A sulfur smell is a leave-the-house problem first—not a “walk the basement with a flashlight” problem.
This page is the order of steps: get out, call 911 or the gas company from outside, then book licensed help after the scene is safe. Pinette keeps the commercial visit on gas leak detection. This article does not replace emergency services.
Smell it right now?
Leave the building. Do not flip switches or hunt for the source. Call 911 or your gas utility from outside. After they make the scene safe, Pinette can locate and repair during Monday–Friday 7–4 hours, Saturday by appointment—not overnight dispatch. Call (774) 226-6062 or request service.
1If you smell it now, leave first
Get people and pets out. Do not use the stove, garage-door opener, or a phone until you are away from the odor. Once you are outside, call 911 or your gas utility. Finding the fitting is licensed work later—not a homeowner walkthrough.
Stay on this checklist when:
- •You need the order of steps before anyone books a visit.
- •The odor is near a meter, stove, dryer, boiler, or water heater.
- •You heard a hiss and are not sure what to do next.
Leave this page when:
- •The utility already cleared the house and you need the repair visit: gas leak detection.
- •The floor is wet or the meter keeps spinning: water leak detection.
- •The odor sits only at a drain or toilet with gurgling: sewer services.
2Tell a fuel-gas smell from sewer odor or water
Utilities add a sulfur or rotten-egg warning scent so people notice a leak. Treat that smell at gas equipment as fuel gas until someone qualified says otherwise. If you are not sure, still leave—guessing inside the house is the wrong first step.
What the pattern usually means:
- Sulfur smell at the meter, stove, dryer, or boiler: treat as gas. Leave, then call the utility.
- A hiss at a valve or connector: same rule. Do not tighten fittings yourself.
- Odor only at a drain or toilet, plus gurgling or a backup: more likely sewer gas. Use sewer services after you are sure it is not fuel gas.
- Damp wall, high water bill, spinning water meter: water leak detection, not this page.
3What not to do while the odor is in the house
The useful homeowner move is leaving. Opening windows, relighting a pilot, or walking the basement with a phone light can wait until the utility says the house is safe.
Skip these:
- •Hunting for the leak with lights, candles, or a phone still in the house.
- •Relighting a pilot or restarting a boiler or water heater after a smell.
- •Assuming a faint smell can wait until morning or the next shop day.
- •Calling a plumber first while people are still standing in the odor.
4After the utility makes the scene safe
A shutoff solves the immediate hazard. Getting service back on still takes a licensed plumber to find the failed line or fitting, repair it, and document that the system holds pressure.
Go to gas leak detection when:
- •The utility shut the meter and you need locating plus a pressure test.
- •The house is cleared and you still need the failed section found.
- •You heard a hiss and the scene is already safe.
Gas leak detection is the right commercial home for that visit.
Use a different page when:
- •You want a stove, dryer, or generator hookup: gas line services.
- •Water is spreading during shop hours: emergency plumbing.
- •A heater is cold but you do not smell gas: no hot water this morning.
Pinette does not run 24/7 dispatch. After-hours, stay with 911 and the gas company until the house is safe.
5What to tell us when you request help
A short note helps the visit start after the utility work, not instead of it.
Do this:
- •Write down where you first noticed the odor and whether you heard a hiss.
- •Note whether the utility already shut the meter or tagged the line.
- •Use request service during Monday–Friday 7–4 hours (Saturday by appointment).
Avoid this:
- •Turning the gas back on yourself to “see if it is still leaking.”
- •Ordering parts or a new appliance before the line is tested.
- •Waiting inside because the smell faded after you opened a window.
Gas-smell FAQs
Should I look for the leak myself if the smell is faint?
No. A faint sulfur smell is still a reason to leave and call the utility. Finding the source is licensed work after the scene is safe.
Is a rotten-egg smell always a gas leak?
Not always. Sewer gas can smell similar near a drain. If the odor is at the meter, stove, dryer, or boiler—or you hear a hiss—treat it as gas first.
When should I call Pinette instead of the gas company?
Call 911 or the utility first. Call Pinette after the scene is safe when you need licensed locating, repair, and pressure testing, or after a shutoff so service can be restored.
Final thoughts
If you smell gas, the useful first move is leaving and calling the utility—not searching the basement. Once the house is safe, use gas leak detection for licensed locating and a pressure test. That keeps this article as the checklist and the service page as the place to book the visit.