Natural gas and LPG are colourless and odourless in their natural state. An odorant is added so leaks are easier to detect, creating the familiar rotten egg smell. Natural gas is lighter than air, while LPG is heavier and can collect in low areas. If you notice that smell inside your home, treat it as a potential gas leak and act immediately.
Once the immediate danger has been controlled, gas plumbing services in Sydney can inspect suspected pipework or appliance faults and define the repair scope before work begins.
What Should You Do If You Smell Gas?
Get everyone, including pets, outside and move a safe distance from the property. Do not smoke, light matches or candles, use your phone, or operate anything that could create an ignition source inside.
NSW Government advice is clear: if you smell gas in your property, exit the building immediately, call 000 and ask for the NSW Fire Service.
If it is safe and does not delay your exit, turn off the gas at the meter or LPG cylinder, open doors and windows, and isolate the power supply. Otherwise, leave immediately and do not return until the property has been declared safe.
Who Should You Call in Sydney?
After calling 000, contact your gas distributor or supplier as well. Jemena operates the largest gas distribution network in NSW and lists 131 909 for gas faults and emergencies, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If Jemena is not your distributor, use the emergency number on your gas bill.
Do not re-enter or turn the gas supply back on until you have been told it is safe.
What Other Signs Can Indicate A Gas Problem?
Leaks can also present as hissing or whistling near pipework or an appliance, bubbles in standing water, dying vegetation above an underground service or unexplained higher gas use.
Pilot lights that repeatedly go out, yellow or orange flames and soot around an appliance point to a combustion or appliance fault that needs professional assessment.
Is a Gas Leak The Same as Carbon Monoxide?
No. A natural gas or LPG leak is not the same as carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is produced by incomplete combustion and cannot be seen, smelled or heard.
Headache, nausea, weakness, dizziness, fainting or loss of consciousness can indicate carbon monoxide exposure. NSW Health lists headache, nausea, vomiting and weakness as common symptoms, and describes dizziness, fainting or loss of consciousness as more severe poisoning. Get everyone into fresh air, call 000 if anyone faints or loses consciousness, and contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
How Is A Gas Leak Found and Repaired?
Gas work is not a DIY job. NSW requires gas installations to be carried out by a licensed gasfitter.
A gasfitter can isolate and test the installation using a manometer pressure test and electronic gas detector. Causes include ageing or corroded pipework, failed fittings, damaged flexible appliance connectors, faulty regulators, appliance faults and accidental damage during renovation or excavation.
NSW gas installations are regulated under the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017. AS/NZS 5601.1:2022 Amendment 2 became the referenced standard in NSW from 6 March 2025.
How Can You Reduce Gas Risks at Home?
Keep ventilation openings and flues clear and service appliances to manufacturer instructions. Industry guidance recommends having gas heaters checked by a licensed gasfitter at least every two years. A carbon monoxide alarm is worth considering, though note there is no Australian standard for carbon monoxide monitors, so choose one carefully.
Know where your gas meter or LPG isolation valve is before an emergency. Before gardening, excavation or renovation, locate underground services so gas pipework is not accidentally damaged.
If you smell gas, getting outside and calling 000 comes first. Finding and repairing the fault comes after the immediate danger is controlled.