PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services is in the business of saving homes from all manner of property damage. And we love to tell the story of the work we do.
In this story our owner, Harry Allcroft, was called out to do a site visit for a home in Delran, NJ. It was a typical day with a normal request that ended well – with an unexpected twist.
The owners of the home wanted to put their house on the market, but as they were preparing it for sale, they notice mold growing on one of the walls in the basement laundry room behind a set of storage shelves.
The sellers knew there was no way they could put their home on the market without mold remediation and a clearance test. So they called PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services to get an estimate for its removal. It turned out the mold problem wasn’t very extensive. We assured them that we could do the work and get the home ready to put on the market right on schedule.
But during the site visit, Harry noticed a different kind of odor: Gas!
Harry quickly asked the homeowners for a spray bottle with some water and a little dish detergent.
Then, he sprayed all the visible gas lines where the odor was originating. Voila! The liquid on one of the gas lines started bubbling, indicating that there was a small rupture.
Harry informed the homeowners, showed them the problem, and located the home’s gas shut off valve.
The homeowners immediately called the PSE&G emergency hotline to have the leak repaired.
What’s interesting about this story is that the homeowners hadn’t even noticed the smell of gas because they had been using air fresheners and scented candles on a daily basis to cover up the musty odor caused by the mold growth in the basement laundry room . . .
The quick thinking and prompt action by Harry probably saved this family’s life and their home!
If the leak hadn’t been found and fixed, several scenarios could have played out, ranging from an explosion and fire, to slow poisoning and death from carbon monoxide.
Once the gas line had been repaired, we were able to complete the mold remediation and the home sold within 14 days of being put on the market!
Keeping your home and family’s safety top of mind with value added service . . . it’s what we do!
Because natural gas is colorless and odorless, for safety purposes, a chemical odorant is added that smells like “rotten eggs”, making the presence of it detectable.
So, if you notice a persistent odor that smells like “rotten eggs” you may have a gas leak.
It’s always best to be safe rather than sorry, so here’s a list of emergency contact numbers and websites that service our Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region:
For Philadelphia, PA call 215-235-1212
Outside Philadelphia (e.g, King of Prussia) call 215-235-1212
For most of New Jersey call 800-436-7734
But, for Southern New Jersey call South Jersey Gas 888-766-9900
And, in Delaware County, PA call Delmarva Power 800-375-7117