Guide 1 of 6
What to do if you smell gas
All seven official lists below say to keep flames and anything that could spark away from a gas leak, and each source says who to call. Beyond that the details differ, so this page keeps each list separate and in its own order rather than blending them into one.
If there is a fire, or a life is in danger, call 000. For a leak, Energy Safe Victoria says to call the emergency number on your gas bill. Each network’s number for its own area is in the table on the home page.
The seven lists
Natural gas has a smell added so that a leak can be noticed. NSW Fair Trading describes gas as “invisible, tasteless and in its natural state, odourless”, with a chemical added that “makes it smell a bit like rotten eggs”. Jemena says “rotten eggs or cabbage”.
The lists are grouped by who wrote them: two state regulators first, then five gas networks. The two regulators publish under an open licence, so their lists are quoted word for word. The five networks do not, so their lists are given in summary, in this guide’s words, with every step kept and in the order each network gives it. Quotation marks mean the words are the organisation’s own.
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Energy Safe Victoria
Victoria’s energy safety regulator
“If you smell gas, take the following precautions”:
- “Turn off the gas at the meter (natural gas users) or at the tank or cylinder (LP gas users) – only if safe to do so.”
- “Extinguish all flames and do not smoke or strike matches.”
- “Do not operate electrical switches or devices.”
- “If inside a building or home, open doors and windows to ventilate the area.”
- “Keep people away from the affected area.”
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NSW Fair Trading
New South Wales. One page carries two passages.
Its first passage says that if you smell gas and it is safe to do so, to “stay calm and”:
- “turn off your gas appliances”
- “open all doors and windows”
- “turn off your gas cylinder or gas supply and isolate your power supply”
- “evacuate the area.”
It adds: “Don’t use lighters or matches to ignite gas appliances or to detect a gas leak. If a gas leak continues, call your gas supplier or a licensed gasfitter.”
Lower on the same page, under “Gas leaks”: “Always treat any gas leak as a potential lethal risk. If you smell gas in your property, exit the building immediately, call 000 and ask for the NSW Fire Service.” It then says:
- “extinguish all naked flames and ensure cigarettes are not lit”
- “contact a licensed gasfitter”
- “contact your gas supplier, their phone number can be found on your gas bill.”
And, “If it is safe to do so”:
- “turn off the gas at your gas meter or cylinder”
- “open all doors and windows for ventilation”
- “turn off all appliances (including electrical) and pilot lights.”
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Jemena
Gas network, New South Wales
Its steps, in summary:
- Recognise. Gas smells like rotten eggs or cabbage, and that smell can be a sign of a leak.
- Leave. If you think there is a leak, remove or switch off anything that could set it alight, and leave the area straight away. Don’t smoke or use your phone, and make sure any naked flames are put out.
- Report it. Report the possible leak online, or call Jemena on 131 909, at any time of day, 7 days a week.
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Australian Gas Infrastructure Group
Owner of the Australian Gas Networks and Multinet Gas networks (Victoria, South Australia, regional NSW, Queensland)
Its steps if you smell gas in your building or home, in summary:
- Switch off every appliance and pilot light.
- Shut off the supply at the gas meter.
- Open every door and window to let air through.
- Get your licensed gas fitter to repair the leak and relight the appliances.
Its reminders, in summary: don’t search for a leak with a naked flame or anything else that could ignite gas; don’t use electrical equipment near a leak; leave light switches alone, neither on nor off, and don’t use a telephone or a torch, because the spark could start a gas fire; and don’t smoke, strike matches or flick a cigarette lighter inside or anywhere on the property.
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Evoenergy
Gas network, the ACT and nearby New South Wales
Its steps if you smell gas inside your home, in summary:
- Open the doors and windows nearby to let air through.
- Leave the area and turn off the gas supply, if it is safe to do so.
- Don’t use anything that could ignite gas, such as matches or cigarette lighters.
- Report the leak on 13 19 09.
- If a situation is life-threatening, call 000.
Outside the home, its list begins “Remove all ignition sources from the area”, then turning off the supply if safe, reporting the leak on 13 19 09, and calling 000 in a life-threatening situation.
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Tas Gas Networks
Gas network, Tasmania
Its precautions if you smell gas, in summary:
- Contact 1802 111 straight away.
- Turn off the gas at the meter, but only if it is safe to do so.
- Put out every flame, and don’t smoke or strike matches.
- Don’t use electrical switches or devices.
- If you are inside a home, open the doors and windows to air out the area.
- Keep people away from the area affected.
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ATCO
Gas network, Western Australia
Its steps, in summary:
- Identify. Gas is flammable and smells like rotten eggs; treat that smell as the sign of a potential gas leak.
- Leave. If you smell gas, always remove anything that could set it alight (don’t smoke, and don’t use electrical appliances, light switches or mobile phones), and move quickly away from the area.
- Call ATCO. Call ATCO on 13 13 52, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; if you are outside, you can also report the leak online. If you are inside a building, leave the area first, then call.
Where the lists differ
Read side by side, all seven keep flames away from a leak, and five of the seven mention opening doors and windows. They part ways on a few points. This guide does not choose between them: each is written by the body responsible for its own area.
| Point | What the lists say |
|---|---|
| Phones | Jemena: “Don’t smoke or use your phone”. AGIG: don’t “use a telephone”. ATCO lists “mobile phones” among ignition sources to eliminate. The Energy Safe Victoria, NSW, Evoenergy and Tas Gas Networks lists quoted here do not mention phones. |
| Light switches and power | Energy Safe Victoria and Tas Gas Networks: “do not operate electrical switches or devices”. AGIG: “Don’t turn any lights on or off”. NSW Fair Trading’s first passage says to “isolate your power supply”, and its second, if safe, to turn off “all appliances (including electrical)”. |
| Turning off the gas | Energy Safe Victoria, NSW Fair Trading, AGIG, Evoenergy and Tas Gas Networks all say to turn off the gas at the meter, cylinder or supply; all but AGIG add “if safe” or similar words. Jemena’s and ATCO’s three steps do not include it. |
| When to call | Tas Gas Networks puts calling first. Jemena and ATCO put leaving first, then calling. NSW Fair Trading’s second passage says to exit the building and call 000. |
Who repairs which part of the pipe
AGIG explains the split for its networks: as the distributor it is responsible for “the gas meter and the gas distribution network”, which includes the street mains and the pipes that connect them to your meter, and for repairing leaks there. The home or business owner is responsible for the building’s gas installation, and AGIG says a leak between the meter and your appliances is one to call a licensed gas fitter about.
Tas Gas Networks says the same in Tasmania: it fixes leaks on the meter and the pipework it is responsible for, while leaks in the pipework from the meter to your property, and inside your property (appliance problems included), are yours to have fixed by a licensed gas fitter.
AGIG adds that if you do not know where your meter is, your gas retailer can tell you, and their name is on your gas bill; if you do not receive a gas bill, it says to ask your landlord or real estate agent.
Bottled gas
For LP gas, Energy Safe Victoria says most cylinders and tanks “show the name of the gas supplier and emergency contact details”, and to use them “if you suspect your cylinder or tank is leaking”. NSW Fair Trading notes a difference in how the two gases behave: natural gas “is lighter than air, so it can rise in a room”, while LPG “is heavier than air, so it sinks to lower areas”. The guide to LPG cylinders covers checking a bottle for leaks.
If the smell is weak, or you cannot smell at all
Energy Safe Victoria points out that “people with a reduced sense of smell may not detect the odorant in gas”. It lists gas safety devices for people who need extra help, including “gas alarms that emit a loud noise or shut down the gas supply when unburnt gas or carbon monoxide are detected”, and recommends annual servicing and safety checks by a licensed gasfitter for people with impaired abilities.
A leaking gas smell is a different problem from carbon monoxide, which Energy Safe Victoria describes as “a gas you can’t see or smell”. That is the subject of the guide to carbon monoxide from gas heaters.