If you smell rotten eggs anywhere in your house, get everyone outside first, then call Atlanta Gas Light at 1-877-427-4321 or 911 from a neighbor's phone. Do not flip a light switch, do not unplug anything, and do not try to find the leak yourself. Once the utility has cleared the property, a licensed leak detection company can pinpoint the source and get it repaired.
That is the short answer. The rest of this guide walks through the full process we use on gas leak calls across Georgia - the signs most homeowners miss, the safe checks you can do from outside, and how to tell the difference between a real leak and a pilot light that keeps blowing out.
How do you check for a gas leak in a Georgia home?
A gas leak check in Georgia starts with your nose, then your eyes, then a licensed technician with a combustible gas detector. Smell comes first because mercaptan - the rotten-egg additive in natural gas - is detectable at concentrations as low as 1 part per million, well below the 5 to 15 percent air-to-gas ratio that becomes explosive.
If you smell gas and the utility has already cleared the line, here is the sequence we run:
- Shut off the gas meter valve if you can reach it safely with a wrench.
- Open windows and doors on your way out - never stop to open them on your way back in.
- Call the utility first, then call us for the actual detection and repair work.
- Stay out until a technician confirms the property is safe.
What you should not do is grab a lighter, a candle, or a match to "test" a suspect fitting. We have seen homeowners try this. It is how houses catch fire.
The signs of a gas leak Georgia homeowners miss most
The signs of a gas leak in Georgia go well beyond the smell. Our technicians find leaks every week that homeowners walked past for months because nothing smelled wrong.
Watch for these:
- Hissing or whistling near a gas line. A pinhole leak in a 1/2-inch black iron pipe can push enough gas to make an audible sound in a quiet basement.
- Dead grass in a perfect line or circle. Buried gas lines kill turf in strips. If your neighbor's lawn is green and yours has a brown streak running from the meter, that is a red flag.
- Higher gas bills with no change in use. A 10 to 20 percent jump month over month, especially in summer when the furnace is off, usually points to a leak somewhere between the meter and the appliances.
- Headaches, nausea, or dizziness that fade when you leave the house. Natural gas itself is not toxic, but it displaces oxygen. In a tight, well-insulated Georgia home, that is enough to make you feel sick.
- Soot or scorch marks around a burner or flue. That is a sign of incomplete combustion - often a cracked heat exchanger or a blocked vent, which is its own emergency.
- A pilot light that keeps going out. If you relight the water heater pilot three times in a month, stop relighting it and call us.
We handle these calls all over the state, including older intown neighborhoods where the gas infrastructure dates to the 1950s and 1960s. If you are in one of those areas, our team handles Leak Detection in Atlanta with the same detection equipment we use on new construction. The age of the pipe matters more than the age of the house.
What to do if you smell gas in your Georgia home
What to do if you smell gas in your Georgia home comes down to one rule: leave first, investigate later. The average home can reach a dangerous gas concentration in under 15 minutes if a 1/2-inch line is fully open.
Here is the exact sequence:
- Do not touch light switches, garage door openers, thermostats, or phone chargers. A spark from any of those can ignite gas.
- Get everyone - including pets - outside through the nearest door.
- Call 911 or Atlanta Gas Light at 1-877-427-4321 from outside the home or a neighbor's driveway.
- Do not go back inside until a utility or fire department technician tells you it is safe.
- Once cleared, call a licensed leak detection company to find and fix the actual source.
If the smell is faint and only near one appliance - say, the water heater in the garage - you can shut off that appliance's supply valve and ventilate the space. But if you smell it anywhere in the living area, treat it as a full evacuation.
DIY gas leak check: what you can and cannot test safely
You can safely test for a gas leak in Georgia at the appliance connection using soapy water - nothing else. Mix a tablespoon of dish soap in a spray bottle of water, spray the joint where the gas line meets the appliance, and watch for bubbles. Bubbles mean gas is escaping.
That is the entire list of safe DIY tests. Everything else belongs to a professional with calibrated equipment.
What you should never do:
- Use a flame, match, or lighter to check a fitting.
- Use a combustible gas detector you bought online for $30. Consumer units drift out of calibration and give false negatives.
- Dig around a buried gas line to inspect it.
- Try to tighten a gas fitting yourself. Over-torquing a flare fitting cracks it.
Professional detection uses a combustible gas indicator (CGI) calibrated to methane, plus a manometer to pressure-test the whole system. We isolate each appliance, pressurize the line to 10 to 15 inches of water column, and watch for pressure drop. That test finds leaks that a soap bubble never will.
If you also have water intrusion issues in the same walls - common in Georgia crawlspaces - our team can look at plumbing leak detection in Georgia at the same visit. Water and gas lines often run in the same chase.
Common mistakes we see on gas leak calls in Georgia
The mistakes we see on gas leak calls in Georgia are almost always the same three, and all three make the situation worse.
Mistake one: relighting the pilot. If a water heater or furnace pilot goes out twice in a season, the thermocouple or the gas valve is failing - or gas is escaping somewhere upstream. Relighting it just delays the call.
Mistake two: assuming the smell is a dead animal. Mercaptan smells like rotten eggs, and so does a dead squirrel in a wall. We get called out on plenty of "dead animal" jobs that turn out to be a leaking union on a gas log set. If the smell is strongest near a gas appliance, treat it as gas.
Mistake three: shutting off the gas and forgetting about it. A shut-off meter means no heat, no hot water, and no cooking. We see homeowners live without gas for a week because they were waiting for a callback. Most gas leak detection jobs in Georgia are same-day.
One more: never let a handyman "sniff test" a gas line and sign off on it. Gas work in Georgia requires a licensed plumber or a licensed gas fitter. No exceptions.
When to call a professional for a Georgia gas leak
Call a professional the moment you have a confirmed or suspected leak, a pilot that will not stay lit, or a gas bill that jumped more than 10 percent without a usage change. Those are not wait-and-see problems.
Our team at Pro Leak Detection runs combustible gas detection and full pressure testing on every job. We find the leak, isolate it, repair or replace the failed section, and pressure-test the line again before we leave. You get a written report of what failed and what we did.
We also handle the water side of the same house - if you are chasing a musty smell in the crawlspace along with a gas odor, our water leak detection in Georgia service uses acoustic and thermal gear to find hidden moisture without tearing up floors.
If you are outside the metro and closer to the coast, we cover that too. Homeowners along the coast deal with salt air corroding gas connectors faster than inland homes, and we see it every year on Leak Detection in Savannah calls. Corroded brass fittings are one of the most common leak sources we find in homes built before 1990.
How much does gas leak detection cost in Georgia?
Typical 2026 pricing for gas leak detection in Georgia runs $150 to $450 for the detection visit, and $200 to $900 for the repair depending on what failed. A simple union tightening is on the low end. Replacing a buried section of yard line is on the high end.
Here is what drives the number:
- Number of appliances on the system. A house with a furnace, water heater, range, dryer, and gas log set takes longer to isolate than a house with two appliances.
- Access. A leak in an open basement is a 30-minute find. A leak behind finished drywall or under a slab is a half-day job.
- Line type. Black iron pipe, corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST), and polyethylene yard line all fail differently and repair differently.
- Permits. Some Georgia jurisdictions require a permit for gas line replacement. That adds $75 to $200 to the job.
We quote the detection fee upfront before we start. If we find the leak in the first 20 minutes, you pay the detection fee and we credit part of it toward the repair.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check for a gas leak in my Georgia home?
Smell for rotten eggs, listen for hissing near gas lines, and spray soapy water on appliance connections to look for bubbles. If you smell gas anywhere in the living space, evacuate and call 911 or Atlanta Gas Light at 1-877-427-4321 before doing anything else. A licensed technician should confirm the source with a calibrated combustible gas detector.
What should I do if I smell gas in my Georgia home?
Leave immediately without touching switches or electronics, then call 911 or Atlanta Gas Light from outside. Do not re-enter until a utility or fire technician clears the property. Once cleared, call a licensed leak detection company to find and repair the source. Most gas leak calls in Georgia are resolved the same day.
Who do I call for a gas leak in Georgia?
Call 911 or Atlanta Gas Light at 1-877-427-4321 first - they handle the emergency and shut off the supply. Then call a licensed leak detection and plumbing company for the actual detection and repair. Pro Leak Detection handles both detection and repair across Georgia, usually within 24 hours of the utility clearing the property.
How much does gas leak detection cost in Georgia?
Expect $150 to $450 for the detection visit in 2026, plus $200 to $900 for the repair depending on what failed. Simple fitting repairs sit at the low end; buried yard line replacement sits at the high end. We quote the detection fee upfront and credit part of it toward the repair if we find the leak quickly.
Can a gas leak make you sick in Georgia?
Yes. Natural gas displaces oxygen, so headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue that fade when you leave the house are common symptoms. At higher concentrations, a leak can cause loss of consciousness. If you feel sick at home and better outside, treat it as a possible gas leak and get the property tested.
Get help with Leak Detection in Georgia
If you have smelled gas, had a pilot go out twice, or watched your gas bill climb without explanation, do not wait it out. We run combustible gas detection and full pressure testing, find the source, and repair it the same visit.
Call Pro Leak Detection at +1 888 682 0578 and we will get a technician to your door.