak. If any of these come with a smell, leave first.
| Sign | Where you notice it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Rotten-egg or sulfur smell | Near an appliance, meter or in a room | Leave, then phone 911 or the utility |
| Hissing or whistling | At a pipe, meter or appliance | Leave, then call |
| Dead patch in a green lawn | Over a buried gas line | Stay clear, call from a distance |
| Bubbles in wet ground or a puddle | Near the meter or a buried line | Stay clear, call |
| Yellow or orange flame, soot | Stove, furnace or water heater | Turn off the appliance only if nothing smells; call a plumber |
| Headache, nausea, dizziness | Anyone indoors | Get outside to fresh air, call 911 |
Why nose-only checks fail
People who have lived with a faint odor get used to it, and some people cannot detect it well at all. A cold, a stuffy room or a strong cooking smell can mask it. Do not rely on one person’s nose. If anyone in the house thinks there is a smell, treat it as real, step outside and let the responders decide.
- Faint smell that comes and goesTreat as real; leave
- Smell near the furnace only when it startsLeave and call; do not wait for it to repeat
- One person smells it, others do notLeave anyway
- Outdoor smell near the meterMove away and call
- Smell after a power outage or a shakeLeave, call, wait for the all-clear
Gas leak or carbon monoxide: two hazards, one first move
Alarms, outages and storm season.
Gas leak or carbon monoxide?
These are different hazards with some overlap. A gas leak is unburned gas that can ignite. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced when fuel burns without enough air, and it harms people who breathe it. Gas has an added smell; carbon monoxide has none. A properly working carbon monoxide alarm reacts to the second, not the first.
Both call for leaving and calling for help. Headaches, nausea, dizziness, tiredness and confusion that ease when you step outside can point to either, so mention them when you call. Never rely on a gas smell to warn you about carbon monoxide.
| Natural gas leak | Carbon monoxide | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Unburned fuel escaping | Byproduct of incomplete burning |
| Smell | Added sulfur-like odorant | None |
| Main danger | Fire and explosion | Poisoning |
| Alarm that detects it | Gas detector | Carbon monoxide alarm |
| First move | Leave and call from outside | Leave and call from outside |
Alarms, outages and storms
Puget Sound homes face a long season of wind and rain, and power outages follow. Generators and grills used indoors or in garages are a common carbon monoxide source, so keep them outside and away from windows. A battery-backed carbon monoxide alarm on each level, and one near sleeping areas, gives warning when the power is out. Check the batteries on a schedule.
- Alarm on each levelNear bedrooms and the furnace area
- Test monthlyReplace batteries on a regular schedule
- Generators stay outdoorsAway from doors, windows and vents
- No grills in garagesEven with the door open
- Know the exit pathEveryone in the house, including children
Where gas leaks start and who fixes them
Connectors, valves, meters and buried lines.
Where gas leaks start in a Federal Way house
Most leaks happen at connections and at the end of the line. Flexible appliance connectors can wear or kink, old valves can seep, and threaded joints can loosen over time. Outside, a damaged line can result from digging, shifting soil or corrosion. Appliances with a pilot or burner, such as a furnace, water heater, range, dryer or fireplace insert, have the most places where gas meets air.
Call 811 before any digging, since a hit on a buried gas line is dangerous. Your gas provider can tell you which parts of the system it owns and which belong to you.
| Place | Typical issue | Who checks it |
|---|---|---|
| Appliance connector | Wear, kink or loose fitting | Plumber or appliance pro |
| Shutoff valve at the appliance | Seepage at the stem | Plumber |
| Meter and regulator | Utility equipment | Gas utility |
| Line between meter and house | Corrosion or damage | Plumber, with the utility |
| Fireplace or log lighter | Valve left slightly open | Plumber |
| Outdoor grill or fire pit feed | Hose or fitting wear | Plumber or the manufacturer’s service |
What a plumber does after the utility clears the house
When the responders say the home is safe, a plumber can find and repair the leak. That can mean tightening or replacing a connector, replacing a valve, repairing a section of pipe or replacing a failed appliance feed. The gas leak repair page explains how this work goes, and the gas line repair page covers larger line work.
After the repair, the system is tested and appliances are checked before gas service is restored. Some utilities tag appliances until they are checked, so ask the responder what comes next.
Utility or fire crew clears the home
They check levels and may shut off service.
Plumber finds the leak
Instruments and a pressure test locate it.
Repair is made
Connector, valve, pipe or appliance feed.
Test and restore
System is tested before service resumes.
Apartments, rentals and appliances that act strangely
Shared walls, shared risk.
Renters, apartments and shared buildings
In an apartment, condo or townhome, a gas leak can affect neighbors through shared walls and utility spaces. Leave the building and alert people on your way out if you can do so without delay. Call 911 or the gas utility from outside and tell your property manager afterward. Do not assume someone else has called.
Census QuickFacts puts the owner-occupied rate in Federal Way at about 55 percent, so many households rent. A tenant who notices a recurring smell should report it to the landlord in writing, with the date and the appliance, but should never wait for a reply when the smell is strong. A landlord hires the plumber for the repair.
| Situation | First move | Then |
|---|---|---|
| House you own | Leave, call from outside | Plumber after the all-clear |
| Rental house or apartment | Leave, call from outside | Tell the landlord in writing |
| Condo or townhome | Leave, alert neighbors on the way out | Tell the manager |
| Smell in a common hallway | Leave the building, call | Tell the manager |
| Smell in a basement or utility room | Leave, do not go in to look | Call the utility |
Appliances that act strangely, with no strong smell
A burner that will not stay lit, a stove that clicks without lighting, a water heater with soot at the draft hood or a furnace that shuts off repeatedly may need service even if you smell nothing. Turn the appliance off at its control and call a plumber, or the appliance maker, to check it. Do not try to open the gas fitting, clean the burner ports with tools or adjust the regulator.
- Burner will not stay litTurn off at the control, call a plumber
- Soot around a heaterDo not use it until checked
- Clicking without ignitionTurn off the knob and call
- Flame color changesOrange or yellow means poor mixture
- Rattle or hiss at the applianceLeave if there is any smell
Prevention, records and your insurer
Small habits and the paper trail.
Cutting the risk before there is a leak
Most leaks are preventable with ordinary attention. Have gas appliances checked on a schedule, keep the area around them clear, and replace worn flexible connectors when a plumber suggests it. Do not store paint, solvents or cleaners near a pilot or burner. After remodeling work that moved an appliance, ask whether the gas connection was tested.
When you move into a house, ask about the age of the gas lines and the connectors. A plumber can walk the system and tell you what is old and what is new. The plumbing repair page explains how a general visit works, and the emergency plumber page covers the case where something has already gone wrong.
| Habit | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Appliance check on a schedule | Finds worn connectors and burner problems |
| Clear space around burners | Keeps combustibles away from a flame |
| Replace old flexible connectors | They wear, kink and loosen |
| Call 811 before any digging | Keeps tools off a buried gas line |
| Carbon monoxide alarms in sleeping areas | A separate warning for a separate hazard |
Insurance and paperwork
Read your own policy and phone your insurer if a leak damaged the house or an appliance had to be replaced. Policies differ, and this page cannot say what yours covers. Keep any report from the utility or the fire department, and keep the plumber’s notes with the house papers. Those records help if you ever have to explain what happened.
- Report numbersFrom the utility or fire department
- Plumber’s notesWhat was found and repaired
- PhotosOf damaged parts, taken after the all-clear
- DatesWhen you smelled it, who you called
- Your policyRead it; call your insurer with questions
When to call a plumber about gas
Emergency responders come first. A plumber follows once the house is cleared.
After the utility clears the home
A plumber finds and repairs the source of the leak.
An appliance that will not stay lit
Turn it off at the control and have it checked.
Soot or an orange flame
Poor combustion needs service before further use.
Old flexible connectors
A plumber can replace worn parts before they leak.
Gas services in Federal Way, WA
These pages cover the repair work that follows an all-clear.
Gas leak repair
Find and fix the leak once the home is cleared.
Gas leak repair details →Gas line repair
Repair or replace damaged gas piping.
Gas line repair details →Emergency plumber
What happens when you call at any hour.
Emergency plumber details →Water heater repair
Gas heaters with soot, pilots or flame issues.
Water heater repair details →Gas leak questions answered
What are the signs of a gas leak in your home?
What should I do first if I smell gas in Federal Way?
Should I open windows when I smell gas?
Can I turn off the gas at the meter myself?
Is the smell of gas dangerous in small amounts?
What if I smell gas but my appliance seems fine?
How is a gas leak different from carbon monoxide?
Who repairs a gas leak after the all-clear?
What affects the price of gas leak repair?
What do I do if I smell gas in an apartment or condo?
More guides for Federal Way homeowners
Smelled gas? Leave, then call 911.
Once the house is cleared, phone at any hour. Someone picks up, and same-day visits are available around Federal Way.