If you can smell gas now, act before reading further. Close the cylinder valve if you can reach it safely. Open doors and windows. Do not operate light switches, plugs, appliances or anything that could spark, and do not use a phone inside the building. Get everyone out, including pets. From outside, call your gas supplier's emergency line, or the City of Cape Town on 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a mobile. Do not go back in until someone qualified has said it is safe.
Gas Leak Detection Cape Town covers what happens after that emergency: finding where the gas is escaping, proving the installation is sound afterwards, and getting it recertified.
Not every gas smell is a leak, and not every leak smells. Both are reasons to have an installation tested rather than guessed at.
Once the immediate situation is safe, get the installation tested and the fault found.
Get Gas Leak Detection QuotesSigns Worth Testing For
| Sign | What it may indicate |
|---|---|
| A smell of gas near the cylinder | Leaking valve, regulator or connection |
| A smell that comes and goes | A joint that leaks only under certain conditions |
| Cylinders emptying much faster than before | A leak somewhere on the installation |
| Hissing at a fitting | An active leak, treat as urgent |
| A patch of dead vegetation over a buried line | A leak on an underground section |
| Bubbles or a smell after recent building work | A line damaged by a drill or a spade |
| Pilot lights repeatedly going out | Pressure loss, possibly a leak |
| Headaches or drowsiness when an appliance runs | Combustion or ventilation problem, not a gas leak; get out and get it checked urgently |
LPG is odourised so that leaks are noticeable, but a leak in a cupboard, under a floor or outdoors in wind can go unnoticed. Because LPG is heavier than air it pools at low level rather than rising, which is why smells are often strongest at floor level, in basements or near drains.
How Installers Find a Leak
- The installation is isolated and a pressure test applied to see whether it holds
- If it does not, the installation is split into sections and each is tested to localise the loss
- Fittings, joints, valves and connections in the suspect section are tested with leak detection solution or an electronic detector
- Buried or concealed sections are traced, which is where a straightforward job becomes a longer one
- The fault is repaired, the installation is retested, and a new certificate is issued
Leak Detection Costs
| Work | Indicative range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Call-out and leak test | R900 – R2,400 | Test and locate on an accessible installation |
| After-hours attendance | +R600 – R2,000 | Where offered |
| Sectional testing on a large installation | R1,800 – R5,500 | Multi-point or commercial |
| Tracing a concealed or buried line | R2,500 – R9,000 | Excluding excavation |
| Repairing a leaking fitting or joint | R450 – R1,800 | Per fitting |
| Regulator or valve replacement | R450 – R2,800 | Type dependent |
| Replacing a corroded section of line | R1,800 – R6,500 | Coastal properties commonly |
| Recertification after repair | R550 – R2,200 | Required |
Get the installation tested properly rather than tightening fittings and hoping.
Compare Leak Detection QuotesCommon Leak Points
- The regulator. The single most common point of failure, and a consumable rather than a permanent item, particularly within a few kilometres of the sea.
- Cylinder connections. Seals perish, and repeated cylinder changes wear the connection.
- Flexible connectors at appliances. They have a service life and they perish behind stoves where nobody looks.
- External copper in coastal suburbs. Sea Point, Bloubergstrand, Muizenberg and Fish Hoek see pinholing on exposed runs.
- Joints disturbed by building work. A line knocked during a renovation often does not leak immediately.
- Old compression fittings on installations from before the current standards.
Never Test for a Leak Yourself
Never use a flame to look for a gas leak, and never assume a smell has gone away because you cannot smell it any more. Soapy water on an accessible fitting will show bubbles, but it will not tell you whether the rest of the installation is sound, and any repair has to be done by a registered installer with the installation retested and recertified afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I smell gas?
Close the cylinder valve if you can reach it safely, open doors and windows, avoid switches, flames, plugs and phones inside the building, and get everyone out. From outside, call your gas supplier's emergency line or the City of Cape Town on 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a mobile. Do not go back in until it has been checked.
How much does gas leak detection cost in Cape Town?
A call-out and leak test on an accessible installation commonly runs R900 to R2,400. Tracing a concealed or buried line runs R2,500 to R9,000 excluding excavation, and the repair and recertification are additional.
Can a gas leak be found without digging?
Sectional pressure testing narrows the leak down to a section before anything is opened up, and electronic detection often pinpoints it. Excavation is a last resort, used when the loss is proven to be on a buried run.
Why does my gas run out so quickly?
Either consumption has genuinely increased, which is normal in winter with a geyser, or the installation is losing gas. A pressure test settles it in under an hour and is worth doing rather than guessing.
Is a small gas leak dangerous?
Any leak on an LPG installation should be treated seriously. LPG is heavier than air and accumulates at low level in cupboards, basements and drains rather than dispersing upwards, so a small leak in a confined space is a real hazard.
Do I need a new certificate after a leak repair?
Yes. The installation is retested for soundness after the repair and a new certificate of conformity is issued. Ask whether that is included in the repair quote.
Can I find the leak myself with soapy water?
You can confirm an accessible fitting is leaking that way, and it is a reasonable thing to do while waiting. It does not prove the rest of the installation is sound, and the repair itself must be done by a registered installer.
Leak testing and repair quotes are arranged through Gas Installers Cape Town. For an active leak, call an emergency line first.
Related Services
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