Natural Gas Safety

Natural gas is among the cleanest, safest, most efficient energy sources available and is the preferred energy source for heating American homes and businesses. Natural gas is adaptable and it helped fuel the nation's economy for more than a century. When used appropriately, it's one of the safest and most dependable forms of energy. There are many properties that can help identify natural gas. Natural gas is lighter than air and it will rise up. To illustrate, if a balloon is filled with natural gas and released, it will float up. For this reason Columbia gas checks near the ceiling for natural gas leaks in a building. Natural gas is combustible when combined in the proper ratio with air and an ignition source. With proper combustion, natural gas produces a harmless mixture of carbon dioxide and water vapor. Natural gas is safe and non-toxic. Natural gas is odorless, thats why it cannot be easily identified. A chemical called mercaptan is added to it, it gives natural gas a rotten egg smell. If your appliances are working properly you should not smell natural gas. If you get smell the rotten egg odor of natural gas leave the area immediately and from a safe location call 911. Do not use any type of phone while in the area, do not turn any lights or appliances on or off, do not open windows or doors in an attempt to ventilate, do not attempt to rely pilot lights. Stay outside until someone from the fire department or Columbia Gas arrive. Do not re-enter the house until cleared by the Fire Department or Columbia Gas.

Here are some things you can do to ensure the safe use of natural gas in your home.

-When purchasing new appliances look for those that are designed to meet natural gas safety standards --Keep your furnace operating efficiently by regularly replacing your furnace filters

-Always keep the furnace around area clean

-Never vent your natural gas appliance into the common chimney or flue with wood or coal

-Hire trained professionals to install and repair your gas appliances

-Do inspection of your furnace annually from qualified professional

-Check gas appliances which require venting to make sure they're venting properly and have an adequate supply of fresh air and inspect your chimney or flue for obstructions

-Have any mandatory repairs done professionally do not attempt to do it yourself

Natural gas is a blue flame. The blue flame means the burner is properly adjusted. Incomplete combustion is taking place when the air mixture is not ideal, you get a weak yellow orange flame rather than a clean blue flame. With insufficient oxygen, the carbon dioxide changes to carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas. As long as your appliances are working properly carbon monoxide are not a concern. Most natural gas appliances are equivalents or are connected to a chimney to remove combustion byproducts. This eliminates the build-up of moisture in carbon dioxide in your home. Any carbon monoxide that might be created due to improper combustion would also be removed with a properly functioning vent. It's very important that vents are correctly sized and in good working condition. Most natural gas appliances have a safety valve. If the pilot light goes out, the safety valve will shut off the gas preventing it from entering the home. Natural gas will only ignite when the amount of natural gas from the air is between five and fifteen percent and there is an ignition source. To demonstrate this, small box is filled with less than five percent gas, when there is a spark, nothing happens. Because the amount of gas is below the combustion range. Next small boxes filled with more than 50 percent, since this is above the combustion range nothing should happen. But once air starts to mix with the natural gas, it lowers the concentration to within the combustion range, then the ignition source sets off an explosion.

Natural gas pipelines have a proven safety record damage by outside force, often by someone digging into a pipeline is the largest single cause of pipeline failures. To help recognize our pipelines we use markers placed at intervals along pipeline right away. Markers protrait 24-hour emergency telephone numbers and also provide other identifying information. It is important for us to be aware of any pipeline markers in your community not matters if you're a professional excavator or a do-it-yourselfer. When you are planning to dig, always call 811 to have utility lines marked on your work site.

By law, if anyone is planning to excavate, he is required to call 811 at least two working days before work, be it. 811 will notify all member utilities, to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines including natural gas pipelines that can be in the construction area, at no cost to property owners. Once the utility lines are marked, it is important to dig with care and take care of the marks. While carefully excavating around them, the tolerance zone around marks utility lines is 18 inches on both side of the utility markings and along the width of the utility line, no mechanical digging equipment is allowed to be used. In the tolerance zone on rare occasion natural gas construction using trenchless excavation may result in an actual gas pipe penetrating a sewer line. It could contribute to blockage in the sewer lines. If you suspect you have a blocked sewer line, call a professional plumber so the blockage can be cleared properly and call 811 so that the utility lines can be marked before any work begins. Calling 811 will verify a natural gas line is not involved in the blockage. If a gas line is marked in proximity to the blockage, please contact Columbia Gas. Indications of a natural gas leak include a blowing or hissing sound turds appearing to be blown into the air, water bubbling were being thrown into the air. The fire coming from the ground or appearing at ground level, a dry or frozen spot on the right-of-way, dander discolored vegetation or a rotten egg odor.

If you doubt a natural gas leak, leave the area immediately, do not use any type of phone, do not turn off or on any electrical equipment and do not attempt to ventilate more and tell others to stay away from the area and from a safe distance call 811 gas. Do not return until told to do so by the fire department or Columbia Gas. Property owners have possession of the house line, any pipe that extends beyond the meter to appliances inside the home or business or to other locations on the property such as pool heaters garage is another appliance, it's the responsibility of the property owner to initiate any inspection and necessary repair or replacement of house lines through a qualified professional, such as a licensed heating /cooling contractor.

If there is a buried house line pipe between the meter and your appliances, it might become subject to corrosion and leakage over time. Buried pipes should be inspected periodically. Columbia Gas inspects the pipe from the main to the meter. Visit the US Department of Transportation pipeline and hazardous materials Safety Administration phmsa website at PHMSA.gov for more information about the national pipeline mapping system and a view of pipeline location.