If You Smell Gas Near Your GE Range, Do This First

The first minute: leave

If you smell gas in your kitchen, the right move is to get yourself, your family and your pets out of the home. Do not stay to investigate, and do not try to prove whether the smell is real. The odor in household gas is added on purpose so that leaks are noticed; treat it as real every time.

Before you go, and only if it takes no extra time, these points apply:

• Do not touch light switches or any wall switch, and do not plug in or unplug anything. Switches and cords can produce a spark.
• Do not use a flame. No lighter, no match, no candle, no trying to relight a burner, no cigarette.
• Do not use a phone inside the home. Take your mobile with you and make the call once you are outdoors and away from the building.
• Do not start the car in an attached garage and do not run the garage door opener if the smell is strong near it.
• Leave doors as they are or open them on the way out, whichever is quicker, and do not go back in for belongings.

The second minute: call from outside

Once you are outside and at a distance from the building, call the gas utility’s emergency line. In an emergency, or if you feel dizzy, smell gas strongly, hear hissing or are unsure what to do, call 911. Tell them your address, the floor or unit if you are in a condo or multi-unit building, and that you smelled gas near a range. Warn neighbors who share a wall, a stairwell or a basement, since gas can travel through shared spaces in older buildings. Wait outside until the responders tell you it is safe to return.

The gas utility or the fire department decides when the building is safe, not the appliance repairer. Do not book a repair visit while the smell is active. Call the emergency number first.

What not to do afterward

When responders say the home is clear, resist the urge to test the range yourself. Do not turn knobs to see whether the smell returns, do not light a burner as a check and do not tighten anything behind the range. Gas fittings, the flexible connector and the shutoff valve are not owner repairs; leave them to a professional. If the utility found a leak at the appliance connection, they will often tag or shut off the supply until it is repaired.

A burner that will not light is a different question

Not every gas-range problem is a smell. A burner that clicks but never lights, or lights unevenly, may be annoying, but it should not smell strongly. The distinction matters:

If the burner keeps clicking and nothing lights, turn the knob fully to off right away. A burner left on with no flame lets gas into the room, and that is exactly how a no-light turns into a gas smell. After you switch it off, open a window and wait. If an odor remains, follow the steps above. If it does not, the safe owner checks are limited: make sure the knob is off, wipe up boil-over around the burner when it is cool, and be sure the burner cap is sitting flat as it was designed. Our article on a GE gas range burner that keeps clicking but does not light covers that situation in more detail.

What causes gas odors near a range

Several things can produce the smell, and only some of them are a leak:

• A burner left on unlit, or a knob nudged slightly open.
• An ignition that failed to light while the valve opened briefly.
• A loose connection at the back of the range or at the wall.
• A leak elsewhere in the home, such as a water heater or furnace, which only seems to come from the kitchen.
• A brief puff of unburned gas when a burner lights late.

You cannot sort these out by sniffing. That is why the rule is the same for all of them: leave, call, wait for clearance.

Preparing for the repair after the home has been cleared

Once the gas utility or fire department says the building is safe, the appliance side can begin. Note the following for the booking call:

• The model number from the label. The guide to finding your GE model number shows where labels hide.
• Whether the utility shut off or tagged the supply, and whether the range is currently disconnected.
• Which burner or part of the range seemed to be involved, if you know.
• Whether the range is freestanding or sits in a cabinet cutout, because access can differ.

For notes that help any visit, see what to note before booking repair for a GE range or wall oven. Gas ranges in the GE lineup include the GE GGF400PVBB and the GE JGB250DETBB, and the GE ranges guide explains gas, electric and induction types.

Apartment and condo realities

Many San Francisco homes are flats, older Victorians divided into units, or condo buildings where gas piping is shared. In those buildings, tell your building manager or association contact after calling the utility, because the source may be elsewhere in the building. If the smell comes and goes, report it anyway. Intermittent gas odors are still a reason to call the utility. Do not open a shared basement or utility room to investigate.

When to book a repair

After the home is cleared, book a visit if the range was the source, if burners will not light reliably, or if flames look wrong. Use the contact page. Expect a diagnosis first, then a written estimate; nothing is repaired until you approve it. The GE range repair page describes what a visit covers.

Frequently asked questions