is it normal to be smell of gas from outside pipe

seefin · 02-09-2019 06:04PM #1

Excuse lack of technical terms here!There a pipe from gas boiler leading to outdoors, where smoke comes out when boiler is on. Noticed that there's a smell of gas coming from the outdoor pipe. Is this normal? Or is it gas leaking ? Only got boiler serviced 2 months ago

seefin · 02-09-2019 06:07PM

Not sure how long smell lasts as both times tested, have turned off before boiler has been on more than 20seconds. In horrors one of neighbours will light a cigarette so can't tell how long smell would last if keep boiler on for ten minutes

K.Flyer · 02-09-2019 06:11PM

If you smell gas, or suspect that you smell Gas, you should call out your Registered Gas Installer who serviced your boiler or Gas Networks Emergency on 1850 20 50 50.

Dtp1979 · 02-09-2019 09:40PM

If it’s an A rated boiler then yea you should get a whiff on startup. But as said above, better safe than sorry

seefin · 03-09-2019 09:37AM

Rang man who serviced it a few months ago. He said it's normal to have a smell. Here's hoping he's right

youtheman · 04-09-2019 02:17PM

If it is a modern condensing boiler then there will be a drain line routed to the outside of the house (to a drain, for the condensate). So there will naturally be a smell of gas from it, so nothing to worry about.

Dtp1979 · 04-09-2019 03:49PM

youtheman wrote: »

If it is a modern condensing boiler then there will be a drain line routed to the outside of the house (to a drain, for the condensate). So there will naturally be a smell of gas from it, so nothing to worry about.

Smell from the condensate?

K.Flyer · 04-09-2019 04:29PM

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Smell from the condensate?

I've never gotten a "gas" odour from condensate, have you?

seefin wrote: »

Rang man who serviced it a few months ago. He said it's normal to have a smell. Here's hoping he's right

So he is able to quantify the amount of gas that you are noticing from your flue over the phone?

Here is thing, you don't take chances with Gas.
It is very easy for people to say "...shure it's alright", it's not their house or family to be concerned about.
I would a million times much rather someone call me out to check for a suspected gas issue only to find nothing wrong and know everyone is safe, rather than them not to have it checked out and hear about it on the news.
Sorry if it sounds a little like scaremongering, but better safe than sorry.

youtheman · 04-09-2019 04:42PM

You are not smelling gas. You are smelling the by product of ignited fuel when the exhaust is passed over a heat exchanger, is therby 'condensed' and turned from vapour into liquid and routed to your drain. You can call the gas man if you like, and he'll be delighted with the call out charge. But this is perfectly normal.

04-09-2019 06:56PM

youtheman wrote: »

You are not smelling gas. You are smelling the by product of ignited fuel when the exhaust is passed over a heat exchanger, is therby 'condensed' and turned from vapour into liquid and routed to your drain. You can call the gas man if you like, and he'll be delighted with the call out charge. But this is perfectly normal.

When somebody smells gas they phone networks or a RGI.

A simple proven safety message.

From experience a post like the above doesn’t help when getting the message out as it allows those who should be seeking help to second guess themselves.

We should not get complacent about the smell of gas around any gas appliance until it’s been proved the appliance is safe.

A boiler blew up because the RGI left the test nipple loose after a service how would the above advice have helped if the home owner had sort advice before the Kabang.

youtheman · 04-09-2019 07:15PM

The OP stated that the guy who serviced the boiler said there is nothing to worry about. I presume he is an RGI. I'm not an RGI, but I'm an engineer with 30 years experience in the gas business, and based on the description I am concluding there is not a problem.
The boiler is a sealed unit, I presume indoors. If you smell gas inside then 100% you need to call GNI. But if you smell something that smells like gas FROM THE BOILER DRAIN LOCATED OUTSIDE then this is normal.
If you stuck your nose up against the exhaust of your car then you would not be inclined to complain about the smell.
Let's see if the OP calls GNI. If he does then I know what they are going to say.

04-09-2019 08:00PM

youtheman wrote: »

The OP stated that the guy who serviced the boiler said there is nothing to worry about. I presume he is an RGI. I'm not an RGI, but I'm an engineer with 30 years experience in the gas business, and based on the description I am concluding there is not a problem.
The boiler is a sealed unit, I presume indoors. If you smell gas inside then 100% you need to call GNI. But if you smell something that smells like gas FROM THE BOILER DRAIN LOCATED OUTSIDE then this is normal.
If you stuck your nose up against the exhaust of your car then you would not be inclined to complain about the smell.
Let's see if the OP calls GNI. If he does then I know what they are going to say.

The message is simple if you smell gas report it.

There are reasons for it even if from your experience you don’t understand it.

It can be dangerous to normalize the smell of gas from any gas appliance, from my own experience I can’t agree with your conclusions which are based on posts on the internet, anything is possible including human error until proved otherwise.

The approach to a reported gas leak on a appliance is different to that of a service, it is possible to miss a leak on a appliance after the gas valve and I would be reliant on the home owner to report a smell and have the confidence to do so which your advice goes against.

All the best/safest gas fitters are absolutely paranoid about things going bang which is the opposite of your views.

seefin · 05-09-2019 10:34AM

youtheman wrote:

The OP stated that the guy who serviced the boiler said there is nothing to worry about. I presume he is an RGI. I'm not an RGI, but I'm an engineer with 30 years experience in the gas business, and based on the description I am concluding there is not a problem. The boiler is a sealed unit, I presume indoors. If you smell gas inside then 100% you need to call GNI. But if you smell something that smells like gas FROM THE BOILER DRAIN LOCATED OUTSIDE then this is normal. If you stuck your nose up against the exhaust of your car then you would not be inclined to complain about the smell. Let's see if the OP calls GNI. If he does then I know what they are going to say.

The serviceman compared to exhaust also and that smell is normal outdoors as long as boiler is igniting and heating rads(which it is).

youtheman · 05-09-2019 10:39AM

seefin wrote: »

The serviceman compared to exhaust also and that smell is normal outdoors as long as boiler is igniting and heating rads(which it is).

Why am I not surprised with that outcome ?.

Wearb · 05-09-2019 11:49AM

I feel obliged to add a note here. There are lots of well qualified people on here after responding to this. Some more qualified than others. I am not going to identify either group, so you will have to decide for yourself where the best advice is coming from.
Let me just finish with this analogy; if you ask your taxi driver and then boiler service person for advice on your boiler, who bears the greater responsibility for a correct answer??

Should always be safety first.

05-09-2019 09:29PM

youtheman wrote: »

Why am I not surprised with that outcome ?.

It’s not a competition.

You’ve totally missed the point which is very important to people like myself, I have many years experience as a British Gas first responder interacting with the public when searching for leaks, the message that needs to be given in relation to a smell of gas is and always has been have it checked by a professional as the op has rightly done if only to confirm it’s safe.

What you haven’t felt is the frustration you get from the many leaks found by me and those like me that went unreported by the actual homeowners usually OAPs because they didn’t want to cause trouble or were talked out of it by someone down the pub or decided themselves there was no danger.

It is possible some people reading the above posts could be led to believe that it’s ok for a boiler to smell of gas which is a dangerous president to set when the real response is yes it is possible to get a smell(but it’s not the norm) but have it confirmed it’s safe rather than assume which is where the danger lies.

It’s easy from the OPs post to see what the most likely outcome was going to be you were not on your own in your conclusions but I for one am happier it was checked and confirmed to be safe.

If anyone smells gas please ring tel:1850205050

K.Flyer · 05-09-2019 09:34PM

seefin wrote: »

The serviceman compared to exhaust also and that smell is normal outdoors as long as boiler is igniting and heating rads(which it is).

Did he actually come out to check it, or was this just his assessment over the phone?

youtheman · 05-09-2019 10:24PM

gary71 wrote: »

It’s not a competition.

You’ve totally missed the point which is very important to people like myself, I have many years experience as a British Gas first responder interacting with the public when searching for leaks, the message that needs to be given in relation to a smell of gas is and always has been have it checked by a professional as the op has rightly done if only to confirm it’s safe.

What you haven’t felt is the frustration you get from the many leaks found by me and those like me that went unreported by the actual homeowners usually OAPs because they didn’t want to cause trouble or were talked out of it by someone down the pub or decided themselves there was no danger.

It is possible some people reading the above posts could be led to believe that it’s ok for a boiler to smell of gas which is a dangerous president to set when the real response is yes it is possible to get a smell(but it’s not the norm) but have it confirmed it’s safe rather than assume which is where the danger lies.

It’s easy from the OPs post to see what the most likely outcome was going to be you were not on your own in your conclusions but I for one am happier it was checked and confirmed to be safe.

If anyone smells gas please ring tel:1850205050

Please don't use you previous frustrations to rubbish my input. The OP asked for input and I've given mine. As with all internet advice, it's not worth the paper it's written on. And if you think you have a monopoly on gas safety then I'd disagree on that as well.

Methane gas is lighter that air. Have anyone thought how you can get gas out of an external low point drain on a boiler?. Has anyone thought exactly what do you expect to come out of the condensate drain on a condensing boiler?. I have, it's water with trace elements of Mercapton, the substance that is used to odorise natural gas. That's why it 'smells' like gas, but isn't gas. And I offer that as my analysis of the data presented by the OP. What the OP does with this is up to him or her.

And to use the previous analogy (modified). A guy calls his mechanic and reports a funny smell. The mechanic says "don't drive the car, that doesn't seem right, I'll call out and have a look". Then his next door neighbour says "don't stand behind the exhaust of the car, what did you expect". Both are right, both are safe. Only one is "qualified". But which response is more appropriate?.

People are quick to look down their noses on me because I'm just a lowly engineer. But I'm used to analysing data, looking at possible root causes, ruling out some based on physics and engineering principles and giving my opinion based on my experience and know how. And I don't charge for it or have a vested interest.

youtheman · 05-09-2019 11:06PM

lola85 wrote: »

You are taking pure nonsense.

Did you know that a certain boiler a few years ago had a fault where the PCB was making the gas valve pass live gas at random times? The manufacturer recognized this and took the boiler off the market.

Now let’s say a birds nest had built up in the flue of this certain boiler the OP is talking about.

Where will the live gas go then? Maybe the condense drain?

Never assume anything, that’s what people who work with this stuff everyday knows.

People like you need to stick to what you know and leave the safety side of gas to people who have experience.

Are you postulating that there is a fault with the PCB?. What about the birds nest?. Anyone can think of a millions reasons why the boiler could be faulty. No kudos for letting your imaginations run wild. You need to deal with the facts as presented.

Any by the way, you should play the ball, not the man.

lola85 · 05-09-2019 11:08PM

youtheman wrote: »

Are you postulating that there is a fault with the PCB?. What about the birds nest?. Anyone can think of a millions reasons why the boiler could be faulty. No kudos for letting your imaginations run wild. You need to deal with the facts as presented.

Any by the way, you should play the ball, not the man.

Sure you have concluded there is nothing to worry about.

Case dismissed.

K.Flyer · 05-09-2019 11:14PM

youtheman wrote: »

[...]
Methane gas is lighter that air. Have anyone thought how you can't get gas out of an external low point drain on a boiler?. Has anyone thought exactly what do you expect to come out of the condensate drain on a condensing boiler?.

I don't understand why you keep refering to the drain. The o.p. referred to the pipe where "smoke" normally comes out. From my own experience that would be the flue as water travelling through a condensate drain is rarely warm enough to produce steam.

seefin wrote: »

Excuse lack of technical terms here!There a pipe from gas boiler leading to outdoors, where smoke comes out when boiler is on. Noticed that there's a smell of gas coming from the outdoor pipe. Is this normal? Or is it gas leaking ? Only got boiler serviced 2 months ago

Now, there is no way of telling if the whiff of gas from the flue is normal or above accepted levels without inspection and testing.
B.T.W. the O.p. has omitted to mention When they smell gas.
Are they smelling gas with the boiler off, is the boiler gas valve letting by when not in use and gas is passing out through the flue?
Given that the o.p. hadn't noticed it before should raise an element of some concern.
Who here can say that there is not an actual gas leak on a supply pipe somewhere near the where the o.p. is standing and he thinks its from the flue.
I have found gas leaks in the oddest of places. I have detected the odour of gas leaks where people in the property never noticed them.
On different occasions I have seen first hand the damage gas can do, and it wasn't pretty.
Saying that it should be fine either by phone or on a forum such as this is foolhardy to say the least and shows a scant regard for safety.
Maybe there is absolutely nothing wrong and hopefully that is the case.
If it was my customer I would be straight over to them, first a test on the gas supply and valves to check for no leaks, then pop the analyser into the boiler and check that the emissions were all correct.
If you feel that is being over cautious, fine by me, but I can sleep well with the knowledge that they are safe.

06-09-2019 07:51AM

During my gas engineer apprenticeship it was drummed in to me that with every action I take as a gas engineer I must be able to explain my actions to a coroner if need be, which is something I still adhere too as I have a duty of care and am very very paranoid.

listermint · 06-09-2019 07:56AM

Did anyone check this physically that's qualified or are phone diagnosis the new norm for testing gas equipment?

80sChild · 06-09-2019 08:00AM

We had this when we were newb homeowners. Smell of gas from the pipe outside. Bord Gais engineer said as natural gas is odourless, the smell is added for safety reasons. What we were smelling was a "product of combustion" - gas gets burned, added smell is burned off during this process.

06-09-2019 08:55AM

80sChild wrote: »

We had this when we were newb homeowners. Smell of gas from the pipe outside. Bord Gais engineer said as natural gas is odourless, the smell is added for safety reasons. What we were smelling was a "product of combustion" - gas gets burned, added smell is burned off during this process.

Your absolutely right.

To clarify there should be no smell of gas from a gas boiler but there are occasions where unburnt gas can pass during the ignition process and can be deemed safe to use but in the event of a home owner smelling gas the reason must be confirmed by safety tests to prove the appliance is safe.

With modern condensing gas boiler the products of combustion are more likely to be smelt by the home owner but this only should be a slight smell, boilers that require a service can produce a dirtier flame which has a different stronger smell that can have higher levels of carbon monoxide.

The long and the short of it any concern should be investigated and safety should be proved not assumed complacency kills.

seefin · 08-09-2019 06:21AM

80sChild wrote:

We had this when we were newb homeowners. Smell of gas from the pipe outside. Bord Gais engineer said as natural gas is odourless, the smell is added for safety reasons. What we were smelling was a "product of combustion" - gas gets burned, added smell is burned off during this process.

Op here. That's what service engineer said to me. The smell is only there when the boiler starts up. And only coming from the flue outdoors. May Alway have been but I wouldn't have been outdoors when boiler was turned on. Will check later today how long the smell lasts when boiler is switched on and left on( for a minute only or for the entire time the boiler is igniting)

DGOBS · 10-09-2019 08:30PM

Seems to be a bit of a willy competition going on.....:eek:

If someone smells gas at home or on the street, the message is simple, and should never be diluted:

CALL 1850-20-50-50 without delay period!

Unless its checked by a competent person, it should never be assumed to be safe.

Gas smells from a boiler flue may be for many reasons, from passing gas valves to poor combustion. Smells associated with boiler flues can indicate poor combustion and carbon monoxide production (the smell is formaldehyde production from the alcohols in the fuel gas during incomplete combustion, not the staunching agent) ALL SHOULD BE CHECKED FOR SAFETY.

Dtp1979 · 10-09-2019 09:11PM

DGOBS wrote: »

Gas smells from a boiler flue babe for many reasons,

A little overly familiar Tony, but ok

10-09-2019 09:42PM

DGOBS wrote: »

Seems to be a bit of a willy completion going on.....:eek:

Pray tell Tony what is “Willy completion”

and is it something your now teaching :eek: anything to do with wear your speedos to work day.

DGOBS · 11-09-2019 03:57PM

...Dec i think you know me well enough by now to call you babe

, and Gary, you know, you know....magic ladders and all that!

is it normal to be smell of gas from outside pipe

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