Houston Gas Line Repair, Installation, and Propane Services
What to Do If You Smell Gas
If you smell gas, leave the building immediately on foot, then call 911 and CenterPoint Energy from a safe distance. Do not try to find or fix the leak yourself. CenterPoint Energy’s Greater Houston natural gas leak line is 713-659-2111. Here is the order to follow:
Get everyone out. Take pets. If it’s easy, leave the door open behind you.
Touch nothing electrical. No light switches, garage door openers, or phones inside the house. A small spark is enough.
Do not start a car parked in an attached garage.
Walk to a safe distance, then call 911 and CenterPoint Energy.
Warn neighbors if you can do it safely.
Stay out until a trained professional says the home is clear.
CenterPoint Energy advises customers never to try to locate or repair a natural gas leak themselves. Once the utility has made the area safe, a licensed plumber repairs the piping inside your property line. That is where we come in.
Signs You May Have a Gas Leak
Most homeowners want to know how to tell if they have a gas leak before they call anyone. Watch for these:
A gas smell in the house, usually described as a rotten egg smell, near an appliance, the gas meter, or the yard. Natural gas and propane have no smell of their own. Suppliers add mercaptan so leaks are easier to notice.
Dead grass over a gas line or a dry patch in an otherwise healthy lawn.
A steady hissing sound near a pipe, valve, or connection.
An unexplained increase in gas bills with no change in how you use gas.
A pilot light keeps going out, or a gas appliance not lighting at all.
A yellow burner flame instead of a crisp blue one.
Soot around a gas appliance, or heavy moisture on nearby windows.
Feeling dizzy, tired, or headachy indoors and better once you step outside.
One warning that competitors rarely mention: you cannot rely on smell alone with an underground gas leak. Safety data for odorized propane notes that odorant levels can drop when gas from a buried leak passes through certain soils. In Houston’s dense clay, a real leak in the yard may reach the surface with little or no smell. That is why we use a combustible gas detector and a gas pressure test instead of guessing.
Our Gas and Propane Services
We handle the full range of gas line services Houston homeowners need.
Gas line repair
We find the failure point, isolate that section, and repair it. Common causes are a corroded gas pipe, a cracked gas line, a loose gas fitting, a rusted gas pipe at a threaded joint, or a leaking gas connector behind an appliance. After the gas leak repair, we re-test the gas piping system to confirm it holds.
Gas line installation
New runs for remodels, additions, and appliance changes. This includes proper gas line sizing so every appliance gets the volume it needs, correct pipe fittings and thread sealant, an appliance shutoff valve at each connection, and a sediment trap where the code calls for one. On larger jobs, we may set a gas manifold so several appliances branch cleanly from one point. Where corrugated stainless steel tubing is used, CSST bonding is part of a correct installation.
Gas leak detection
Testing and leak locating without tearing your home apart. We pressure-test sections of the system to narrow the search before opening a wall or digging a gas line trench.
Propane line installation
Full propane plumbing service in Houston: running lines from the propane tank, checking the propane regulator, and connecting appliances safely.
Appliance gas hookups
Gas stove hookup for a new gas range, gas dryer hookup, gas water heater connections, tankless water heater gas supply, gas furnace connections, gas fireplace and gas log lighter connections.
Outdoor gas line installation
Outdoor kitchen gas line runs, gas grill line connections, pool heater gas line work, patio heater gas line installs, and standby generator gas line connections. One customer hired us specifically to repair the gas line feeding a pool heater and left a public review about it. Request gas line service or call (832) 898-4922.
Why Gas Lines Fail in Houston Homes
Gas piping does not fail at random here. Three local conditions do most of the damage.
The ground moves
Houston sits on Gulf Coast expansive clay. The City of Houston’s Office of Emergency Management notes that local expansive soils commonly swell 10% or more when they take on moisture, then shrink again as they dry. That cycle repeats every wet season and every drought.
Buried piping sits inside that moving soil. Over years, the movement pulls on joints, bends a gas riser where it leaves the ground, and puts steady stress on any rigid run. A cracked gas line in a Harris County or Fort Bend County yard is very often a soil-movement story, not a defect story.
The ground stays wet
Clay holds water. Buried steel corrodes faster in wet, poorly drained soil than in dry sand. That is why older galvanized steel pipe and unprotected steel yard lines show up as leaks here sooner than they might elsewhere. Modern buried runs typically use polyethylene gas pipe, which doesn’t rust, while indoor runs usually use black iron pipe.
People dig
A damaged gas line from digging is one of the most common causes of a sudden leak. Fence posts, sprinkler trenches, and new trees all reach depth. Texas law requires you or your contractor to contact Texas811 at least two business days before any digging so utilities can mark their lines, and that applies in your own backyard. The Railroad Commission of Texas enforces the state’s pipeline damage prevention rules.
Repair or Replace: How We Decide
Homeowners ask about gas line repair vs replacement more than almost any other question, so here is how we think about it.
We repair when the problem is one identifiable spot and the rest of the system tests sound. We recommend replacement when the failure is a symptom of the whole run being at the end of its life. No one should sell you a full replacement without showing you why.
We usually repair when:
- One joint, valve, or connector is leaking, and the rest holds pressure.
- The pipe is otherwise in good condition with no widespread corrosion.
- The line was recently installed and sized correctly for the appliances on it.
We usually recommend a full or partial gas line replacement when:
- We find multiple leaks on the same run.
- Buried steel shows corrosion along its length, not just at one point.
- The line is undersized for appliances that were added later, which shows up as low flow, slow recovery on a gas water heater, or a gas furnace short-cycling.
- Repeated soil movement has repeatedly stressed the same section.
For stubborn buildup, we use drain snaking or, when the line calls for it, hydro jetting. If the blockage sits past the fixture branch, we move to drain line services or sewer line services.
What Happens During a Gas Line Service Call
Knowing the steps removes most of the worry about the visit.
We talk through what you noticed. Smell, sound, bill, or a failing appliance. Each points somewhere different.
We make the area safe. If gas is flowing to a suspected leak, we close the gas shutoff valve serving that section. In an active emergency, we shut off the gas before anything else.
We locate the problem. A gas line leak test on isolated sections tells us which run is losing pressure, and a combustible gas detector narrows it further.
We show you what we found and give you a gas line repair estimate before work starts.
We do the repair or installation, using the right materials for the location: black iron indoors, polyethylene for most buried runs, approved connectors at appliances.
We pressure-test again. A gas pressure test confirms the finished gas piping system holds with no loss.
We handle permits and inspections when the work requires them.
We check the appliances. An appliance safety check confirms clean ignition, a blue flame, and correct operation before we leave.
Permits and Inspections in Houston
Yes, most gas line work in the City of Houston requires a permit, and a master plumber registered with the city must pull it. The Houston Permitting Center, part of Houston Public Works, requires a plumbing permit for a point of connection to a fuel gas appliance, and an inspection is required before the work is closed out.
That rule protects you in two ways
- First, an inspector verifies the work independently.
- Second, permitted work leaves a record. Unpermitted gas work can surface during a home sale, and it is far more expensive to fix then.
Fuel gas piping rules come from adopted plumbing and fuel gas codes. The Houston Permitting Center lists the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with Houston amendments as the authority for gas permits. Model standards such as the International Fuel Gas Code and the fuel gas and LP-gas standards published by the National Fire Protection Association set the technical expectations for gas line sizing, testing, and appliance connections.
We pull the gas line permit or plumbing permit, meet the inspector, and handle the gas line inspection. You do not have to manage any of it.
Talk to a licensed plumber at (832) 898-4922.
Gas Safety After a Flood or Storm
This is the part most Houston homeowners never hear, and it matters more here than almost anywhere.
If floodwater reached your gas appliances or your gas meter, do not put the system back in service yourself. CenterPoint Energy tells customers to have a licensed plumber or qualified gas technician inspect flooded appliances and gas piping before reconnecting service. That includes outdoor equipment: pool heaters, gas lights, and grills.
Why it matters:
- Floodwater can shift a home enough to stress the gas piping system and open a leak.
- Water and mud can get inside pipes and burners.
- Corrosion from dirty water is often hidden and shows up months later.
- Relighting a pilot on a flood-damaged appliance can create a fire or carbon monoxide hazard.
If water covered the gas meter, CenterPoint Energy should check the meter and gas regulator before you use gas again.
Two more storm-season points worth knowing. CenterPoint Energy advises customers not to shut natural gas off at the meter, because keeping the meter on maintains pressure in the piping and helps keep water out. If you want to stop gas service before a storm, shut it off at each appliance instead. And before you dig into storm debris or do yard repairs, contact 811 first.
We are a residential plumbing company in Houston, and this is exactly the work we do after high water: inspect the piping, pressure-test it, replace what is damaged, and get your appliances running again.
Propane vs Natural Gas: What Changes
Both fuels are safe when the system is installed correctly, but they behave differently, and that changes how we work.
Propane
Propane is stored as a liquid in a propane tank on your property and released as vapor. Propane vapor is heavier than air, so it sinks and can collect in low spots: a sunken patio, a crawl space, along a garage floor. That difference is why propane leak checks start low and why tank placement and regulator condition matter so much.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is mostly methane. It is lighter than air, so a leak tends to rise and disperse. It arrives through a utility line, a gas meter, and a gas regulator.
Both fuels get an added odorant. Both can produce carbon monoxide if an appliance burns poorly or vents badly.
Across our service area, natural gas is standard in most established neighborhoods, while propane is common for outdoor kitchens, generators, and homes on the outer edges of Fulshear and Richmond, TX. We install and repair propane lines, as well as natural gas lines, so you don’t have to figure out which contractor handles which fuel.
Carbon Monoxide and Appliance Safety
Carbon monoxide is a separate danger from a gas leak. It comes from fuel that burns incompletely or vents poorly, and it has no smell.
According to the CDC, carbon monoxide symptoms include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion, and people often mistake them for the flu. The CDC also reports that more than 400 people in the United States die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning that is not linked to fires.
Two habits protect a home with gas appliances
- Install a carbon monoxide detector near sleeping areas and test it. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends alarms on each level, outside each sleeping area.
- Have a qualified technician inspect fuel-burning appliances annually. The CPSC recommends this for furnaces, water heaters, dryers, ranges, and space heaters.
If a CO alarm sounds, get outside and call 911. Do not stay inside to investigate.
Routine gas line maintenance is simple: keep the area around the meter and the gas riser clear, do not store anything against a flexible appliance connector, and mention any change in flame color or appliance behavior when a plumber is already in your home.
Why Homeowners Hire Planet Houston Plumbing
Licensed & Regulated
Licensed and regulated. Any gas line plumber Houston homeowners hire should hold a current Texas license, and the number should be easy to find. We work under Responsible Master Plumber License 46295, licensed and regulated by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. You can verify it.
Residential Only
Homes only. We serve residential properties. We don't take commercial work, so our plumbers spend their days on homes like yours.
15+ Years Experience
15+ years of experience and 5,000+ customers served.
5.0 Google Rating
A 5.0 average across 87 Google reviews, including gas line work.
Advanced Inspections Equipment
Advanced inspection equipment lets us locate problems without unnecessary demolition.
Connected Solutions
One company for the whole house. If a gas issue involves your water heater or aging pipes that need repiping, we can handle that too.
Clear Explanations
Clear explanations. We show you the problem and the options before we start.
Both, but different parts. The utility is responsible for its own main and the gas meter. A licensed plumber repairs the piping on your side of the meter, which includes the yard line, the piping in the house, and the appliance connections. If you smell gas, call 911 and CenterPoint Energy first, then call a plumber for the repair.
Usually yes. The Houston Permitting Center requires a plumbing permit for connections to fuel gas appliances, and a master plumber registered with the City of Houston must obtain it. An inspection is required. Planet Houston Plumbing pulls the permit and meets the inspector as part of the job.
You should not. Texas defines plumbing to include gas piping under the Plumbing License Law, and the City of Houston requires a registered master plumber to pull the permit. Beyond the legal issue, gas work needs correct gas line sizing, proper joints, bonding where corrugated stainless steel tubing is used, and a documented pressure test. Mistakes here aren’t the kind you can fix later. Hire a licensed plumber instead.
Many single-point repairs, such as a leaking connector or one bad joint, are finished in a few hours. A buried yard line replacement takes longer because it involves marking utilities, digging a gas line trench, running new pipe, testing, and backfilling. Permit inspections can add scheduling time. We provide a timeline once we locate the problem.
Cost depends on where the leak is, how much pipe is involved, whether the work is above ground or buried, how much digging is needed, the materials required, and whether the job needs a permit and inspection. A leaking appliance connector and a failed 60-foot yard line are very different jobs. We inspect first, then give you a gas line repair estimate before any work begins.
A gas pressure test puts the piping under pressure with the gas isolated, then watches whether that pressure holds over time. If it drops, the system is losing gas somewhere. It is the standard way to confirm a repair worked and to prove a new gas piping system is tight before it is put into service.
Yes. We install propane lines, perform propane repairs, and connect appliances, along with natural gas work. Propane is heavier than air and stored on site in a propane tank, so we handle the layout, regulator, and leak checking differently. Tell us which fuel you have when you call.
Areas We Serve
Planet Houston Plumbing provides gas and propane plumbing to homeowners in:
Our office is at 24285 Katy Fwy, Katy, TX 77494, which puts us close to homes across west Harris County and northeast Fort Bend County. If you are just outside these areas in the Greater Houston area, call and ask.
Schedule Gas Line Service in Houston
If something smells wrong, sounds wrong, or a gas appliance stops working, don’t wait. Gas problems do not improve on their own.
Planet Houston Plumbing is a local gas plumber serving homeowners across Houston, TX, Katy, TX, Cypress, Sugar Land, Fulshear, and Richmond, TX. We handle gas leak detection, repairs, installations, and permit work, and we explain what we find before we start.
Call (832) 898-4922 to speak with a master plumber about your gas or propane system, or book a plumbing appointment online.
You can also email info@planethoustonplumbing.com, check current coupons, read more answers to common plumbing questions, or learn about our team.