| Gas Odor from Furnance I had a Rheem 95% Gas furnace installed in Jan 2010. This past week while walking by I kept smelling a faint odor of gas. When I put my nose up to the intake the smell got stronger. I called the gas company and they came out and determined it was the gas regulator. So I then called the installer who came out and replaced the regulator. I no longer smell gas around the unit but if I place my nose near the intake or remove the front panel a faint order is still present. Is this normal?
Before the regulator was replaced I could smell gas when the furnace was off then it would get slightly stronger when it kicked on. Now its a fairly light but consistent smell either on or off. |
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 Channel OnePremium
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL
kudos:2
 ·Connexion Techno..
| said by slcpd6469:I no longer smell gas around the unit but if I place my nose near the intake or remove the front panel a faint order is still present. Is this normal? If you are smelling the odor of raw unburnt gas then that is not normal, and gas, like electricity, is nothing to be trifled with, as such I suggest you have the installer come back out and resolve whatever is causing the leak.
Wayne
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"It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence." - Charles A. Beard |
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 WarzauPremium
join:2000-10-26
Naperville, IL
kudos:1 | reply to slcpd6469
Yup make them come back and tell them to bring a sniffer with them. Will be easier to pinpoint where gas is leaking from. |
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| I would think any reasonable service tech would bring a sniffer when the trouble call is for "smell of gas" .. but you never know ...
Leaking NG is very dangerous. |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC | reply to slcpd6469
It's not normal to smell unburnt gas when opening the side panel where the combustion chamber is located?
Ruh Roh |
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 SandSharkLong may you runPremium,MVM
join:2000-05-23
Santa Fe, TX
kudos:3 | reply to slcpd6469
When you say the gas company determined it was the gas regulator, are you saying it was the gas company's regulator? If so, why did you call the installer to change the gas company's regulator? Most, if not all, modern gas furnaces have gas valves with built-in regulators, which are not field serviceable, so I'm having trouble grasping what was done. |
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 nunyaWho is John Galt?Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
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| reply to slcpd6469
I wouldn't call Laclede again. I would call the company that installed the furnace in 2010. It shouldn't be having these kinds of problems.
How is your intake / exhaust configured? Being 95%, I would assume it's pipes sticking out of the side of the house. Make sure nothing is wrong with, or blocking, the pipes.
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...because I care. |
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| The intake is drawing straight from the basement (installer said this was fine) and the exhaust is going straight outside. |
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 jack bGone FishingPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-08
Cape Cod
kudos:1 | reply to slcpd6469
It's perfectly normal to have a faint odor in the vicinity of the burners right after they shut off. There will be residual raw gas in the manifold and yes, you will be able to smell it up to a few minutes if you put your nose down in there.
If the gas control valve is passing in the off position that's another issue. The only way to "prove" that is with a manometer or (easier) doing a soap bubble-test on the orifices themselves.
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 mityfowlPremium
join:2000-11-06
Dallas, TX
1 edit | reply to slcpd6469
I think you have done everything to be sure there is no leak,
I have a gas dryer that has the smallest odor of gas. I had the gas co out. I had the manufacture out. I made the manufacture replace the ignighter and something else.
The dryer still has the smallest smell of gas and nothing has changed. I once left this house for a month with no one using anything and it still had that smallest odor of gas.
I think it has something to do with the ignighter because both the gas co and manufacture have had the the sniffer in the unit and there is no detectable leak. We are going on 7 years and I am a smoker and can still smell this.
I think its the way certain units shut down.
I think you are ok. |
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 AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ | next time call a plumber, not the utility. |
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Channel OnePremium
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Connexion Techno..
| said by AVD:next time call a plumber, not the utility. Na call the utility, their qualified to work with gas, and in most cases of a leak complaint don't charge for a truck roll.
Wayne
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mityfowlPremium
join:2000-11-06
Dallas, TX | reply to slcpd6469
Call the utility.
The problem with a utility is they will give you a red tag and shut your gas off if you have a leak.
And thats a good thing too. |
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Channel OnePremium
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Connexion Techno..
| said by mityfowl:And thats a good thing too.
It beats having your roof come back down in Hialeah. 
Wayne |
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mityfowlPremium
join:2000-11-06
Dallas, TX | said by Channel One:said by mityfowl:And thats a good thing too.
It beats having your roof come back down in Hialeah. Wayne anything is better than being in Hialeah 
I don't remember much about Hialeah but the race track. I just made that up.  |
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 KramerPremium,Mod
join:2000-08-03
Richmond, VA
kudos:1
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| reply to slcpd6469
I don't know about where you live, but here if you call the gas company and say you smell gas, they will be out to your house in a jiffy. Usually minutes would better describe the time than hours. The last time I called them it was a leak where their pipes entered the meter, so it was their problem but I don't think they really care. In that case the poor guy spent hours working on it in the rain and mud. It took a long time to narrow down the leak. The meter he used would only pick up the scent randomly although he eventually found a place to put the sensor that picked it up 100% of the time. He even metered the ground. If I got billed for it, I never noticed it.
When we first moved in here, I noticed the smell of gas surrounding our furnace. We had a home warranty and they sent someone out who was amazed at how lose the pipes were. That got fixed for the deductible of $50. |
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SandSharkLong may you runPremium,MVM
join:2000-05-23
Santa Fe, TX
kudos:3 | reply to slcpd6469
I still don't understand which regulator was replaced. |
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| reply to AVD
said by AVD:next time call a plumber, not the utility.
Plumbers do this kind of work?
I would have thought an RHVAC guy but there's a lot I don't know.
Dave |
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AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ | reply to Kramer
outdoor leak is different... |
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 jkj860The Final Frontier
join:2002-01-10
Valparaiso, IN
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| reply to mityfowl
said by mityfowl:said by Channel One:said by mityfowl:And thats a good thing too.
It beats having your roof come back down in Hialeah. Wayne anything is better than being in Hialeah I don't remember much about Hialeah but the race track. I just made that up. Agreed! I had a joint in my gas line that was leaking ever so slightly but I noticed it one day through a heating vent. I freaked and called the utility who was out in a flash and proceeded to shut off my gas until it was repaired. The plumber who came out said I should of called them first to avoid getting the gas shut off and having to wait for the utility to inspect the repair before turning it back on. I would rather play it safe myself. The utility came back out before the plumber was finished and had us back in service very quickly.
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