Staying Safe with Natural Gas

Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey and host Kevin O’Connor discuss how gas regulators work and how their malfunction caused gas explosions in Lawrence, MA. Click here to SUBSCRIBE to the official This Old House YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=thisoldhouse Steps: 1. Natural gas is delivered through massive pipelines across the country that reduce pressure as they approach municipalities. 2. A device called a gas regulator is used to lower the pressure of gas coming into the house without disrupting the gas service of neighbors. 3. If you ever smell gas in your home, evacuate immediately and call 9-1-1. 4. In the rare event that city officials instruct homeowners to shut off their own gas, like what happened in Lawrence, go to the gas meter and look for a shutoff valve. Typically, it’s to the left of the meter on the pipe coming up out of the ground from the street. 5. Using a wrench, turn the shut off valve so that it is perpendicular to the gas pipe. Then, evacuate the building. 6. In all other circumstances, do not touch the gas meter. Only allow a licensed professional to do anything involving gas lines and appliances in your home. Resources: Circumstances like what happened in Lawrence, MA are extremely rare, and Richard stresses that only a licensed professional should handle any gas appliances or gas work in a home. However, in case of a suspected gas emergency, evacuate the house immediately and call 9-1-1. Follow the instructions in the video above only if instructed to do so by an official. Ask This Old House TV Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook. This Old House releases new segments every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Keywords: This Old House, How-to, home improvement, DIY, ask this old house, richard trethewey, kevin o'connor, safety, natural gas, plumbing, gas regulator Watch the full episode: [link to full ep on YT if avail, or on .com if unavail on YT] Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/1psm4fC Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisoldhouse https://twitter.com/asktoh Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1psm4fE G+: http://bit.ly/1CtsNjJ Instagram: http://bit.ly/1psm1QZ Tumblr: http://bit.ly/1CtsLbH