PG&E Shut Off Your Gas? What Happens Next

PG&E found a leak and turned off your gas. Or your propane company stopped service until the line is checked. Either way, you now have no hot water, maybe no heat, and a red tag on your meter or tank. Here is what actually happens next, based on gas calls we have handled around Los Gatos and Campbell.

Safety steps from PG&E.

Why the Gas Stays Off Until the Line Passes a Test

Once a leak has been found, the gas line has to prove it is tight before it is turned back on. On a San Jose call, PG&E would not restore gas until a licensed plumbing contractor performed a whole-house gas test. The standard residential test we use pressurizes the line with air to 15 PSI, and it has to hold that pressure for 15 minutes with no drop. Any repair or disruption to a gas line means it gets tested again. If it does not pass, the gas cannot be turned back on until every leak is fixed.

What We Have Found on Real Gas Calls

Los Gatos: one leak, two appliances, hot water back the same day

PG&E found a leak and shut off gas to a home’s tankless water heater and backyard barbecue, which shared a line. We split the two branches and tested each one separately. The water heater branch held 15 PSI for 15 minutes with no drop, so we turned it back on, relit the heater and ran it through a full cycle. The underground line to the barbecue would not hold pressure at all, so we capped it until it can be replaced. Splitting the system meant the family had hot water that day instead of waiting on the barbecue line.

Los Gatos: a propane line that failed the test

A propane company stopped service at a Los Gatos home because of a leak somewhere in the system. We tested the line in two sections. Under the house, a soap test found leaks at four fittings, plus one at the pipe just before it entered the home. The outside line from the tank lost 3 pounds of pressure in the first 15 minutes and 5 pounds over 45, which would never pass inspection. We cut and capped the line at the leak and connected the water heater to a separate propane tank so the household had hot water while the line repairs were planned.

Los Gatos: a leak at the dryer

Not every gas leak means a big job. A homeowner smelled gas at the clothes dryer, and the leak was at the dryer’s shutoff valve. We shut off the gas, replaced the valve and the flex line, turned the gas back on and checked our work for leaks.

Campbell: an old system that needed more than a patch

PG&E shut off gas at a Campbell home with an old, leaking gas system. We found and repaired the leaks, then the line had to hold 15 PSI for 15 minutes before service could be restored. We were also honest that the piping was antiquated and should be replaced, so the homeowners knew a repair was buying time rather than fixing the system for good.

What to Expect When You Call Us

We start by finding where the gas is going, usually by testing sections of the line separately so we can get the parts that are safe back in service. Repairs are quoted and approved before work starts, and the line is tested again before anything is turned back on. Simply Green Plumbing has handled gas line repair and testing in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Campbell since 1988. Call (408) 358-6446, or read more on our gas line repair and emergency plumbing pages.