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Does a leaking underground gas pipe reliably show symptoms? Question
I live in the US midwest (we have all four seasons). Most houses here use natural gas for heating (and usually some appliances), and many homes are about a hundred years old. The main supply from the gas company is under roads or sidewalks, and each building has an underground supply line. I couldn't find definitive legal requirements for depth, but search results suggest these pipes are usually 18-24 inches below ground.
I have been told (example) that the following are symptoms of a leak in that underground line: dead vegetation, hissing, bubbles (in water or dirt/mud), dirt blowing, mist, and the distinctive odor that they add to otherwise-odorless natural gas. If you have any of those symptoms, it's wise to investigate.
My question is whether the absence of these symptoms is meaningful. If none of that stuff is happening, could the pipe be leaking nonetheless? Or is that extremely unlikely, and one should be suspicious of a plumber saying there might be a leak that needs repair?
2 answers
Could the pipe be leaking nonetheless?
Yes. I had a pipe leak (inside) that was extremely slow. So slow, in fact, that we only noticed when the stairway door had remained shut for a week or more. There was enough buildup finally to notice a smell.[1]
If your leak is outdoors, you might never smell it. Regrettably, I don't have any tips for how to check.
I have also seen gas leaks literally bubbling out of the asphalt on the street. A big leak can definitely do that, smells and all.
Good luck!
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You may not know this (I certainly didn't), but the odorous chemical decays to another scent. Just as distinctive, but very different. ↩︎
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a plumber saying there might be a leak that needs repair
If there are no symptoms, why would a plumber (or anyone else) think there was a leak?
The only real concern that I can think of, absent any symptoms, is digging. There are laws in many places that you have to contact a particular company or government agency before doing any digging. In my area it is "Miss Utility" (so you "miss" damaging any "utility" pipes or wires when you dig, though I have heard that some places have changed the name because it is not politically correct enough), and it looks like 811 is the standard contact number in all 50 states.
If you have your utilities properly marked, particularly gas lines, then you should be fine. However, if you (or a contractor or a neighbor) have to dig in that area and are concerned that you think you hit something - e.g., a few feet away from the marked gas line but not in an area marked as having a water pipe or anything else - then checking for leaks may be worthwhile. But in most areas, at least in the US, I would actually call the gas company for that rather than a plumber. The gas company won't necessarily do the repairs (that depends on whether the pipe is in your property or in public property or in a designated easement) but they are experts at the safety aspect.
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