My combustible gas leak detector always stayed in the truck unless I could smell gas. (I have a good sense of smell.) If I smell gas I get the detector to locate where the leak is. A photo of the leak sensor tip will go into the report. This is helpful to the client and seller to get the leak fixed as I can’t count the number of times Joe handyman goes out with some soapy water and says he can’t find any leak.
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And this is exactly why I’m interested. I’m not selling it as an ancillary service. If I smell gas, I’m going to check it out. If I can find it, I’ll picture it, shut it off and leave it to the repair people and the gas people to resolve it. I’m looking at safety exclusively. The nose is great, but hard to pin down an exact spot. If they want to turn it on after I leave? That’s on them, I can only advise on what I know.
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If you have the sense of smell, then IMO the only tool you need to detect natural gas or propane leaks for a home inspection is your nose. There is no need to find the location of a leak as part of a home inspection, that’s the job of the utility company.
Natural gas and propane are odorless, so they add a chemical called mercaptan to give the gas a rotten egg or sulfur smell so you can detect a leak if there is one by sense of smell.
If I were to walk in a house to do a home inspection and upon entering I immediately smelled what I considered to be a gas leak, I’m getting everyone out of the house and calling 911 and I am staying out of the house until it’s cleared. I’ve had to do this only once in my almost 22 year career.
If I get a glancing whiff around the furnace or water heater during an inspection, I report that I smelled NG or LPG and that there is a possible leak in that area.
I also bought a sniffer when I first started, I think I used it twice and realized I was wasting my time trying to hunt down leaks during home inspections.
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I started out with a somewhat big fancy sniffer as well. Realized after a while it was a waste of time/effort and took it out of my tool bag. I do still carry this little feller though. It’s good for a CYA pic and also to demonstrate the leak to the client if one feels the need. Doesn’t take up much room in my little in-house bag. But my big nose is the only tool I really need.
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I guess it’s my background. I was always a troubleshooter. If there’s a problem, I need to know the answer. While I’m very busy, if I waste time at some point, shrug. I get the answer and the customer is happy.
I don’t run across leaks much, but it’d sure be nice to verify and refer it out with a solution while I’m there rather than waiting on the utility. The listing agent was super pissed that they wouldn’t give him a time. Just “we will come out”. I was just consulting on something else in the home, not doing an official inspection.
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Ray had the right idea!
