Safety

At Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, your safety and comfort is our business.

THE DISTINCTIVE ODOR OF NATURAL GAS

Although MTNG adds a distinctive odor to natural gas to aid in the detection of leaks, you should not rely on your sense of smell alone to determine if there is a gas leak. Some persons may not be able to smell the odor because they have a diminished sense of smell or because the odor is being masked by other odors in the area. In addition, certain conditions, such as odor fade (loss of odorant) may cause the odor to diminish so that it is not detectable.

IF YOU SMELL A FAINT ODOR OF NATURAL GAS INSIDE YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS:

  • Investigate immediately.
  • If the source of the odor cannot be located or corrected, call Middle Tennessee Natural Gas immediately (24 hours a day). A Middle Tennessee Natural Gas representative will come to your home or business and make an inspection at no charge to you.

IF A STRONG OR PERSISTENT ODOR OF GAS IS PRESENT IN YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS, OR IF YOU HEAR A HISSING SOUND OF ESCAPING NATURAL GAS, FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE:

  • Get everyone out of the building immediately.
  • Leave the door open.
  • Use a neighbor’s phone or cellular phone outside of the building to call Middle Tennessee Natural Gas.
  • DO NOT operate any electrical switches, appliance controls, or pull any plugs from outlets.
  • DO NOT use the telephone in the building.
  • Close the cut-off valve near the gas meter and DO NOT turn it on again. (Middle Tennessee Natural Gas representative will turn it on).

IF YOU SMELL OR DETECT NATURAL GAS OUTSIDE, CALL MIDDLE TENNESSEE NATURAL GAS IMMEDIATELY.

ODOR FADE (LOSS OF ODORANT) Do not rely on your sense of smell alone to detect the presence of natural gas.  Odor fade is caused by physical and chemical processes. It occurs predominantly in installations of new pipe rather than in existing pipe. Odor fade is more pronounced in new steel pipe, and in pipe of larger diameter and longer length. However, it can also occur in plastic pipe, and in smaller pipe installations. In addition, if a natural gas leak occurs underground, the surrounding soil may cause odor fade.

New installations or additions of pipe may require the conditioning of the pipe before it is placed into service to prevent odor fade. Other factors that may cause odor fade include:

  • Construction and configuration of the customer’s gas facilities.
  • Presence of rust, moisture, liquids or other substances in the pipe.
  • Gas composition, pressure and flow.

Intermittent, little or no gas flow over an extended period of time may also result in the loss of odorant until gas flow increases or becomes more frequent.

Remember, do not rely on your sense of smell alone to detect the presence of natural gas. For more information on odor fade, please call MTNG at 1-800-880-6373 or contact a licensed, qualified professional.

Typical Meter Cut-Off Valve Settings

Meter Settings