Natural Gas Leak Detection
The gas emergency service makes the situation safe, and that is where their job ends. If an escape is found they will cut off the supply and leave the pipework classified as unsafe; they do not trace or repair the fault. That is the point at which we come in: finding exactly where the escape is, repairing it, and proving the system tight so the supply can be restored.
How gas escapes are traced
- Tightness and let-by testing. A controlled pressure test on the installation, carried out to the current industry procedure, confirms whether the system is leaking and how badly, before any tracing begins.
- Electronic gas detection. A calibrated gas detector is swept along pipe runs, joints, appliance connections and meter connections to follow the escaping gas back to its source.
- Section isolation. On larger installations the pipework is tested in sections to close in on the leaking run quickly.
- Buried and hidden pipework. Escapes on pipe runs under solid floors or within voids are traced with the same non-invasive discipline we apply to water: locate the actual pipe route first, then test and detect along it.
Repair, retest, recommission
Because this work must legally be carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers, the same visit can take the job from tracing through repair to the final tightness test, purge and appliance relight. You get the fault fixed and the paperwork to show the installation was left safe.
Small smells and recurring problems
Not every gas problem is an emergency cut-off. A faint intermittent smell near an appliance, a meter that creeps when everything is off, or a boiler that repeatedly locks out can all point to a small escape or a fault that deserves investigation before it becomes serious. If you are unsure whether to treat a smell as an emergency, treat it as an emergency and call 0800 111 999.
We also investigate LPG installations, where escapes behave differently because the gas is heavier than air and pools low rather than rising.