Propane Safety Information
Know how to protect your property and your loved ones
Propane has a stellar record on safety, thanks to strict government regulations and high industry standards upheld by suppliers like Delaware Propane.
We’re locally owned and operated. You’re more than customers to us, you’re our neighbors. We want to make sure that you and your loved ones are safe. That’s why we’ve put together this safety information for you.
It is essential that you and every adult in your home know about propane safety. We urge all our customers to install propane-leak detectors on every level of their homes and outside all sleeping areas. Please contact us if you have any questions related to propane safety.
Do you know what to do if you smell gas?
If you use propane in your house, you should be aware of how to protect everyone if you detect the odor of propane.
The first thing you should know is what propane smells like. Propane has no aroma on its own. As a result, an odorant is added during processing to allow it to be detected in the rare event of a leak. The odorant is generally compared to the smell of rotten eggs.
The following measures are critical for saving people and property, and they must be implemented as soon as possible upon detecting the rotten-egg odor of propane.
- Extinguish any sources of ignition, such as candles or cigarettes.
- Get everyone out of your home RIGHT AWAY.
- Use no lights switches, thermostats, telephones or appliances until you have safely vacated the home and are outside of the vicinity where you detected gas.
- If you can access it safely, turn off the propane tank or cylinder’s gas-shutoff valve.
- Once you’ve gotten a safe distance away, dial 911 and Delaware Propane.
- Give emergency workers and propane-service experts time to look for leaked gas and make any necessary repairs.
- Even if you no longer detect gas, do not return to the scene of the leak or try to turn on the propane-supply valve.
- A trained propane-service technician is required to repair the leak, carefully inspect all gas appliances and relight all pilots.
- Wait for permission from emergency personnel or the service professional before returning.
Learn more about propane safety
There are many more important propane-safety topics. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has developed the videos below so that you can find out all about various matters of propane safety, including propane-tank safety and the proper handling of your propane cylinders.