If you can smell gas (the rotten-egg odour added to natural gas as a warning) inside or near a property, the order of priority is your safety first, the building second, and the repair third. Here's what to do:
1. Don't switch any electrical equipment on or off, including light switches. A spark from a switch can ignite a gas-air mix.
2. Don't smoke, light a flame, or use a phone inside the property until you're outside.
3. Open windows and doors if it's safe to do so on your way out.
4. Turn off the gas at the meter using the emergency control valve (the lever next to the meter — quarter-turn to off) if you can do so safely without delay.
5. Get everyone out of the property.
6. Once outside, call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. This is a free 24/7 number. They'll dispatch the National Grid (or relevant gas distribution network) to attend, locate the leak, and make the property safe — usually by capping the supply pending repair.
7. Once the National Grid has made the property safe, the supply will be off until the leak is properly located and repaired by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That's where David comes in.
Once the National Grid has attended a confirmed gas leak and capped the supply, the next step is locating and repairing the leak. That's regulated gas work and may only legally be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Here's how David works through the process.
Step 1: Tightness test of the existing installation. A calibrated tightness-test pump is connected to the meter and the gas line is pressurised to a known reading. The rate of pressure drop tells David how much gas is being lost and roughly the severity of the leak. This baseline reading is recorded.
Step 2: Section isolation. The gas line is divided into sections using existing isolators (appliance valves, branch isolators) so each section can be pressure-tested individually. By isolating sections one at a time and re-testing, David narrows down which run of pipework or which appliance has the leak.
Step 3: Electronic detection. A calibrated handheld electronic gas detector is run along the suspect section, paying particular attention to joints, threaded connections, soldered points, and any pipework that's been disturbed during recent work. The detector reads in parts-per-million and beeps faster as concentration rises — a steady high reading at a specific point indicates the leak source.
Step 4: Visual confirmation and access. Once the leak is located, David confirms the source visually where possible (often a corroded joint, a perished compression olive, a damaged copper run, or an appliance internal valve). If the leak is in a hidden location (under a floor, in a wall void, behind a built-in appliance) the appropriate access is opened up — minimally where possible.
Step 5: Repair. Depending on the source, the repair might be replacing a length of copper pipe, remaking a compression joint with a fresh olive, replacing a corroded section, or repairing/replacing an appliance internal valve. All gas pipework repairs use approved fittings and approved jointing methods (no PTFE on flared joints, no soft solder on gas, etc).
Step 6: Re-test and recommission. After the repair, the full installation is tightness-tested again to verify zero leak rate. The supply is restored at the meter, all appliances are re-lit and pressure-tested under load, and the work is recorded.
Step 7: Documentation. A repair report and Gas Safe registered work record is provided, suitable for insurance purposes if relevant.
Most domestic gas leaks come from a small number of recurring causes. Knowing which ones are most likely helps narrow the search.
Perished compression joints are by far the most common single source — particularly on older copper installations where compression olives have hardened and lost their seal. The fitting looks fine externally but the gas-tight seal between olive and pipe has gone. Easy to spot with electronic detection, easy to remake with a fresh olive.
Corroded steel pipework in older properties — particularly buried sections passing through damp brickwork, or runs that pass through cellar walls. Steel gas pipe is being phased out in favour of copper for new work, but plenty of older Ealing properties still have steel runs. Localised corrosion eventually breaches the wall thickness.
Appliance internal leaks — corroded gas valve seats on older boilers, perished gas hoses on free-standing cookers, degraded thermocouple seals on gas fires. The leak is inside the appliance casing rather than on the supply pipe, but it shows up in the same way on tightness tests.
Damaged pipework from DIY work — a screw driven through a floorboard into a buried gas line, a careless drill hole through a kitchen cupboard back into a pipe behind, a microwave dropped on a copper run. More common than you'd expect.
Failed gas hose on a freestanding cooker — usually a perished or twisted hose past its date stamp. New hose £20, fitting in 15 minutes — but should never be ignored.
A gas leak (escape of unburnt natural gas) and a carbon monoxide problem (incomplete combustion of natural gas producing CO) are different issues, but they often originate from the same underlying causes — corroded pipework affecting appliance pressure, blocked flues, poor ventilation, or appliances that haven't been serviced.
Where David is on-site to repair a gas leak, he'll also do a combustion analysis on every connected appliance using a calibrated flue gas analyser. CO/CO₂ readings at full and minimum rate. Flue terminal inspection. Ventilation check. If the property doesn't already have CO alarms in the right places, he'll recommend where they should go (one in any room with a gas appliance, one near sleeping areas).
Carbon monoxide has no smell, no taste, and no warning. The added odorant in natural gas means a leak warns you. CO doesn't. A working CO alarm is the only reliable way to know there's a problem before symptoms (headache, drowsiness, confusion) appear.
Once a leak is found and repaired, David doesn't just close up and leave. The standard scope on a gas leak repair includes:
Tightness test before and after — the before reading establishes leak rate, the after reading verifies zero loss. Both are recorded numerically on the work record.
Combustion analysis on every connected appliance — verifies the leak hasn't caused a CO problem during the period the leak was developing. Boilers, hobs, ovens, fires all checked.
Visual inspection of all visible gas pipework — looking for any other compression joints showing signs of going the same way as the failed one. If the leak was caused by ageing copper, there are often other joints on the same age and same vintage worth flagging.
Emergency control valve test — verifies the main gas isolation tap (next to the meter) operates correctly. Sometimes overlooked, but vital — it's the only way to isolate gas to the property if there's a future incident.
CO alarm advice — where alarms should be located, what battery/working type to use, replacement intervals.
Documentation — written work record with the leak location, repair carried out, before/after tightness readings, combustion readings on every appliance. Suitable for insurance documentation if relevant.
Locating, repairing, and pressure-testing gas pipework is regulated work under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It may only legally be carried out by an engineer registered with the Gas Safe Register. Anyone else touching the gas line is operating illegally — and a leak that's been ‘repaired’ by an unregistered person leaves you without insurance cover, without legal sign-off, and at risk of a recurrence.
David is fully Gas Safe registered and carries his ID card on every visit. After any leak repair he provides a written work record with the before/after tightness test readings, the location and nature of the leak, and the repair carried out. The record is signed and dated, suitable for insurance purposes, and his Gas Safe registration number is on every document. Verify any engineer's registration directly at gassaferegister.co.uk by entering their number.
Don't switch any electrical equipment on or off. Don't smoke or light a flame. Don't use a phone inside. Open windows and doors if safe to do so on your way out. Turn off the gas at the meter (the quarter-turn lever next to the meter) if you can do so without delay. Get everyone out of the property. Once outside, call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. They'll attend within an hour, locate the source, and make the property safe by capping the supply if needed. Once the supply is capped, that's when you call David for the actual repair. Other plumbing work Clive covers from the same Ealing base: emergency plumbing, drain unblocking, tap and outlet installation, water tank installation, leak detection, toilet installation, white goods plumbing, kitchen plumbing, radiator installation, hot water cylinder installation and bathroom installation.
Diagnostic and detection: £85 first-visit fee, waived if the repair proceeds the same day. Most leak repairs themselves run £80–£250 depending on the source — a single perished compression joint at the bottom end, a corroded steel run requiring section replacement at the top end. Internal appliance leaks involve replacing the affected component which varies by appliance and brand. David always quotes in writing before starting any chargeable work. Other plumbing work Clive covers from the same Ealing base: emergency plumbing, drain unblocking, pipework and repipes, tap and outlet installation, water tank installation, leak detection, toilet installation, white goods plumbing, kitchen plumbing, radiator installation, hot water cylinder installation and bathroom installation.
No. The National Grid (or your local Gas Distribution Network) is responsible for gas supply up to and including your meter. Anything beyond the meter — the pipework inside the property, the appliances, internal leaks — is the property owner's responsibility, and the repair must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The National Grid will make the property safe by capping the supply, but the actual repair is done privately.
Same-day where humanly possible if you call before lunchtime. Confirmed leaks (where the National Grid has attended and capped the supply) get priority slots in the diary because the household is without gas until the repair is done. David tells you straight on the call what slot he can offer — no fake same-hour promises.
Buildings insurance often covers the cost of locating and repairing a gas leak under ‘trace and access’ cover. Check your policy. David provides full documentation — tightness readings before and after, location of the leak, nature of the repair, his Gas Safe registration number — exactly what insurers ask for when assessing a claim. Receipts are itemised so the ‘trace’ element is clearly separated from the ‘access and repair’ element if your policy treats them differently. Gas-side services David also handles: boiler installation, boiler servicing, boiler repair, central heating installation, central heating repair, gas safety checks, gas cooker installation, gas fire servicing and power flushing — all Gas Safe registered, all run from the same Ealing base.
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For confirmed gas leak repair anywhere in gas leak detection in Ealing, gas leak detection in Acton, gas leak detection in Hanwell, gas leak detection in Greenford, Northolt, Perivale, Southall, gas leak detection in West Ealing, Park Royal, gas leak detection in Pitshanger, Brentham, North Ealing, gas leak detection in South Ealing or anywhere else across the W postcodes, phone David directly. Confirmed leaks (with the gas supply capped by the National Grid) go to the front of the diary.
David also covers gas leak detection across the rest of the borough — gas leak detection in Boston Manor, gas leak detection in Brentford, gas leak detection in Ealing Common and gas leak detection in Northfields — all served from the same Ealing base, same engineer, same fixed-price quotes.
Remember: if you smell gas right now and the supply hasn't been capped, the order of priority is your safety first. Get out, call 0800 111 999, wait for the National Grid to make the property safe — then call David for the repair.