# Water that smells like natural gas



## JP Plumbing (Jun 10, 2016)

Good morning,

A couple of days ago as we were digging for a storm line inside the property came accross an area where water started coming from an abandoned pipe that was kind of sealed of with duct tape on its end.
As the water started filling the hoe we smelled natural gas and followed all the safety procedures. PSE&G came by with a detector and said that the smell wasn't natutal gas(also, we ordered the mark out previously and there is no gas line in there, and the PSE&G employee double checked for us). So far no one was able to tell us what that smell in the water is. Water was coming from the pipe for about 10minutes and then it stopped. Also, it created some kind of foam on top of the water. Has anyone come across something like this before?


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Natural gas is treated with mercaptan, which is the same naturally occuring substance that makes a fart, bad breath and poop stink. So you got a pipe with rank old water in it and you are wondering why it stinks?


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

JP Plumbing said:


> Good morning,
> 
> A couple of days ago as we were digging for a storm line inside the property came accross an area where water started coming from an abandoned pipe that was kind of sealed of with duct tape on its end.
> As the water started filling the hoe we smelled natural gas and followed all the safety procedures. PSE&G came by with a detector and said that the smell wasn't natutal gas(also, we ordered the mark out previously and there is no gas line in there, and the PSE&G employee double checked for us). So far no one was able to tell us what that smell in the water is. Water was coming from the pipe for about 10minutes and then it stopped. Also, it created some kind of foam on top of the water. *Has anyone come across something like this before?*


yes


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## mattg2448 (Jan 26, 2015)

Been through that with old decommissioned gas lines.


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## JDavis21835 (Feb 27, 2009)

mattg2448 said:


> Been through that with old decommissioned gas lines.


Hah, decomissioned! more like shut off, and allowed to run out, maybe purged. The residual will stick around in those things for ever. We just made a connection this week where a 2 inch hdpe line was run inside an old cast iron main. It smelled bad enough the walmart store manager decided to call 911. Don't get any of the water from inside those old mains on you, it'll stink for ever


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

So if was gas whether it is old, decomissioned or new, don't you think the gas companies equipment would've still detected it as gas?


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## KTS (Jun 12, 2016)

*Natural gas odor*

The gas company would have detected natural gas with their FID. The gas is odorless and mercaptans are added. The added odor is very strong , can smell it as low as 0.001 ppm, which is completely different than natural gas (methane). 
Regards, - KTS


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## JDavis21835 (Feb 27, 2009)

The gas company is only worried about detecting flammability. They are going to check with a combustible gas instrument. An decommissioned main will have some residual in it. The LEL detected on the one we tapped was the highest point of .7ppm. Not explosive or flammable at that point.


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