Keep your family safe from furnace gas leaks in Elgin, Illinois—contact the team at Leith Heating & Cooling today!
Your furnace works overtime during the winter months, and this excess use increases the risk of dangerous gas leaks. At any time of year, gas leaks are a serious safety hazard that puts your family’s health at risk and your home in jeopardy. It starts when your furnace leaks gas into the rest of your home to make harmful carbon monoxide an imminent threat.
If you’re looking for “furnace help near me,” the Leith Heating & Cooling professionals are a trusted source of furnace repair in Illinois. Tackling gas leaks early protects your loved ones and your property, so don’t wait.
Below, these heating and cooling professionals share four signs of a furnace gas leak so that you have a better idea of when to call for help.
What Causes Gas Leaks?
Gas leaks in your home stem from several factors, but the most common is a cracked heat exchanger. In a natural gas furnace, your heat exchanger plays a key role. However, it’s also highly susceptible to damage, especially if it’s an older heating unit.
In a correctly functioning unit, gas combusts within the heat exchanger before the blower emits air over it. The air then picks up the heat and moves it through the ductwork to warm up your home. However, a cracked heat exchanger will release gas into your home before it combusts.
Typically, cracks in the heat exchanger develop from overheating. When there isn’t enough airflow through the furnace, heat doesn’t dissipate, and the unit gets too hot. Eventually, the temperature cracks the heat exchanger and brings with it the real risk of dangerous gas leaks indoors.
Maintaining proper airflow through your furnace helps you avoid overheating. Blocked ductwork, dirty filters, and small ducts are all factors preventing adequate airflow. Cleaning your heater’s filters and scheduling annual tune-ups can keep your unit’s heat exchanger and everything else in good shape year-round.
4 Indicators Your Home Has a Gas Leak
Spotting a gas leak as early as possible is critical for keeping your family safe. So, look out for the following signs indicating a furnace gas leak:
#1: Hissing Sounds
Are you hearing strange hissing noises around your furnace? It’s definitely cause for concern. When gas escapes from your heating unit, it makes a distinct hissing sound because the natural gas inside your furnace is highly pressurized.
If the heat exchanger cracks, the pressure pushes the gas outside with such force that it will create a continuous hissing noise.
#2: Health Issues
Have you noticed your family experiencing more flu-like symptoms, but no one actually has the flu? Gas leaks inside the home cause sudden symptoms similar to severe flu, such as:
- Fatigue and lethargy
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Poor concentration
If anyone in the home experiences these symptoms, evacuate your house immediately. The list above indicates carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms, which can be fatal. In the case of a leak, please seek immediate medical attention, as well.
#3: Sulfur Smell
Another common indicator of gas leaks is a nasty “rotten egg” smell in or around the home. Many people believe you can’t smell gas because natural gas has no odor. However, while pure gas doesn’t have a smell, the gas heating your home does because manufacturers add a chemical (mercaptan) as a safety precaution.
Mercaptan gives the gas that sulfur-like smell, making gas leak detection much easier. So, if you notice a lingering sulfur smell without a known source, it’s best to assume a gas leak, which could be seeping through the vents. Even if the smell is only evident around your furnace, seek a prompt evaluation from an HVAC technician to be safe.
#4: Dying Plant Life
A more subtle sign of gas leaks is something many homeowners would never associate with their heating unit: dying plants. If your home has indoor plants that suddenly die in spite of proper care, you may have a gas leak.
Why does this happen? During a gas leak, natural gas seeps into the soil, stopping the roots from absorbing water and nutrients. This causes any plant to wither and die in a matter of days.
What To Do When You Suspect a Gas Leak
So, you fear your home has a furnace gas leak. What are your next steps?
Gas leaks require immediate action from everyone involved: address the source of the leak and get your family to safety. So, follow these steps if there’s a potential gas leak in your home:
- Call 911 for anyone experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Turn off your heating unit.
- Open all doors and windows, increasing your home’s ventilation.
- Do not light any candles or matches within the home.
- Evacuate everyone from the house, including pets.
- Contact the fire department and your local gas company for an assessment.
Gas leaks are emergencies that require attention right away. You cannot put off resolving an issue like this, which is why most HVAC companies offer emergency appointments for gas leaks.
Do Symptoms From Gas Leaks Always Require Medical Attention?
If someone is struggling with symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure, they require prompt medical treatment. With that said, there are various levels of symptoms.
- A small gas leak that’s ongoing causes headaches and flu-like symptoms, which usually improve as soon as you’re away from the gas leak.
- More serious symptoms, like memory loss, dizziness, and nausea indicate severe carbon monoxide poisoning from a larger leak. These issues require emergency medical treatment.
Left untreated, exposure to gas leaks causes fainting, irregular heartbeat, and, in some cases, death. Anyone suffering from gas leak exposure should visit the nearest hospital for evaluation.
Gas Leak Repair with Leith Heating & Cooling
If your furnace is blowing out soot or you’re worried about gas leaks in your home, call Leith Heating & Cooling in Elgin, IL. Our HVAC technicians provide comprehensive evaluations for issues like a furnace gas leak and offer quick solutions.
Find out more about our heating and cooling services by contacting Leith Heating & Cooling online or calling 847-534-8686.