Natural gas is a clean, reliable and safe source of energy. Reasonable care should be exercised to ensure safety. System personnel are available at all times to investigate gas leaks or situations where hazard or damage to property could occur.
Call Before You Dig
Austell Gas System is a partner with Georgia 811, which is a notification center that should be called before any site excavation project begins. The office hours are 7:00AM to 4:30PM Monday through Friday except for certain holidays. We will gladly locate and mark the location of our service lines and mains. Call 1-800-282-7411 or 811.
Safety Tips
You are responsible for maintaining the gas lines from the meter to the natural gas-burning appliances throughout your home. Don’t forget that you may have gas lines extending to yard lights, grills, pool heaters, and garage or workshop heaters that are the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain.
Most meters are set close to the house. Austell Natural Gas maintains the gas lines from the street to the meter and only monitors the visible piping from the meter to the house for corrosion and leaks. Maintenance of that piping is the homeowner’s responsibility.
Any natural gas piping not monitored by Austell Natural Gas should be inspected annually for leaks with metal piping monitored for corrosion. If gas lines become corroded or leak, you could have a potentially dangerous and costly situation.
To have your pipes inspected by a trained technician, contact an HVAC contractor.
Natural gas is one of the safest, cleanest and most efficient burning fuels when used properly. It is lighter than air. Natural gas is colorless and odorless in its natural state. Mercaptan is added to the gas to give it a rotten egg smell. In the instance there is a gas leak, one would be able to smell it. Methane (CH4) is the primary component of natural gas.
Austell Gas values safety, service and price to provide our customers the safest product with the best service at the lowest price.
Call Before You Dig
Call 811 (it’s free) to have your utilities located to prevent accidental damage to the utilities that could create a potential safety hazard for life and property. To learn more about 811 and digging safely, please visit the Georgia 811 website.
Damage to Our Facility
Accidents happen! If a pipeline is damaged, even if it is a small scrape, bend, crease, gouge or dent, it could lead to future problems. We work diligently to protect the integrity of our pipelines. If you or someone you know damages one of our pipes, please call for a representative to come out and check or repair the damage immediately. Personnel are working 24 hours a day to respond to emergency situations. Call (770) 948-1841 or 911 to report a natural gas leak or other gas emergency.
Pipeline Markers
Pipeline markers are installed to indicate where a natural gas line is buried in close proximity to the marker. This may not indicate the exact location of the pipe. It just warns the excavators that a natural gas line is buried closely. Each marker is equipped with the owner of the utility and the number to call if there were an emergency situation. Pipeline markers are not placed in every location, so it is important to know what’s below and call before digging begins (811).
Pipeline Maintenance
Austell Gas crews work diligently to maintain and preserve the integrity of our pipelines. There are multiple tasks our company performs on a daily basis to keep our pipeline properly maintained. Our crews perform leakage surveys, atmospheric corrosion checks, cathodic protection checks as well as continuous system surveillance just to name a few. We maintain all gas pipelines and gas meters. Anything located past the gas meter is the customer’s responsibility. If a yard line beyond the gas meter goes to an appliance, like a pool heater, gas grill, hot tub, etc, it is the responsibility of the customer to maintain.
Follow these instructions to accurately read your gas meter:
The reading above is: 4918. For this example, the previous gas bill recorded a reading of 4818. The current reading (4918) minus the previous reading (4818) equals 100. In this example, the meter used 100 Ccf of natural gas since the last reading.
Use the following steps to read a gas meter:
- Locate the four dials and always remember to read them from left to right. The pointer on the first dial of the gas meter moves counterclockwise, the second dial clockwise, the third dial counterclockwise and the fourth dial clockwise. (see example above)
- Identify the pointer in each dial and write down the number indicated by its position and direction of the arrow. When the pointer is between two numbers, the reading for the dial is the smaller of the two numbers (except for #9 and #0.)
- If the pointer is directly on a number, that number is the reading. When it is difficult to tell if the pointer is directly on a number, look at the dial to the right. If the pointer on that dial has not passed zero, record the smaller of the two numbers on the dial in question (except for #9 and #0.)
- To discover how much natural gas has been used since the last meter reading, subtract the actual reading from the last meter reading.
- To monitor natural gas usage on a daily or weekly basis, schedule a time to do a reading then return at the same time the next day or week and read the gas meter again. You will determine the usage by subtracting the previous reading from the current reading.
- Have the heating or cooling system professionally checked for efficiency yearly.
- Make sure the dwelling is properly insulated.
- Check the weather stripping around doors, windows and between heated and unheated areas of the home.
- Follow water heater manufacturer’s instructions.
- Maintain comfortable, but not too high temperatures while heating.
- Install a programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature automatically.
- Check furnace filter periodically.
- Let the sunshine in during the winter. Open draperies and blinds to allow for the sunlight to help heat the house during the day. Close draperies and blinds at night to reduce the cold air coming in through windows and doors.
- Be sure that vents are not blocked by furniture and/or drapes.
- Wash laundry with milder water instead of hot water. By adjusting settings on washer, less gas will be needed for the desired water temperatures.
- Reduce shower length, allowing less hot water to be used.
- The above also holds true for dishwashers. Avoid washing half loads when washing dishes.
- Position the freezer and refrigerator away from cooking area as much as possible. Also try to keep refrigerator and freezer full.
- Clean lint from dryer regularly.
- Consider replacing any gas appliances that are more than 10-12 years old.
- Check insulation levels where possible. Insulation levels in the attic can easily be seen. Insulation in the walls are more difficult to detect.
Although pipelines are built with safety and reliability in mind, it is possible to have a natural gas leak inside or outside the home. The following three key senses will help you detect a gas leak.
LOOK
Look for blowing dirt, bubbling water or dry spots in moist areas. Also look for dying vegetation in an otherwise green environment.
LISTEN
Listen for noises such as hissing, blowing, roaring or whistling near a gas line or natural gas appliance.
SMELL
Natural gas is colorless and odorless. Mercaptan is added to the natural gas to give it a rotten egg smell. This enables easier detection if a natural gas leak is present.
If a gas leak is detected, leave the premises immediately. Never try to find or stop a gas leak. Upon your exit, do not create any possible source of ignition, including using a telephone, turning off and on light switches, starting a car, lighting a lighter, etc. Always get everyone a safe distance from the possible leak. Call Austell Gas System IMMEDIATELY at 770-948-1841, option 1 or 911 to report the gas leak to a live representative 24/7 from your cell phone or a neighboring house. Austell Gas will send a certified technician to properly make the area safe again. Do not reenter the area until a leak investigation has been conducted.
What is it?
Carbon Monoxide is a deadly poison caused by incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion occurs when there is insufficient air available for complete burning of fuel. Carbon Monoxide is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. There are various fuels that can create Carbon Monoxide such as, coal, wood, oil, kerosene, charcoal, propane, and also natural gas.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide include:
- Headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. People of all ages can be affected as well as animals.
How to prevent Carbon Monoxide:
There are several ways to prevent Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
- Make sure all gas appliances are installed, vented, and operated according to the manufacturer’s instructions and local codes.
- At the beginning of every heating season, have your heating system and other fuel burning appliances professionally inspected and serviced by a HVAC dealer or licensed plumber.
- Carbon Monoxide alarms should be installed on every level of your home which will sound in the event Carbon Monoxide reaches dangerous levels in the home.
Suspect Carbon Monoxide?
If one suspects any member of the household is experiencing symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, immediately get them outside and seek medical attention.
Call Austell Gas System at 770-948-1841 option 1, 24/7 or 911, for a Technician to perform a Carbon Monoxide investigation.
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