What should I do if I smell gas near my fireplace?
Leicester's rural properties largely run on propane and wood, so if you smell rotten-egg gas, get everyone outside without flipping a switch and call your propane supplier's emergency line or 911 from clear of the house. Propane is heavier than air and drains toward crawlspaces and low floors, so leave — don't go hunting. Once it's safe, call us at (828) 545-0525.
Rural lots, a fuel that sinks
Out on Sandy Mush, Turkey Creek, and Newfound Road, Leicester's homes sit on large lots where propane tanks and wood heat carry the winter. Because propane doesn't rise and vent, a slow leak settles into the lowest part of the house — a crawlspace, a basement, a floor register — instead of drifting out a window. If you smell rotten-egg gas, especially down low, get everyone outside without flipping a switch and call your propane supplier's emergency line or 911 from clear of the house.
Long cold nights, limited power
Cold-air drainage runs these rural valleys five to eight degrees below Asheville on a clear winter night, so the fireplace works hard, and some remote properties here have limited electrical capacity — one more reason homes lean on gas and wood. It's also one more reason to respect a gas smell rather than poke at it. A faint whiff at ignition may be dust burning off; a smell that lingers or strengthens is the real thing. Nobody flips a switch, lights a candle, or relights the pilot — everyone goes outside and calls from there.
The supplier makes it safe; the repair is ours
Your propane company will shut the tank off and clear the air, but the piping and the fireplace on the house side are licensed gas-contractor work in North Carolina — our lane, not the tank company's. We find the leak with instruments, repair it, pressure-test the system, and pull the Buncombe County permit when the job requires it. Leicester is only about fifteen minutes west of our Asheville showroom, so a truck with the common parts is close even when your address feels remote. Keep the 24/7 line, (828) 545-0525, as the call after your supplier.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- How do I check my gas fireplace for a gas leak?
- Who should I call about a suspected gas leak — the gas company or a fireplace technician?
- Where is the gas shutoff valve for my fireplace, and how do I turn it off in an emergency?
- Can a gas fireplace explode?
- Why does my gas fireplace smell like gas while it's running?