What should I do if I smell gas near my fireplace when it's off?
A gas smell near your fireplace when it's off means gas is escaping somewhere it shouldn't — treat it as a leak. Don't touch any switch, flame, phone, or appliance. Get everyone out of the house, leave a door open, and from outside call your gas or propane supplier's emergency line and 911. Once it's safe, call us to find and fix it.
Why an off-fireplace smell is different
A faint odor for a minute when the fireplace first lights is usually dust burning off — normal, and fading. A gas smell when the unit is completely off is not: nothing should be releasing gas when the valve is closed and the pilot (if any) is the only thing burning. That points to gas leaking at a connection — the shut-off valve, the flex connector, the control valve, the pilot assembly, or the line itself — and it needs to be treated as a genuine leak, not aired out and forgotten. The 'off' part is what makes it serious: there's no burner consuming that gas, so it's simply accumulating in the room.
The steps, in order
Do these without hesitating. Don't operate anything electrical or any flame — no light switches, no thermostat, no garage-door opener, no cell phone used inside — because a spark is the whole risk. Don't try to locate the leak yourself. Get every person and pet out, and leave a door open behind you to let the room vent. From outside — a neighbor's, the yard, down the driveway — call your natural-gas utility or propane supplier's 24-hour emergency number, and 911 if the smell is strong. If there's a gas shut-off you can reach safely on your way out, close it. Then wait outside for the professionals; don't go back in to check.
Then it's our job
Once emergency responders and the gas company have cleared the home, the leak still has to be located, repaired, and the line pressure-tested before that fireplace is safe to use again — and in North Carolina that's licensed gas-contractor work. This is exactly our lane: we find the leak, fix the connection, pressure-test the line, and confirm it holds, with a permit and inspection where the work calls for it. A showroom or a handyman legally can't do this part; we can, and we do. We also run a 24/7 emergency line for no-gas and gas-smell calls. Once you and your family are safely outside, call (828) 545-0525.
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