The Three Signs PG&E Tells Customers to Watch For
Natural gas has no smell of its own. Utilities add an odorant so that even a small leak is noticeable, and PG&E, which supplies gas to Vacaville homes, describes the warning signs in three groups: smell, sound, and sight.
- Smell. A sulfur or rotten-egg odor indoors, in the garage, or near the gas meter.
This is the sign most people notice first, and it should never be treated as "probably nothing." - Sound. A hissing or whistling noise coming from a gas appliance, a connector behind the range or dryer, or from the ground
near a buried line.
- Sight. Dead or dry vegetation in an area that is usually green or moist, continuous bubbling in standing water, or a visible cloud or haze.
In a typical Vacaville yard, the sight signs are the ones that get overlooked.
A strip of lawn that browns in a straight line between the meter and a patio fire pit, pool heater, or outdoor kitchen can be the only outward clue that a buried line is leaking.
What to Do in the First Few Minutes
The order matters. Getting people out comes before finding the leak, and calling for help comes before calling a plumber.
- 1Get everyone out. Alert everyone in the household and move to a safe location away from the house. Take pets if you can do it without delay.
- 2Avoid ignition sources. Do not light anything. PG&E specifically lists matches and flashlights among the ignition sources to avoid, so leave switches, appliances, and the garage door alone on your way out.
- 3Call 911, then PG&E. Once you are away from the area, call 9-1-1 for emergency assistance and then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Do not go back inside until you are told it is safe.
- 4Know about the shutoff, but let the utility restore it. It helps to know where your gas shutoff is before an emergency. If the gas does get shut off, PG&E has to be called to turn it back on.
A plumber is not the first call in a suspected gas emergency, and any company that tells you otherwise is putting its phone line ahead of your safety. Our role starts once the immediate hazard has been handled.
Which Gas Lines Are Yours to Maintain
This is the part most homeowners never learn until something goes wrong. PG&E maintains the system that delivers gas up to and including the gas meter.
Everything after the meter is customer-owned piping, and the homeowner is responsible for maintaining it.
According to PG&E, customer-owned gas lines include all above-ground or buried pipe running from the meter to the house, plus any lines leading from the house to additional gas equipment.
In practice that means the line to a detached garage or workshop, a pool or spa heater, a built-in barbecue, a patio heater, or a fire pit.
PG&E notes that it typically does not maintain or inspect those lines, and recommends having them periodically inspected for leaks and corrosion by a licensed plumber or contractor.
Why Buried Lines Deserve Extra Attention
Buried customer-owned lines carry a risk that indoor piping does not. Before any digging project, you should call 811 at least two working days ahead so the utilities can mark their underground lines.
But PG&E points out that 811 cannot locate customer-owned gas lines, because they are not the utility's pipes. A fence post, a new sprinkler line, or a landscaping project can hit a line nobody marked.
If you are planning yard work near a gas appliance, it is worth having the route of the line located first and keeping a record of it for future projects.
PG&E also offers information on installing an excess flow valve, a safety device that automatically restricts gas flow if a line is severed by digging.
What a Gas Line Repair Visit Involves
Once PG&E has made the area safe, a gas line repair on the customer side follows a predictable path. At C&C Plumbing, it starts with finding the leak precisely.
We use gas detection equipment to trace the source rather than opening walls or trenches on a guess.
From there, the damaged section is repaired or replaced with code-compliant materials, and the whole system is pressure tested before service is restored. We explain the findings and give you an upfront, free estimate before any work begins.
If a buried line is corroded along its length, replacing the run is often the better long-term decision than patching one spot, and we will tell you which situation you are in.
When to Call a Plumber Instead of the Utility
Some situations do not involve an active emergency but still need a licensed professional:
- You want a new gas line run to a range, dryer, water heater, or outdoor appliance. - You have never had the buried line to a pool heater, barbecue, or detached building inspected.
- An appliance connector is old, kinked, or has been moved during a remodel. - Gas service was shut off because of a problem on your side of the meter and needs a repair before it can be restored.
For any of these, see our gas line repair and installation service, or our page on gas line repair in Vacaville for local details.
If something needs attention outside business hours once the utility has cleared the site, our emergency plumbing service answers 24 hours a day.
C&C Plumbing is licensed and insured under California contractor license 982867 and has served Vacaville, Fairfield, and the rest of Solano County since 2013.
Safety guidance in this article comes from PG&E's gas leak safety page and PG&E's customer-owned gas line information. If you smell gas right now, stop reading, leave the house, and call 911.