If you smell gas in an Erwin home, leave and call 911 or Piedmont Natural Gas at 800-752-7504 from outside. For repairs on older piping you own after the meter, a new appliance line or a pressure test, call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Erwin.
Erwin's older homes and gas
Erwin grew up around the Erwin Cotton Mill on the Cape Fear River, and its housing is old. The median home was built in 1966, about two-thirds predate 1980, and roughly 24% were built in 1939 or earlier, per Census survey data. Gas piping in houses that age has usually been extended for several generations of appliances. Harnett County is listed for Piedmont Natural Gas in a 2014 Utilities Commission report; Piedmont maintains the main and meter, and the owner is responsible after the meter.
Steps to take now
- Gas smell: leave without operating switches, and call 911 or Piedmont from outside.
- No smell, but an appliance is acting up: turn it off at its valve until it's checked.
- Meter shut off by Piedmont: keep it off until the house-side repair is done.
- Older house, new appliance: ask for a pressure test of the existing system before adding to it.
- Call a plumber for the repair or new line.
Common signs and causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Rotten-egg smell | Gas leak; leave and call from outside |
| Heavy rust on crawl space pipe | Corroding original black iron |
| Capped pipe stubs in walls or floors | Old branches from removed appliances |
| Space heater or gas logs smell when running | Combustion or venting issue |
| Weak flame on a new appliance | Old pipe too small for the load |
Cost factors
- Spot repair versus replacing longer runs of old pipe
- Crawl space height and condition
- Upsizing small old lines
- Extra leaks found during testing
- Town zoning and county permit steps
Plumbing inspections in Erwin are done by Harnett County, but the town requires its own zoning permit first, under an interlocal agreement. Water and sewer in Erwin come from Harnett Regional Water rather than the town, which doesn't affect gas work but explains why there's no town utility office to call. In a house this old, it's worth having the whole gas system pressure tested whenever one part is repaired or a new appliance is added, since the rest of the piping is usually the same age. Old gas space heaters and gas logs deserve the same attention, since their venting and connectors age along with the house.
Gas Line Services questions in Erwin
What gas piping problems turn up in older houses?
Does new gas piping need a permit and an inspection?
Do gas appliances mean I need a carbon monoxide alarm?
Who owns the buried gas line between the meter and my house?
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