Gas Services & Gas Leak repair Portland Oregon
Gas Services & Gas Leak Repair Portland Oregon should only be done by qualifed technicians. Gas Leak’s are found using several methods. If NW Natural has turned off the gas services to the Home, the system will need to be pressurized in order to pin point the leak. To pressurize the gas system, all the appliances must be disconnected and capped off first, then a pressure gauge is installed somewhere on the line. A normal bicycle pump can be used on smaller systems to pressurize the system, on larger systems an air compressor is best. Most leaks can be found with around 20 psi in the gas system, although smaller more difficult to find leaks sometimes require the system being pressurized to around 60 psi.
Normal gas delivery pressure is around 1/2 psi. All the appliances MUST be disconnected, or the testing pressure can ruin the gas appliance diaphrams!
A leak solution is used to check for gas leaks. The leak solution is not the same as soapy water. Although a soap & water solution can be used for gas leak detection, the areas tested must be cleaned afterwards as the solvents in normal soap will deteriorate the gas pipe sealing compounds.
If the gas system is still “live”, a digital gas leak detector, or “sniffer” can be used. This is much less intrusive and quicker at pin pointing gas leaks. A typical quality gas sniffer costs around $600. Gas Contractors in Portland Oregon & Vancouver Washington are required to carry a minimum of $1 million dollars in liablity insurance. At J&M, we carry $2.5 million.
Although I myself am a “Do it yourself” homeowner, gas leak detection & repair is best left to the professionals in my opinion. With the correct tools and knowledge, gas leak detection & repair is a very safe procedure.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any questions or concerns, and of course call NW Natural if you ever smell a gas leak!
Check out our full website at JandMservices.us
Give us a call at 503-680-0195 or 360-263-5600
