How to report a gas leak in Philadelphia

If you ever find yourself smelling rotten eggs, sulfur, or even a sewage-like scent, chances are your home might be experiencing a gas leak. Most of the time, as long as the lines are well maintained and you make sure to close the burners properly, the risk of having a gas leak is low. However, suppliers like PECO still get up to 21,000 calls per year regarding gas leaks.

We use natural gas at home for almost everything, from cooking and keeping us warm, to drying our clothes. Knowing what to do if you smell gas or suspect a leak can come in handy:

✅ If you smell gas inside your home, leave immediately. It’s a bad idea to stay and attempt to find the source of the leak or try to repair it by yourself. Natural gas is considered generally safe to use at home, but when it leaks, it’s hard for you to assess exactly how much you have been exposed to. Although inhaling low quantities won’t permanently affect you, a high concentration of gas can reduce the amount of oxygen in the room, which can cause asphyxiation.

❌ Don’t turn anything on or off. Appliances, vehicles, cell phones, thermostats, flashlights, radios, doorbells, and almost anything that uses a battery or electricity to function can cause a spark and ignite the gas. Leave the devices as they are, and don’t use your phone inside the house. Using a phone while on a gas leak site can cause an explosion or a fire. Leave the house entirely, to a place where you can no longer smell gas, before calling to report the leak. Don’t re-enter until it’s been inspected.

❌ Don’t use anything with an open flame. Matches, lighters, and even smoking create a fire risk during a gas leak.

❌ If a fire starts, don’t pour water on it or try to put out the flames. It’s best to leave the house, immediately call 911, and report the gas leak to your provider.

For folks living in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, chances are PGW and PECO, respectively, are your providers. They both run their own 24 hour, seven days a week, emergency hotlines where you can report a leak. Getting a gas leak checked is free. You will need to tell them your address or account number, so they know where to dispatch a technician.

The hotlines are meant to give you fast access, but if for some reason the wait time is too long, don’t return inside. Call 911 instead.

Call the PGW emergency hotline, 215-235-1212. Depending on how busy the line is, it can take you less than a minute to talk to an operator. After that, Melanie McCottry, a PGW spokesperson, says it will take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour for a qualified technician to get to your address.

Call your natural gas provider. If you live in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, or Montgomery counties, chances are PECO is your natural gas supplier. You can call the emergency hotline, 800-841-4141, to report the leak.

The line works for both gas and electric emergencies, so there is a chance it might be busy. If you are having trouble getting a hold of someone, call 844-841-4151, PECO’s gas emergency-only alternative line. Avoid reporting the leak through social media, says Greg Smore, PECO’s spokesperson, because their accounts are not monitored around the clock.

After talking to the operator, it would take about an hour for the designated person to come check the leak. Someone 18 or older has to let them in, or they will contact local authorities to access the house.

If the smell is not inside your home, it might be hard to know whether it’s coming from the main gas line or a neighboring house. “If you smell something, say something,” says McCottry. PGW manages 6,000 miles of main lines across the city, and provides over 500,000 customers with natural gas. They might not be aware of a gas leak happening in your neighborhood, but you can report it to the PGW emergency hotline and they will investigate the source.

Natural gas doesn’t have a smell. Suppliers add a chemical called mercaptan precisely so people can know when gas is leaking. If you live in a house, or a place with two stories, it can take time before you can smell the gas leak. Installing a natural gas detector can help with that. Scheduling a yearly furnace inspection, keeping filters clean, and making sure vents aren’t blocked can also help prevent potential gas leaks.