The Gas Co. said there is a leak somewhere under the house & they turned the gas off. This is a rental house I own. We just went all electric in it last year but that is too expensive so I need to go back to gas & get a new furnace. But how do I run down a leak with the gas off & do you have any alternative ideas on heating a rental house? Thank you.
2007-09-29 03:17:28 · 7 answers · asked by chickem 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
This is easy. Replace the entire gas line and all fittings with new!!! It may cost about the same as chasing down your leak or a bit more but you can sleep better. This is what I would do that way there is no guess work. You are right about the cost of electric to heat with. Your furnance guy should beable to handle it or you could do it yourself. The gas company will check the new line when they turn the gas on. Good Luck the choice is yours.
2007-10-03 02:52:20 · answer #1 · answered by mo55440 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would have to disconnect the gas line that comes into the house from the meter. All the lines in doors must be turned off. The appliance that operates off the gas farthest from the meter then gets a pressure gauge installed on it and then air is pumped into the system from the meter end. If you lose pressure you have a leak and you have to start working back from the pressure gauge along the line and test each fitting on the line for a leak. I usually just use a mist bottle with a bit of liquid soap in it. The leak will cause bubbles to form so it's easy to spot. Good luck.
2007-09-29 10:26:12 · answer #2 · answered by Mac 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What the old timers used to do.First shut off all the appliances. They should all have manual gas valves on there flex connections. then you take a cap off of one of the pipe connections in the house and apply a gentle colored smoke to the pipes.then someone crawls under the house and looks for smoke coming out of the pipes.call a plumber, they have the kits to check and repair the leaks. They may want to replace the old pipes, because they dont last forever.Nowadays they have electronic leak detectors. you need a pro for this job. call a plumber.The owner needs to fix this. Or the whole house might catch fire.
2007-09-29 12:12:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
cap off the gas line put air pressure in to it, check with a soap water mix to get the leak to form bubbles, soap the entire line down to find the leak, ,if the pipes are galvanized they will have to be replaced, it reacts with the gas to eat holes in the pipe, you have to use black pipe,
2007-09-29 10:25:16 · answer #4 · answered by William B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can purchase a pressure guage with an air valve (like a tire valve) and attach to gas line, then pressurize with air. I use soapy water at all the joints and watch for bubbles.
2007-09-29 11:24:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This should only be done by a professional. Call your gas company, and they will send someone out- probably for free. They have the right kind of tools and know-how to do this without blowing themselves up.
2007-09-29 10:26:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can have a plumber pressurize your piping with compressed air and them check for leaks with a product called ''Snoop''.
http://www.thomassci.com/photos/web/med/27/2713H50-med.jpg
2007-09-29 10:24:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋