The independent appliance repair shop across the Southeast
Gas Smell From the Stove or Oven
If you smell rotten eggs near your gas range, don't touch any switches, open a window and a door, get everyone out, and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside. That smell is added to natural gas on purpose so you'll catch it early. Sometimes it's faint. Sometimes it hits you the second you walk into the kitchen, and either way your stomach drops. Below is the order to do things in and who to call first.
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By the ACR Service Inc service team · reviewed by our working technicians
Do these things first, in this order
1. Don't flip any switches. Not lights, not the vent hood, not the garbage disposal. 2. Check the knobs on the range. A burner knob bumped slightly open is a common cause, and so is a pilot that blew out. If a knob is off-center, turn it fully off. 3. Open windows and an exterior door. 4. Get everyone, pets included, outside or to fresh air. 5. From outside, call your gas utility's emergency line. They come out for suspected leaks. 6. Wait outside until someone tells you it's clear. If the smell is strong, skip straight to step 4. A faint whiff right after you light a burner is normal. A steady smell is not.
What not to do
Don't light a match or a lighter to test anything, and don't use the stove, not even the other burners. Don't plug or unplug appliances, and leave the phone chargers alone. Static and small sparks are enough. Skip the sniff test at the gas line behind the range. Don't pull the range out. Leave the back panel, the burner box, and the oven floor alone, and don't try to tighten a fitting with a wrench. Don't run the exhaust fan hoping to clear the air. That fan motor is a spark source. Open windows and doors move air fine and cost you nothing. And don't wait it out overnight to see if it fades.
When to leave the house completely
Leave right away if the smell is strong, if you hear hissing near the range or the wall, or if anyone feels dizzy, nauseated, or has a headache. Same goes if the smell is in more than one room, or you notice it near the water heater or furnace too. Walk out. Don't stop to gather things. Leave the door open behind you if you can do that without a struggle. Once you're a good distance away, call the gas utility. Many areas also want 911 for a strong indoor leak. Do not go back inside to open more windows or check the meter.
Cutting gas or power, only if it's simple and safe
If your range has a shutoff valve you can reach without moving the appliance, and the smell is mild, you can give it a quarter turn. If you have to crawl, pull, or force it, don't. There's usually a main gas valve at the meter outside. Utilities generally prefer to shut that one themselves, and once it's off, relighting everything takes a qualified person. Leave it alone unless the utility tells you otherwise. On an electric-ignition range, switching the breaker off is fine, but only if the panel sits outside the area that smells. Otherwise wait.
Who to call: the utility first, then us
The gas utility handles the suspected leak. They check the meter, the line coming into your home, and the connection at the appliance. That call is your first one, and it's the right one. We come after. Once the utility clears the house, call us for the appliance side: a pilot that won't stay lit, a burner valve that seeps, a safety valve that isn't closing, an oven igniter that's slow enough that gas pools before it catches. Around here, humid summers and long stretches of AC running mean we see corrosion on burner assemblies and igniters more than folks expect. We work on all major brands as an independent company. Tell us what you smelled and where.
Gas Smell From the Stove or Oven — fast answers
Is a small gas smell when I first light a burner a problem?
A brief whiff as the burner catches is normal, since gas flows for a second before ignition. If the smell hangs around after the flame is steady, or you smell it with everything off, treat it as a leak.
Could it be something other than gas?
Yes. Spoiled food, a dead mouse in a wall, or sewer gas from a dry drain trap can smell similar. Call the utility first anyway. Let them rule out gas before you go hunting for other causes.
My range is electric. Why do I smell gas?
Then it isn't the range. Check whether you have a gas water heater, furnace, dryer, or fireplace. It could also be a line in the wall. Get out and call the gas utility either way.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call us or fill out the form. Describe what the appliance does and does not do. Noises, error codes, smells, puddles. Brand and model help. That detail lets us plan the visit right.
- Step 2
We diagnose in person
A technician comes to your kitchen or laundry room and tests the machine instead of guessing. Controls, heating parts, motors, seals, drains. You hear what failed and what the repair involves before work starts.
- Step 3
You approve the repair
Nothing gets replaced until you say go. Common parts are handled on site when we have them. If a part must be ordered, we tell you that up front and schedule the return.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Symptoms, not scriptsA washer that fills but never spins is a different problem than one that spins but never drains. We ask questions that narrow it down, then confirm with testing. Guesswork wastes parts and your afternoon.
- Independent and brand-wideWe are not tied to any manufacturer. That means we work on the big laundry and kitchen names side by side, and we recommend the repair that makes sense for your machine, not one brand's playbook.
- Regional coverageBased in Huntsville, we serve homeowners in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina and South Carolina. One number to call whether you are in a city neighborhood or a small town outside it.
- Straight explanationsYou will hear what part failed and why, in plain words. If a machine is worn past sensible repair, we say so. Homeowners make better decisions when nobody is hiding behind jargon.
- All major brands, gas & electricIndependent service on Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, GE, Maytag, Bosch, KitchenAid and the rest.
- Straight answersSome machines aren't worth the part, and we say so before you spend anything.
About this guide
If the safe checks didn't fix it, the fault is real
Mention which checks you ran when you book; it speeds up the visit.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
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