Smelling gas outside is less alarming than smelling it in your kitchen, and it is easy to shrug off. Maybe it is a neighbor’s barbecue, or the wind carrying something from down the street. Sometimes it is. But an outdoor gas smell can also mean a leak at your meter, in a buried line under your yard or in the utility’s main under the street. Here is how to handle it.
If the smell is strong, you hear hissing or you see blowing dirt near a gas line, move away from the area and call 911 or your gas utility from a safe distance. Do not try to find the source yourself.
Step 1: Move away and keep others away
Walk away from the smell, upwind if you can tell the wind direction. Keep children and pets back. Do not light a cigarette, start a car or use power tools near the area. If the smell is near your house, make sure nobody inside is using anything that could spark.
Step 2: Note where the smell is strongest
From a safe spot, think about where you noticed it:
- At or near the gas meter. The meter, regulator and the pipe leading into it belong to the gas utility.
- Along the yard, away from the meter. This can point to a buried line running from the meter to your house, a detached garage, a pool heater or a backyard kitchen.
- Near an outdoor appliance. A grill, fire pit or pool heater connection may be leaking.
- On the street or sidewalk. This is often the utility’s main line, not your property.
That detail helps whoever you call decide who should respond and how fast.
Step 3: Call the right number
Call 911 or your gas utility first if:
- The smell is strong or getting stronger
- You hear hissing
- You see dirt blowing, bubbles in puddles or dead vegetation near a gas line
- The smell is at the meter or in the street
In most of our service area, the gas utility is SoCalGas, which provides emergency response for gas leaks on its website. In Long Beach and Signal Hill, gas is supplied by the city’s own utility, Long Beach Utilities. Your gas bill shows which one serves your address.
Call a gas line company when:
- The utility has checked the meter and found the leak is on your side of it
- The smell is near an outdoor appliance or along a yard line on your property
- The utility has shut off your gas and you need a repair before service can be restored
Step 4: What happens when the utility arrives
The utility checks the meter, the regulator and the line feeding them. If the leak is on their equipment, they fix it. If they find the leak is on your side of the meter, they may shut off gas to your house and leave a tag on the meter. That tag means the house piping has to be repaired and tested before service is turned back on.
Step 5: Finding a leak on your side of the meter
Leaks on your property outside the house usually fall into a few groups.
Buried yard lines
Many homes have a gas line buried between the meter and the house, or running across the yard to a garage or pool heater. Older lines may be coated steel, which corrodes over time. Newer lines are usually yellow polyethylene pipe. Signs of a buried leak include:
- A strip of dead grass along the line
- Bubbles rising in wet soil or puddles
- A smell that is stronger in one part of the yard
A gas line pro will pressure test the buried section on its own, trace its route and check the surface with a detector before digging only where the leak is. See our underground gas line repair page for how that works.
Outdoor appliance connections
Barbecues, fire pits, patio heaters and pool heaters all have connections and valves outdoors, where sun, rain and temperature swings wear on them. A leak at one of these is often easy to fix once found. If you are adding or replacing outdoor appliances, our outdoor gas lines page explains how lines should be sized and installed.
Exterior wall runs
In many slab-built homes, gas pipe runs along the outside wall from the meter to the water heater or furnace. Exposed pipe can rust, and fittings can loosen. A smell near the side of the house, away from the meter itself, can point here.
Step 6: Before you dig anywhere
If you are planning any digging in your yard, for a fence, a patio or new plants, find out where your gas line runs first. In Southern California, DigAlert, the local 811 center, arranges for utility lines in the public right of way to be marked before you dig. Lines on your own property after the meter, such as a line to a pool heater, are usually not marked by the utility, so a gas line pro can help locate them. Digging damage is one of the most common reasons buried gas lines fail.
Common outdoor gas smells that are not leaks
Not every outdoor gas smell is a leak at your home. A neighbor lighting a grill, a gas utility doing work on the street or sewer gas from a dry drain trap can all smell similar. Sewer gas tends to smell more like rotten eggs mixed with a musty, earthy odor, and often comes from floor drains or cleanouts. If you are not sure, treat it as gas and call.
The bottom line
An outdoor gas smell deserves the same care as an indoor one. Move away, note where it is, and call the utility if it is strong or near the meter or street. For leaks on your side of the meter in Cerritos and nearby cities, including Lakewood and East Long Beach, our team answers the phone around the clock.