What should I do if I smell gas near my fireplace?
Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys around Mars Hill, propane and wood do the heating — so if you smell rotten-egg gas, get outside without flipping a switch and call your propane supplier's emergency line or 911. Propane sinks and pools near the floor, so leave rather than search. Nearer town on natural gas, it rises. Then call us at (828) 545-0525.
Town gas, valley propane — two different responses
Mars Hill splits cleanly: the university-area rentals nearer town may be on a natural-gas connection, while rural homes up Spring Creek, Gabriels Creek, and Forks of Ivy almost all run propane tanks or wood. It's worth knowing which you're on, because a leak behaves oppositely. Natural gas is lighter than air and heads for the ceiling and out; propane is heavier, so it ignores the windows and settles into crawlspaces and low floors, where it lingers instead of clearing.
Student housing, colder nights, easy-use gas
This is one of the colder spots we serve, and demand concentrates in the academic year, when easy-to-use gas fireplaces get leaned on hard — often the least consistently maintained fireplaces around. For that student housing in particular, the safest move is to confirm the fuel and the shutoff location before winter, not during a leak. And the rule holds everywhere: a rotten-egg smell that won't quit means everyone outside without flipping a switch, then a call to the gas utility or 911 for natural gas, the propane supplier for LP.
The licensed fix, close to campus or up the creek
Once the utility or propane supplier has made the scene safe, the repair is ours — licensed gas-contractor work in North Carolina, which a showroom or handyman legally can't perform. We find the leak with instruments, repair it, pressure-test the line, and permit the job with the county when it's required. A fall tune-up before heavy use heads off most winter surprises. Mars Hill is about thirty minutes north of our Asheville showroom, and the 24/7 gas-smell line is (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north 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?