Propane Safety

After-Hour Emergencies

We have on-call employees 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, so we can be there when you need us! If an Excel customer requires afterhours service, please call the office that services you. The answering machine message will provide you with an after-hours phone number.

Leave It To the Experts

  • Installation, repair, or modification of your propane system (including valves, regulators, tanks, gas line) should be completed by a trained Excel Propane technician. Give us a call.
  • If your propane tank is turned off for any reason, call Excel Propane so that we can properly turn the gas back on after completing a leak test to ensure your safety.
  • Appliance installation, connections, repairs, or modifications should be left to a qualified professional.

Propane Facts

  • Propane is an odorless gas. The smell of propane is an additive for safety.
  • Propane is a hydrocarbon made up of 3 Carbon atoms and 3 Hydrogen atoms (C3H8).
  • Propane is a by-product of natural gas and crude oil.
  • Propane exists as both a liquid and a gas.
  • Propane is 270 times more compact as a liquid than a gas.
  • Propane gas is heavier than air, so it will accumulate at the lowest point in the area.
  • Propane is environmentally friendly. It is considered one of the cleanest burning fuels. Since it becomes a vapor outside of the tank, it poses no risk of contaminating soils in the event of a leak.

Propane Leak

How do you tell if there is a propane leak?

propane smells like rotten eggsBy the smell. A disagreeable odor (similar to rotten eggs) is added to propane so that you will be able to detect the smell easily in case a leak develops.

 

If you think you smell propane...

DO:

  • Extinguish all smoking materials and any other open flames or sources of ignition.
  • Get everyone outside and away from the building.
  • Shut off the gas supply at the tank.
  • Call your propane supplier from a neighbor’s phone. If you cannot reach your supplier, call the fire department.
  • Stay outside and leave the gas off until the leak has been fixed.

DO NOT:

  • Turn light switches, appliances or thermostats on or off, and do not use the telephone. A spark from one of these could ignite the gas.
  • Light or try to re-light any appliances. Leave this job to your propane supplier.
  • Re-enter the building, until the problem has been corrected.