Many people think that gas leak testing (i.e. gas-sniffer) is part of a standard home inspection. It is not. No state regulation or third party standard requires gas leak detecting.
Do some inspectors offer the service? Yes.
It is necessary? No.
What? If it is not necessary, why do we offer the service then? Good question. Let me back up a minute.
Let’s go back to where I started, that gas leak testing is not a required part of a home inspection. There are four good reasons for this, the 4th reason is the home-run in understanding this gas leak test.
1) A home inspection is meant to be a general inspection and gas leak testing is a very specific test. A home inspection is a starting point in evaluating a house. There are dozens of additional tests you can do if you choose, depending on how much you want to learn about the house. You can do mold testing, radon testing, lead-based paint testing. You can test for asbestos. You can test for various allergens such as pet dander and dust mites. The home inspection is the first step, everything else adds to the understanding of things. Basically, a home inspection has limits. Gas leak testing is one of the many limits.
2) Gas leak testing requires a specialized tool and a home inspection is meant to be a visual inspection. This is similar to #1 above, but distinguishes itself as follows: special equipment. The home inspection is derived from the premise that a knowledgeable inspector will visually inspect the house and provide you some basic information about the condition. Utilizing special equipment takes extra time, costs additional money. If regulations required the use of advance tools, the precise nature of the tool would have to be defined. A minimum detection threshold would be required. Specifications would have to be provided. If you did this for gas leak testing, it would open up an endless litany of tests. There must be limits.
3) Finding a gas leak is in the domain of a plumber, not a home inspector. LET ME REPEAT THIS: Finding a gas leak is in the domain of a plumber, not a home inspector. This is super important. Let’s say someone smells gas during a home inspection and a well-meaning inspector takes out his/her fancy gas leak detector. They find a gas leak. Great, you found it. Recommendation: get a plumber to fix it. The second possibility is that the well-meaning home inspector doesn’t find the gas leak. Should you assume everything is okay and go about your business? NO! Someone smelled a gas leak. It may be in an inaccessible area. It may be small enough that a plumber may need to pressure test the system. Recommendation: get a plumber to find it and fix it.
4) Combustible gases have a distinct smell, allowing you smell gas when conditions are dangerous, all you need is your nose, not fancy equipment. Is it prudent to utilize a gas leak detector in the absence of a gas smell? Well, not really. The smell if there for a reason. If you can’t smell it, the leak is very small and not considered a hazard. Is it possible that you could identify a condition early using gas leak detecting which may possibly save a Buyer from a future expense by early detection. Yes. That is why we offer the service. But we don’t think it is money well spent.
Brutal honesty from Kemp Home Inspections, LLC.
