Gas Smell in Your Pflugerville Home? Immediate Evacuation & Safety Protocol

Natural gas is naturally colorless and odorless. Energy providers inject a harmless chemical compound called mercaptan, which imparts a distinctive rotten-egg or sulfur smell, alerting homeowners to leaks.

In Pflugerville homes utilizing natural gas for furnaces, water heaters, and cooktops (served primarily by Atmos Energy or Texas Gas Service), any odor of gas must be treated as an immediate explosion hazard.

1. Evacuate Everyone Immediately: Leave the house on foot. Ensure family and pets exit without delay.

2. Do NOT Touch Electrical Switches or Appliances: Flipping a light switch, unplugging a phone charger, opening an electric garage door, or even striking a match can generate a tiny electrical spark sufficient to ignite gas vapors.

3. Do NOT Use Your Phone Indoors: Call for emergency help only once you are across the street or down the block.

4. Call 911 and Your Gas Utility: Report the leak from a safe distance.

5. Call a Licensed Texas Plumber for Gas Line Isolation and Testing: In Texas, gas supply lines from the meter into the home are the property owner's responsibility. Once the utility isolates the meter, a licensed plumber must pressure-test the system, repair the leak, and coordinate city inspection.