The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my husband
smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas when
the water heater kicks on. I'm still paranoid about it because I looked it up
and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...n-1148248-.htm

He who is BurfordTJustice said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:26:00 -0400:

Move or get another heater.

The smell is added by the gas company so that you can smell when there is a
leak.

He who is Dlyons09 said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 12:14:14 GMT:

you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

Ops. I posted to the wrong post. This is the right post.
The smell is added by the gas company so that you can smell when there is a
leak.

That means you should not normally smell anything.

On 10/24/17 8:14 AM, Dlyons09 wrote:
The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my
husband
smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas
when
the water heater kicks on. I'm still paranoid about it because I looked
it up
and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

You should not smell gas.

Probably the only reason the "gas guy" who came out and told you that
has his job is because he's some department manager's wife's nephew.

I'd call the gas company back and ask for a supervisor to come out and
check it.

If they won't, call the CEO's office and tell them they have four hours
to show up before you call the local TV station's Consumer Action Reporter.

--
Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time or money
making it.

He who is Wade Garrett said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:49:15 -0400:

Probably the only reason the "gas guy" who came out and told you that
has his job is because he's some department manager's wife's nephew.

Let's use Occam's Razor on that logic.

What's more likely:
a. The gas guy knows what he's doing, and, he tried to tell the lady there
isn't any problem, or, ....
b. The gas guy is covering up a leak because he's somehow "in it" with the
top dogs at the gas company.

Occam's Razor tells us the logic is more likely "a" than "b".
Could it be "b". Sure.

Is it likely to be "b"?

On 24-Oct-17 7:14 AM, Dlyons09 wrote:
The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my
husband smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas
when the water heater kicks on. ...

It isn't that unusual that there is just a whiff of the odorant not
fully burnt when the burner first ignites.

The odor isn't gas; the test "sniffer" they use is quite sensitive and
if it didn't indicate the presence of gas you can be comfortable there
isn't a leak...

--

He who is dpb said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:54:31 -0500:

It isn't that unusual that there is just a whiff of the odorant not
fully burnt when the burner first ignites.

I was going to mention that some people are super sensitive who can
supposedly "smell" when the gas is low, simply because the oderant gets
concentrated due to its properties when your gas supply is low.

That only works for those with external tanks though, and not for those
with a permanent connection to the gas line.

The odor isn't gas; the test "sniffer" they use is quite sensitive and
if it didn't indicate the presence of gas you can be comfortable there
isn't a leak...

Exactly my point. The gas guy is trained to sniff stuff out. If he doesn't
sniff stuff, then at that point, there's no leak. If the homeowner *still*
thinks there is a leak, then all the normal options apply.

1. The possibility exists that the owner was wrong
2. The possibility exists that the gas guy was wrong

The simplest solution, logically, is to call the gas company again and get
a *different* guy.

They can't all be the nephew of the owner's brother...

On 10/24/2017 8:49 AM, Wade Garrett wrote:
Probably the only reason the "gas guy" who came out and told you that
has his job is because he's some department manager's wife's nephew.

I'd call the gas company back and ask for a supervisor to come out and
check it.

Good luck with that!

A supervisor is usually the department wang-slurpin' brown-noser that
was promoted because he was too incompetent to do the work.

Hire a union plumber if you want it done right.

On Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 8:51:43 AM UTC-4, harry newton wrote:
He who is Wade Garrett said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:49:15 -0400:

Probably the only reason the "gas guy" who came out and told you that
has his job is because he's some department manager's wife's nephew.

Let's use Occam's Razor on that logic.

What's more likely:
a. The gas guy knows what he's doing, and, he tried to tell the lady there
isn't any problem, or, ....
b. The gas guy is covering up a leak because he's somehow "in it" with the
top dogs at the gas company.

Occam's Razor tells us the logic is more likely "a" than "b".
Could it be "b". Sure.

Is it likely to be "b"?

Key here would be if there is no smell before the WH fires and then only
a slight whiff when it does. If that's all it is, the gas guy is likely
correct. If it can be smelled any time, even when it hasn't fired, then
it's a leak. I'd also check the vent for proper draft, make sure it's
not blocked, etc.

On 10/24/2017 5:14 AM, Dlyons09 wrote:
The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my
husband
smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas
when
the water heater kicks on. I'm still paranoid about it because I looked
it up
and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

When a burner turns on, I'd expect a tiny bit of gas would escape
unburned from the burner holes before all of them get ignited by the
wave of flame starting at the pilot light. They can't ignite before the
gas comes out obviously.

On 2017-10-24, Dlyons09 m wrote:
The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my husband
smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas when
the water heater kicks on. I'm still paranoid about it because I looked it up
and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

If you are a liberal DemocRAT, it is perfectly normal. When you smell
this, simply light up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe to dispell the odour.

If you are a conservative or libertarian it would be best to call in
a qualified technician to check it out and repair or replace the water
heater..

--
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Badges don't grant extra rights -- http://www.CopBlock.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 10/24/2017 9:27 AM, Jon Doe wrote:


Hire a union plumber if you want it done right.

In Massachusetts it would not work. You need a gas fitter license and
it can be union or non union. The only difference is the union guy will
cost twice as much and take 4X longer.

On Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 10:11:50 AM UTC-4, Bob F wrote:
On 10/24/2017 5:14 AM, Dlyons09 wrote:
The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my
husband
smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas
when
the water heater kicks on. I'm still paranoid about it because I looked
it up
and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

When a burner turns on, I'd expect a tiny bit of gas would escape
unburned from the burner holes before all of them get ignited by the
wave of flame starting at the pilot light. They can't ignite before the
gas comes out obviously.

Yes, but you'd think that would then get burned up or go up the vent
once it fires. I've had many water heaters over decades and never had
one where you could smell gas when it fired. It's possible I guess.
But I'd look at how the WH is vented, make sure it's not blocked, etc.
If it's a conventional one that has an air gap at the top, if you light
a match near it, smoke should get pulled in, not blown out. It can
sometimes get blown back if it's in a cold basement and hot outside
or certain wind conditions maybe. But generally, most of the time,
the smoke from a match should get sucked into the vent. And if that;s
happening, not sure I see how unburned gas gets out into the room.

On 10/24/17 9:27 AM, Jon Doe wrote:
On 10/24/2017 8:49 AM, Wade Garrett wrote:
Probably the only reason the "gas guy" who came out and told you that
has his job is because he's some department manager's wife's nephew.

I'd call the gas company back and ask for a supervisor to come out and
check it.

Good luck with that!

A supervisor is usually the department wang-slurpin' brown-noser that
was promoted because he was too incompetent to do the work.

Hire a union plumber if you want it done right.
....or a non-union plumber if you don't want to get hosed on the bill ;-)

replying to Dlyons09, Iggy wrote:
The gas guy's wrong and a liar and every other post you read is absolutely
right. Any initial puff of unburned gas should not exist in any circumstance,
there's either a Pilot Light or an Ignition Hot Plate that are burning before
any gas is introduced. Even if there was a malfunction, the exhaust flue
should and must have been confirmed to have sufficient draw to evacuate it.
Get an HVAC guy or company out to assess and fix the situation and ensure
everything's proper.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...n-1148248-.htm

On 10/24/17 8:51 AM, harry newton wrote:
He who is Wade Garrett said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:49:15 -0400:

Probably the only reason the "gas guy" who came out and told you that
has his job is because he's some department manager's wife's nephew.

Let's use Occam's Razor on that logic.

What's more likely:
a. The gas guy knows what he's doing, and, he tried to tell the lady there
isn't any problem, or, .... b. The gas guy is covering up a leak because
he's somehow "in it" with the
top dogs at the gas company.

Occam's Razor tells us the logic is more likely "a" than "b".
Could it be "b". Sure.

Is it likely to be "b"?

Nope, the simplest explanation is the gas guy is incompetent.

And yup, old William of Ockham would have deducted a few style points
from my hypothesizing about his pedigree ;-)

--
We all must appreciate the degree of difficulty involved in taking a
knee during the national anthem while one's head is up one's ass.

On 2017-10-24, Dlyons09 m wrote:

and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

Natural gas or propane??

I was ready to start tearing apart my 'park model' forced-air heater
(Suburban P40) fer fear of a leak, when my propane 'guy' sed, "It's
not a leak! It's jes that yer propane tank was bumping 'zero' and you
will always smell more 'Mercaptans' from yer system, than when yer
propane tank is full".

NOTE: propane mercaptans smell different than natural gas mercaptans.
First time I smelled propane mercaptans, I thought my dementia mom had
left a whole chicken to rot, somewhere in the room. Turns out she's
left a propane burner on! Double "Yikes"!!

Turns out my propane guy was correct, as he filled my 250 gal propane
tank and the heavy 'Mercaptan' smell from my forced-air furnace
disappeared.

nb

He who is trader_4 said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:08:00 -0700 (PDT):

Key here would be if there is no smell before the WH fires and then only
a slight whiff when it does. If that's all it is, the gas guy is likely
correct. If it can be smelled any time, even when it hasn't fired, then
it's a leak. I'd also check the vent for proper draft, make sure it's
not blocked, etc.

I sit at my computer so I can only use logic.

Who is more likely to be correct?
a. Homeowner who smells gas
b. Utility guy who is called by homeowner to check for a leak

I do agree that a "whiff" can be different than a real leak.
So my advice to the homeowner is to call the utility again.

It's less likely two utility guys are related to the utility owner such
that they'd give a false report on leaks to all homeowners.

On Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 11:25:07 AM UTC-4, harry newton wrote:
He who is trader_4 said on Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:08:00 -0700 (PDT):

Key here would be if there is no smell before the WH fires and then only
a slight whiff when it does. If that's all it is, the gas guy is likely
correct. If it can be smelled any time, even when it hasn't fired, then
it's a leak. I'd also check the vent for proper draft, make sure it's
not blocked, etc.

I sit at my computer so I can only use logic.

Who is more likely to be correct?
a. Homeowner who smells gas
b. Utility guy who is called by homeowner to check for a leak

Since you're evaluating logic and probabililities, they can both be right.
And the gas company guy apparently agreed.


I do agree that a "whiff" can be different than a real leak.
So my advice to the homeowner is to call the utility again.

It's less likely two utility guys are related to the utility owner such
that they'd give a false report on leaks to all homeowners.

What I can tell you is that in decades of my experience, I've never
had a water heater where you smelled gas. And if you do, it would seem
that it would result in lots of false alarms to the gas company, fire
company etc. As well as defeat the whole purpose of putting the smell
in there. If you get used to smelling it, what happens when there is
a real leak?

On 10/24/2017 7:14 AM, Roger Blake wrote:
On 2017-10-24, Dlyons09 m wrote:
The gas company came out and checked for a gas leak because me and my husband
smelled gas. They said there was no gas leak and its normal to smell gas when
the water heater kicks on. I'm still paranoid about it because I looked it up
and every post I've seen said you should never smell gas coming from your
water heater.

If you are a liberal DemocRAT, it is perfectly normal. When you smell
this, simply light up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe to dispell the odour.

If you are a conservative or libertarian it would be best to call in
a qualified technician to check it out and repair or replace the water
heater..


Ahhhh, this is the way "conservatives" like to deal with other opinions.
Such morality.

On 2017-10-24, Bob F wrote:
Ahhhh, this is the way "conservatives" like to deal with other opinions.
Such morality.

ROTFL!!!

Considering the worldwide death toll from you Communists attempting to
bring forth the Workers' Paradise it hardly scratches the surface. Stalin
and Mao (both of whom who have been darlings of the American "progressive"
movement) made Hitler look like a choir boy. No need to even get into
the many recent leftist wackos wishing death and destruction on those with
the temerity to disagree with the Party. The actual left-wing death toll
is staggering.

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Blake (Posts from Google Groups killfiled due to excess spam.)

NSA sedition and treason -- http://www.DeathToNSAthugs.com
Don't talk to cops! -- http://www.DontTalkToCops.com
Badges don't grant extra rights -- http://www.CopBlock.org
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