Rotten egg smell means natural gas. Natural gas ignites at 5% concentration in air. The steps below are the difference between an insurance claim and a hospital trip.
1. Leave the building — everyone. Now.
Do not stop to grab things. Do not open windows on your way out (you can, but do not delay for it). Just leave.
2. Do NOT operate ANY electrical switches or devices inside
- No light switches
- No garage door openers
- No phones (inside the building)
- No thermostats
- No anything that can spark
An ignition source in a gas-cloud building is what turns a leak into an explosion.
3. From outside, call 911 if you see flames or hear a loud hiss
Otherwise, call Atmos Energy: 1-866-322-8667 (24/7 gas emergency line). They will dispatch a crew to shut off gas at the meter.
4. Then call us: (831) 290-4327
Belt Line Plumbing responds 24/7 for gas leak detection and repair in Addison. We arrive with combustible-gas sniffers and pressure gauges to find the leak, isolate it, repair it, and coordinate the Atmos re-light and pilot lighting.
What NOT to do
- Do NOT try to "sniff around" to find the leak yourself. Trained detection is safer and faster.
- Do NOT re-enter the building until Atmos or the fire department clears it.
- Do NOT relight pilots yourself after a leak. That is a licensed technician's job.
Restaurant-specific — the Belt Line playbook
If the smell is in a Restaurant Row kitchen during service:
- Kill the hood fans (from outside if possible). Fans can pull a gas cloud through the building.
- Evacuate dining room and staff — same rules as above.
- Kill service. Do not try to keep the ovens on with the exhaust going. A gas leak with an ignition source that close is worst-case.
Every joint we repair ends with a pressure test held at 15 psi and Atmos re-light before we leave. It is a licensed job. Do not accept anyone else doing it.
Belt Line Plumbing expert insight
This guide reflects what our licensed Texas RMP plumbers see on real emergency calls across Addison, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, and the greater Dallas North Tollway corridor. Belt Line Plumbing Co. has served the Addison area since 2007, with 412+ five-star reviews from north Dallas homeowners, property managers, and Belt Line Restaurant Row operators.
Local factors that affect the advice above: North Texas expansive clay soil drives most residential slab and sewer failures; Dallas Water Utilities supply water at 8–11 grains of hardness per gallon shortens every water heater and tankless system without a softener; and the February 2021 Winter Storm Uri freeze exposed attic supply lines across almost every 1970s–2000s Addison home. If your situation includes any of these local realities, factor them in before deciding between repair, replacement, or a preventive upgrade.