Propane Safety Information

Know how to keep your home and family safe

Hiper Gas is a well-established propane company and has an outstanding safety record. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of safety with our team of trained and certified propane delivery drivers and service technicians.

Propane has a long history of safety, owing to tight regulations and high standards in the propane industry. Our propane tanks are manufactured to the highest safety standards and are installed by specialists who follow all industry, national, state and local requirements. And our propane delivery drivers are trained with the most current, thorough information on best practices in propane safety.

It is because of that commitment to safety that we share information about how to safely use propane in your greater El Paso home.

Safety tips

• In its natural state, propane has no odor. Propane manufacturers add a strong-smelling odorant to make it easier to detect propane leaks. The odorant smells like rotten eggs or a skunk’s spray. Propane manufacturers add this smell to help alert consumers to propane leaks. Add security by installing a propane gas detector if you have someone living in your household with a diminished sense of smell, which is common in smokers and the elderly as well as people with long COVID-19 symptoms.
• Carbon monoxide detectors do not detect propane gas, and vice versa. Both should be installed in your home according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Propane burns with a blue flame when its appliances are operating properly. If you see yellow flames, or notice significant amounts of soot on any equipment, the gas may not be burning completely. This incomplete burning can create carbon monoxide. Contact Hiper Gas and your appliance’s service technician.
• NEVER use outdoor propane appliances like your grill indoors, or in enclosed or covered spaces like sunporches, garages or carports. Also, DO NOT use your propane range for heating (or for anything other than cooking).
• Check your appliances’ vents on a regular basis to ensure that combustion gases can flow freely to the outdoors. Insects, birds and small animals often build nests in vent pipes. Use a broom or a soft brush to gently remove any obstructions you find in your vents to protect them from damage.

What to do if you smell gas

As soon as you smell the rotten-egg odor of propane gas, you must follow these directions to keep people and property safe.

• Put out any sources of ignition, such as candles or cigarettes.
• Immediately get everyone, including pets, out of the house.
• Don’t use any light switches, thermostats, telephones or appliances on your way out of the house.
• If you can safely get to the propane tank or cylinder, close its gas shutoff valve.
• Once you’re a safe distance from where you smelled gas, call 911 and Hiper Gas.
• Stay away and allow the crew of emergency personnel and propane service technicians to examine for escaped propane gas and make any necessary repairs.
• Don’t try to turn on the propane supply valve, even if you no longer smell gas.
• A certified propane service professional must repair the leak, check all gas appliances for leaks and relight all pilots.
• Do not return to the scene until you have obtained authorization from emergency personnel or the service professional.

Ready to learn more about propane safety tips? The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has produced the videos below so that you can learn all there is to know about propane safety, including topics like propane tank safety, safe handling and use of propane BBQ grill cylinders, and much more!