By Nate Leskovic
Times Staff
9/18/08

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Hyacinth Crichlow said the workers told her the gas pipes to her home were too old and needed replaced. Naturally, she was frightened.
“I didn’t think about it when I smelled it,” she said. “I ignored it, thinking it was just the pilot. It’s scary because the level was very high in my home.”
National Grid spokesperson David Graves said test holes were dug in multiple locations on the street but only one leak was found.
Despite the number of homes in town with older gas-line infrastructure, Graves said the integrity of pipes does not necessarily depend on age.
“The age of a pipe is not critical to the safety of operation,” he said. “Some cast iron pipes are strong and healthy and work well.”
Other gas pipes are made of steel and now PVC plastic pipes are being used.
Graves said National Grid regularly monitors its gas lines, using both pressure checks and in-person inspections.
“We’re out somewhere all the time,” he said. “Checking, taking readings. Not just a drive-by with the van, but people who go out with probes.”
Graves said the company must inspect each gas meter in the system every three years. While checking meters, workers can identify leaks.
A problem with older homes, Graves said, is that meters are often inside. This makes routine checks more difficult to schedule. National Grid has an ongoing policy of moving meters outside homes, as it did with several homes on Meadowview Road.
Gas companies are required by the state to perform leak surveys on a regular basis according to Lisa Capone, spokesperson for the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Gas lines in business districts must be checked each year and the frequency of checks decreases with the density of development.
“Companies are monitoring pressure on their lines daily to determine if it is indicating a leak,” she said.
In addition, gas companies must file with the state a replacement schedule for pipes, based on their leak surveys.
“They replace the most damaged pipes first,” she said. “The oldest pipe might not need to be replaced first.”
Though the gas companies are responsible for problems with their lines, Fire Chief Malcolm Larson said he sometimes sends out crews to investigate. The fire department was not involved with the Meadowview Road situation.
“An outdoor, low-level gas leak is something to schedule to fix, but it’s no urgency,” Larson said. “If it’s a leak inside we take it much more seriously. Our advice for anyone who smells gas in the house is to leave immediately and then call.”
Larson said there have been a few explosions in homes in town over the years, but none recently. He said there is a critical mass of gas needed to ignite.
“If there is too little gas, it won’t explode,” he said. “But too much can’t explode either.”
Larson said it’s possible to have a house with a level above the explosive range that could come back down into the explosive range after opening a window.