Many of our customers in Illinois and Northwest Indiana are worried about gas leaks and often ask Merts Heating & Air Conditioning about how to keep their homes safe. That’s because many gas leaks are silent—but dangerous. Please understand the safest thing to do if you suspect a gas leak is to call for professional help, but let’s first take a closer look at some ways to protect yourself.
Covering All the Bases
The natural assumption is that we’re talking only about natural gas leaks but there are many types of leaks that can affect indoor air quality. Here are some of the tools that can protect your Steger, IL or Crown Point, IN home:
- CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS—Everyone realizes this deadly gas is the most dangerous component of indoor air quality. Merts believes every home should have CO detectors meaning more than one. There should be a detector on every floor of the house and near every bedroom.
- NATURAL GAS/PROPANE DETECTORS—Some of you may think you don’t need natural gas or propane detectors because the smell of leaking gas will give an advance warning. That is true but only to a certain degree. When it comes out of the ground natural gas is odorless but a chemical smell, similar to rotten eggs, is added as a safety precaution. There are two problems:
- If a gas leak occurs in the basement, it could cause an explosion before you even smell the gas.
- It’s also possible to not detect the smell of a gas leak during normal daily activities.
Natural gas/propane detectors will protect you in those situations.
- RADON GAS DETECTORS—This radioactive gas is not going to kill you immediately but is definitely a factor in unhealthy indoor air quality. It is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Radon detectors do not sound an immediate alarm. Instead, you place them in your home for a period of time then send them off to a laboratory to determine if they were exposed to radon gas. If there’s a problem, it will require an expert in radon abatement to determine a solution.
Discretion is Better Part of Valor
It’s important to always follow this philosophy when it comes to gas leaks. If you determine there is a leak in your Illinois or Northwest Indiana home the safest choice is to leave the house immediately and either call 911 or your gas supplier to alert them. Once you know the home is safe you can then get the problem fixed. Merts Heating & Air Conditioning is always here to help. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.