Power outages could be a nuisance. They could be a big pain in the event that they last a protracted time. Most preppers already know lots about preparing for an influence outage, including disconnecting major appliances and other vital equipment to forestall damage within the event of an influence surge when power is restored.
But something you could not have considered if you will have natural gas appliances in your property is whether or not you must turn off the gas when the ability goes out. do you have to?
No, you generally needn’t turn off the gas when the electricity goes out. Modern electrically operated gas appliances use protected cut-offs within the event of an influence outage.
Now, you must never hesitate to chop off your gas supply following a natural or man-made disaster, but within the event of accidental power outages attributable to storms or other calamities, you possibly can leave the gas on.
We will speak about all of the variables and other issues later in this text…
No major damage, normally no must turn off the gas
In general, if the gas mains in your community or simply in and around your property is undamaged, or if you happen to are facing the prospect of being damaged by something that knocked out the ability in the primary place, you needn’t go to the difficulty of turning off your gas.
This might be the case more often than not.
For example, if a tornado or earthquake knocks down power lines and causes widespread damage to your neighborhood or region, it could also damage natural gas pipelines.
In this case, you want to to show off the gas as soon as possible to try to forestall a leak and dangerous buildup of gas.
But if the ability is off on account of some branches falling on the rope during a windy storm or similar, then the gas lines are probably tremendous and you possibly can leave the gas on.
Modern gas appliances use protected cut-offs
In all cases, except where there may be a risk of injury to the gas lines, there is no such thing as a must shut off the gas within the event of an influence outage, especially with modern appliances.
The fundamental reason for that is that your appliances almost certainly have already got a security feature in the shape of a gas supply failure protection that trips within the event of an influence loss.
Appliances with an auto-off feature will normally restart and restore the gas supply when power is restored and a return to normal conditions is detected.
However, for some models or after an prolonged period of non-use, you could must manually reset the device by pressing a button or toggling a switch.
Newer gas stoves depend on electricity for ignition
Although it seems counterintuitive, these devices (stoves, water heaters and the like) use electric ignition as an alternative of the old skool, always-on indicator light.
In the event of a lack of electricity, these igniters won’t function, and if gas were allowed to flow during normal operation or after each start-up, it will accumulate – unburned – near the appliance and in the house.
This is how catastrophic gas explosions occur. Not good!
To prevent this, these devices have a sensor that detects the lack of electricity and immediately cuts off the gas supply to the device.
Older stoves use indicator lights
Now, the above scenario will not be the rule, and even today there are a lot of older gas appliances that use traditional pilot light ignition.
In this case, the indicator light is at all times on and burns, providing a small but constant flame that ignites the fundamental burner every time the appliance is turned on.
When the ability is turned off, these lights normally remain on and might provide normal operation even within the absence of power.
This is a very good thing if you happen to want them to run normally even when the ability is off, but when the indicator light goes out you will have to relight it manually.
However, in comparison with more modern devices, the older ones pose a greater risk of gas build-up, especially if the indicator light is off.
You may activate them or try to activate them without knowing that the indicator light is off, which can allow gas to flow freely and construct up as described above.
While you do not necessarily must turn off the gas to those appliances simply because there is no such thing as a power, you do have to be very careful about turning them off and verifying their condition after any event that might cause an outage.
Never hesitate to shut off the gas supply when a dangerous situation may arise
Whenever you’re considering whether or not to show off the gas, remember one golden rule: every time you think a dangerous situation may arise, it’s at all times higher to be protected and shut off the gas.
This includes the whole lot from severe weather damage to the mere suspicion of a gas leak. If in any doubt, it’s at all times best to show off the gas and have the appliances and contours checked by professionals.
Whenever there may be an influence outage, assess the situation to find out if there may be a risk of injury to the gas lines. If so, shut off the gas supply as soon as possible.
Knowing where the valves are and the appropriate tools makes it quick and simple. don’t risk it!
If you smell gas during an influence outage, evacuate!
Natural gas is odorless. In the United States and all over the world, natural gas is fortified with an additive called mercaptan, which provides it a characteristic “rotten egg” smell.
This is completed in order that within the event of a gas leak, it might be quickly and simply identified.
Remember: if you happen to can smell a robust smell of natural gas, it means an excessive amount of has built up! Don’t wait, evacuate!
Get out of the home as soon as possible and do not do anything that might ignite – no lights, no telephones, no flames, etc.
Call 911 and notify the utility company from a protected place. Don’t return until you are absolutely sure it’s protected.
You do not have to shut off the gas supply for short-term shutdowns
In summary, that you must worry about gas shutdown within the event of an influence outage if there may be a risk of injury to natural gas lines and older appliances.
Otherwise, you possibly can leave the gas on and the appliances working as usual.
Modern devices are equipped with quite a few protections that may cut off the gas supply within the event of a failure, so that you do not have to fret about them.
However, if you happen to are without electricity for an prolonged time frame, you could want to think about turning off the gas.
