Smell Gas or CO Alarm Going Off? Do This First
Last updated Reviewed by Waseem Shahzad, Lead Technician
Leave the house now with everyone, including pets. Once you are outside and away from the building, call 911 and National Grid's gas emergency line at 1-800-490-0045. Then call K2 at (631) 414-7141. Do not go back inside until the fire department or the utility says it is safe.
Call 24/7: (631) 414-7141Smell gas or hear a carbon monoxide alarm? Leave the house first, then call 911 or the gas utility from outside.
What should you do the moment you smell gas?
Get everyone out of the house right away and leave the door open behind you. Do not flip light switches, use the thermostat, unplug anything, start a car in an attached garage or use a phone inside. Once outside and well away, call 911 and National Grid at 1-800-490-0045.
- Leave: everyone and every pet out, now.
- Call from outside: 911 and National Grid gas emergency, 1-800-490-0045. National Grid answers 24 hours a day.
- Call K2: (631) 414-7141, after the emergency calls, so we can check and repair the equipment once the utility clears the house.
Natural gas has an added odor that smells like rotten eggs. Even a faint smell near the furnace, boiler, water heater or stove deserves a call.
What should you do if a carbon monoxide alarm goes off?
Treat it as real. Get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911 from outside, especially if anyone has a headache, dizziness, nausea or confusion. Carbon monoxide has no smell, so you cannot rule it out yourself. Do not go back in until responders say the air is safe.
Carbon monoxide comes from burning fuel: a furnace, boiler, water heater, oven, fireplace, generator or a car. A cracked heat exchanger, a blocked chimney or vent, or a generator run too close to the house are common sources. New York law requires CO alarms in homes with fuel-burning appliances; see our post on carbon monoxide and your heating system for where they belong.
What does K2 do after the utility or fire department clears the house?
We find what caused it and make the equipment safe. On a heating system that means checking the gas piping and connections, the burner, the heat exchanger, the flue and chimney draft, and combustion. Equipment the utility shut off stays off until the cause is repaired and tested.
Tell us what the utility or fire department found and whether they shut off or tagged any appliance. In our records, a technician who found a Syosset attic furnace still releasing gas while its pilot would not stay lit shut the furnace off on the spot and told the homeowner before anything else. Safety comes before the repair price. See 24/7 emergency service and gas line work.
How can you lower the risk of a gas or CO emergency?
Have fuel-burning equipment checked every year, keep CO alarms on every level and near bedrooms, keep vents and chimneys clear, and never run a generator, grill or camp heater indoors or in a garage. Replace CO alarms when they reach the end of their life, which the alarm's label states.
A yearly heating tune-up includes a look at the flue, draft and burner. High-efficiency equipment vents through PVC pipes that snow can bury; see high-efficiency furnaces shutting off in the cold. During outages, run generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house.
Questions people ask
Should I call K2 or the gas company first?
The gas company and 911 first, from outside the house. National Grid's gas emergency line is 1-800-490-0045. Call K2 at (631) 414-7141 after that, so we can repair the equipment once the house is cleared.
Can I open windows before I leave?
Do not stay inside to do it. Leaving the door open on your way out is fine. Getting everyone out quickly matters more than ventilating the house.
My CO alarm is chirping, not sounding. Is that an emergency?
A short chirp every minute or so usually means a low battery or an alarm at the end of its life, not carbon monoxide. Check the label. A loud, repeating pattern of beeps is the alarm; treat that as real and get outside.
Need help now?
K2 answers 24/7 for homes within 15 miles of our shop at 60 S 2nd St, Unit V, Deer Park. You get a time window and the price before any repair.
Call 24/7: (631) 414-7141