Help

An odorant is added to natural gas to give it a very distinct “rotten egg” smell. If you smell gas or think you smell gas, hear a blowing, roaring or hissing sound, see dirt blowing into the air, notice bubbling in standing water, or witness a fire or explosion which could involve natural gas you should respond accordingly.

If a leak is suspected, from a safe place call North Alabama Gas District:

• 256-383-3306 (Muscle Shoals office)
• 256-772-0227 (Madison office)

Phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Each natural gas meter assembly includes a valve so the gas supply can be shut off from the outside before it enters the meter. This shut off valve is located just above the ground and before the meter. Learn more.

Natural gas is colorless, odorless, and lighter than air. It is also one of the cleanest, safest, and most affordable sources of energy for residential, commercial, and industrial use. However, natural gas is extremely flammable and can be ignited by various means including the smallest spark or flame. Any natural gas leak can be potentially hazardous.

North Alabama Gas District adds an odorant called “Mercaptan” to its natural gas so the odorless gas will have a distinctive odor similar to rotten eggs. This odor is added for safety purposes so that a natural gas leak can be detected by smell.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, invisible gas that can be formed when fuels like charcoal, coal, gasoline, kerosene, natural gas, oil, propane or wood are burned without a sufficient supply of air.

Any fuel-burning appliance that is not adequately vented and maintained can be a potential source of carbon monoxide, including:

• Gas appliances (furnaces, ranges, oven, water heaters, clothes dryers, etc.)
• Fireplaces, wood and coal stoves, space heaters
• Charcoal grills, automobile exhaust fumes, camp stoves, gas-powered lawn mowers, and power tools

The most common sources of carbon monoxide accumulation in the home include:

• Blocked chimney opening
• Improperly operating fuel burning appliances
• Disconnected, corroded, or blocked appliance vent pipes
• Cracked furnace heat exchangers

An appliance could produce carbon monoxide if:

• Boxes, laundry or other materials are blocking the base, restricting airflow.
• The vent hood, pipes or flues are blocked or corroded.
• The unit is installed or adjusted improperly.
• It’s used incorrectly (i.e., heating a room with a gas stove or using a gas or charcoal grill indoors).
• The heat exchanger is cracked.

Yes, install a carbon monoxide detector with an audible alarm in your home and garage. Carbon monoxide detectors should meet Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. standards, have a long-term warranty, and be easily self-tested and reset to ensure proper functioning. For maximum effectiveness during sleeping hours, carbon monoxide detectors should be placed as close to sleeping areas as possible.

If you don’t find out where it’s safe to dig, it’s quite possible that you could damage a buried utility and potentially create a life threatening situation.

Damaging a telephone or fiber optic line may not only cause an inconvenience by losing phone service, but it could deprive the community of emergency assistance. This could also make it impossible for police officers to get the information they need to keep themselves and your community safe.

Damaging a water or sewer line could threaten the safety of the public and environment. Striking a high pressure water main can be dangerous and result in the loss of water to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Damage to a sewer line could contaminate ground water and have other environmental impacts.

Damaging gas lines could result in serious personal injury and property damage if escaping gas ignites and could possibly result in a community evacuation.

Damaging an electric line could cause a shock, major burns or electrocution.

The underground facility can be damaged by any piece of equipment used for digging. Something as simple as a shovel can gouge, scrape, dent or crease the casing that surrounds a buried utility line. While this type of damage usually does not cause immediate harm, it may lead to a future break or leak as the protective coating erodes. If this should happen to you, don’t cover up the line with dirt. Stop digging. Then contact the utility owner so they can repair the damage. It could prevent future service interruptions and personal injury.

If the damage creates a situation that threatens life or property, or there are escaping fumes or gas, call 911 immediately.