In case of an emergency, please call our office 24/7 at (517)852-9210.
Kent Oil & Propane takes propane safety seriously. All of our staff is safety conscious, and we offer these below safety tips and videos to help you use this reliable fuel source safely!
The best thing to do if you smell propane, think you smell propane or if a detector is going off, is to leave the area. Evacuate your home or the area where you notice the gas smell. Once everyone is safely out of the house, call 911 or a local fire department to have them come out and take a look. You should also call your propane retailer to have them evaluate and repair your system and tank as needed.
In its natural state, propane gas is odorless. Companies that produce propane add a chemical called mercaptan to it to give it a distinct odor. Mercaptan is harmless, but it does make the gas smell like rotting eggs.
The smell of propane itself isn’t dangerous. Instead, the problem is in what the smell might indicate. If you smell rotting eggs or something like a skunk, it could mean you have a propane leak or that your propane system is malfunctioning in some way. Rather than being dangerous, you can think of the smell of propane as a warning sign that you need to vacate the area and call in a qualified technician.
Like other fuels, such as oil or natural gas, propane is perfectly safe for use as a home heating fuel. Propane itself is non-toxic, so it will not cause health issues.
Propane has several benefits when used to heat a home and for hot water. If you do not have access to a natural gas line, propane can be a suitable alternative fuel source. Propane also burns more efficiently than other fuels, so you end up using less of it.
One of the disadvantages of propane gas is that you need to keep the tank filled. Unlike natural gas or electricity, which travel to your home from a central source and are not stored on your property, you are responsible for making sure you always have enough propane for fuel. Automatic delivery can help to keep your tank full at all times, though.
Another potential disadvantage of propane gas is that it is flammable, meaning you need to take certain precautions around it. For example, you need to know how to store portable propane tanks to reduce the risk of fire and should also know how to care for a larger tank installed on your property.
