Propane Safety

Keep your loved ones safe while enjoying propane products and appliances.

Propane has an excellent track record because the propane industry has high safety standards and the government carefully regulates the industry. Star Tex Propane is fully committed to safety as we provide dependable propane delivery and gas product services to our valued customers. This commitment to safety is fundamental to our entire organization’s mission and is reflected in everything we do.

However, we still want to ensure that you know about the safe handling and use of propane. Here are essential safety tips for you and your loved ones:

What does propane smell like?

Propane has no natural odor, so producers add a gas called ethyl mercaptan or methanethiol. This gas is an odorant that makes propane smell like rotten eggs, spoiled meat or skunk spray. The odor should help you identify a propane leak.

We also recommend installing UL-listed (approved by Underwriters Laboratories) gas detectors to alert you to propane leaks. Carbon monoxide detectors, while essential, don’t detect leaking gas.

Is propane toxic?

Propane has an extremely low toxicity, but it is highly flammable and an asphyxiating gas. Exposure to a propane leak can deprive you of oxygen, leading to nausea, dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, coughing and irregular heartbeat. High exposure levels can cause convulsions, loss of consciousness, asphyxiation and heart failure. A propane leak is also an explosion risk.

What to do if you smell gas

Regardless of whether you’re in your home or another place with propane appliances, you should follow the steps below if you smell gas or receive an alert from your gas leak detector. Doing so could be critical to ensuring your safety and the well-being of your family:

• Extinguish any sources of ignition, like candles or cigarettes.
• Get everyone out of the house immediately.
• Do not use any light switches, thermostats, telephones or other appliances until you are safely away from where you smelled gas. These electrical products can produce sparks.
• Close the gas shutoff valve on the propane tank or cylinder if you can safely access it.
• Once you are safely away, call emergency and Star Tex Propane.
• Give emergency personnel and licensed propane service technicians time to check for escaped gas and perform any necessary repairs.
• Even if you no longer smell gas, please do not return to the affected area or attempt to turn on the propane supply valve.
• Give your trained propane service technician time to repair the leak, carefully inspect all gas appliances and relight all pilots.
• Stay away until emergency personnel or the service technician has given you permission to come back.

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has many videos covering vital propane safety issues. You can watch these videos below.