Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Gas Leak: A True Story

 

I bet you’re wondering what this post is going to be about.

Last night, I got home about 6 pm. I opened the front door, set down my purse and keys, greeted the squirming ball of fluff that had run to meet me. About 20-30 seconds later, I knew something was wrong. Was it my Jedi-keen reflexes or my Buffy-like sense of awareness? Yes.

That and the overwhelmingly pungent, sickly sweet smell of gas.

I immediately woke Kyle, grabbed Madigan and the keys, and walked out to call the emergency maintenance line for our apartment complex.

At first, the maintenance man didn’t believe me.

Probably the acetone finish we use when we’re remodeling empty units. Does it smell real strong, like nail polish?

“Uh, no. It smells like gas.”

Gas, huh?

“I don’t know what to tell you. It smells like a filling station in our apartment!”

And when he brought his fancy-pants gas detector into the house, the thing went crazy. It wasn’t a big leak (some of the connecting piping in the back of our gas stove had worn out and he was able to replace it) but still, a little disconcerting.

 

So here’s what I’ve learned about gas leaks…

If you smell something weird, DO NOT:

-flip any light switches

-turn anything on

-plug anything in

-light a match or any kind of flame (um, duh)

If you smell something weird, DO:

-open all the windows (unless doing so will cause you greater harm)

-get out of the house

-call emergency maintenance or your gas company immediately

 

Anyone ever dealt with a gas leak or something similar in their own home?

love, elizabeth

6 comments:

Alex Byer said...

Gah that's so scary! But I'm glad you're doing ok! And that stupid maintenance man. He probably should have just shown up right away. Jerk.

Hannah {Culture Connoisseur} said...

Whoa, scary! Glad you guys are ok, that could have ended badly. Good thing for you cat like senses. Although, you husband needs to get his sniffer checked...

Suget said...

it happened to be once, but I think once I stepped in the door, I gagged too much and my face turned blue. It's scarier when I have kids, because who knows if my little one could turn a knob on the stove. ):

Ashley @ A Recipe for Sanity said...

That's so crazy! I'm so glad you all are okay and that everyone got out of there safely.

Eunice said...

I am impressed (and not surprised) and glad that you automatically did the right thing! Woohoo!

Chelsea said...

Woah, that is wayy scary! I've never actually encountered a gas leak in my apartment, but I frequently get paranoid about them. I'm always smelling around the water heater. Ha ha. My husband thinks I'm crazy--but that's serious stuff!

~Chelsea

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