All homeowners should know the safety practices of using natural gas appliances in their homes. Carbon monoxide detectors are essential, and fire alarms are necessary to reduce the chances of a house fire.
Most homeowners don’t consider the state of their natural gas pipelines. However, that is the most important factor in preventing a gas leak in older houses. Find out what you can do to protect your home, and discover the best ways to maintain your aging pipes.
Unseen dangers
Everyone knows that aging gas pipes can be dangerous, but the risks are much higher than you think. It’s estimated that nearly half of the gas-lines within the United States are over 50 years old. The problem is much more widespread than most people believe.
What does that mean for the safety of your home? If your house is a few decades old, then your gas-lines are most likely deteriorating. Damage can happen due to exposure to the elements, or it can be due to poor maintenance.
Some portions of gas pipes are hidden behind walls, and that makes it hard to perform a proper visual inspection of the surface of your piping by yourself. Older methods of installing pipelines may increase the risk of a leak inside your home, too.
What to do
The first step to ensuring the safety of your loved ones against a gas leak is to have your gas pipes inspected. That usually requires a visual inspection of exposed piping.
Other tests can be performed to determine if any gases are escaping into your home from old lines. A routine professional inspection is key to making the right choices when it comes to your home’s outdated gas-lines.
A certified maintenance expert will easily be able to diagnose any issues, and they’ll be able to prevent issues before they turn into disasters for your home. You should consider having your gas pipes inspected annually to ensure that they are not at risk of leaking.
New solutions
An inspection will give you the correct course of action to take when maintaining your residential gas piping. Sections of your gas-lines may need to be replaced.
Some portions may need to be fitted with new couplings, and other sections may need to be rerouted to meet industry standards. That typically only applies to the most extreme cases. The most effective decision you can make is to have your gas-lines coated with a protective layer to add longevity to the life of your piping.
These modern protective coatings reduce the chances of years worth of friction eroding your lines, and it also prevents environmental damages. This removes the need for an entirely new system of pipes to be installed into an older home, and it’s far more cost-effective to retrofit piping with a protective coating.
Don’t leave the safety of your home up to chance. Have your gas-lines inspected today.
