How do I fix this basement gas smell?
Been living in a rented old basement for 2 years now with my significant other and we have ignored for the most part the smell of gas that I assume comes from behind a door in one of two bedrooms where the main gas connector is.
We smell it when entering the basement front door coming home from work. And then the smell just disappears. My Dad who visits every two weeks notices the smell too when he comes in.
Not sure if this might even be normal for a basement to have this level of gas smell. I know for sure lots of people live in old basements like this. I say old because the house is at least 40 years old but we have furnished it well enough to make it look nice and homey. What can I do to stop the smell-? Thanks.
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
10 Answers
Call the gas company and they will check it. The place could blow up. The smell of gas means there is a leak. It probably smells more when you first get there because the place has been closed up all day. This is serious, it must be checked. Usually gas companies will check it for free.
As a side note cat liter and urine can smell like gas, is there any possibility it could be that?
Thanks very much @JLeslie-! And no we don’t have cats. :)
Let us know what the gas company says.
What @JLeslie said. It’s not that the smell “disappears” after time so much as you become accustomed to it and it no longer registers. (This is how people can live in a home with many cats and insufficiently clean litter boxes.)
If you smell gas, it’s because gas is present where it should not be, and that’s always bad news. Even if it doesn’t explode, it can still asphyxiate you if it gets worse.
Yeah, that reminds me about the carbon monoxide, you should buy a detector. They are not expensive and even if they fix whatever is going on, you should have one innyour apartment, just like a smoke detector. The detector just plugs into an electrical outlet and you can take it with you when you move to your next home.
I think they make meters or detectors that can tell you how much gas is present. I don’t know what they cost. I’d be very careful with gas leaks. I’ve seen a couple of houses destroyed by explosions and it isn’t nice.
I don’t think it disappears…I think you get used to it.
Yeah, call the gas company.
That’s bad. I have a very old house with gas heat, a gas stove and water heater. If I small gas I stand outside until the gas company shows up. Seriously, that’s not a problem to put off.
Yikes! Not good, not good at all. Do not strike a match or flick your bic until you get it checked out.
The house I used to live in was 105 years old. There was never a gas smell. You have a leak.
Do as the other Jellies have suggested and call the gas company. Do it today. You’re situation is very dangerous. Your neighbors are at risk too. Please call and have it checked out.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
