Monday morning, November 4, 2024, I got to radio station in Dover, New Hampshire around 5:30 a.m. - just minutes before having to talk live on air.

The very second I stepped foot into the building, which consists of four or five studios, a sales "pit," a conference room, a kitchen, and other offices I smelt what I believed to be gas.

Gas is odorless - so I was not smelling the gas perse. But I did smell rotten eggs or sewer. I'll get back to this.

After asking another co-worker if they smelt it, and receiving a confident "no," I decided to take a few more laps around my building.

Fortunately, two out of three co-workers inside the building decided it DID smell like rotten eggs, and that was the majority vote.

We called the Dover, NH Fire Department, and after a few minutes of them walking around, it was confirmed that our HVAC system was pushing gas through our air vents - the building was not safe to work in at the moment.

Back to the "gas is odorless" thing I mentioned earlier. If gas were truly odorless, you would have no idea if there was a leak, in our building on Monday or in your home this winter.

Gas companies put a nontoxic chemical called mercaptan into the gas to make it smell like rotten eggs or sewer.

The reason is so we, as humans, detect the smell and realize something is wrong. When you smell that smell, get out and call your local fire department.

No fire department will be mad at you for being safe. The saying is "Better safe than sorry," right? So always call and get it checked on.

Having a gas leak can be devastating...I'm talking worse-case scenarios devastating...so always trust your gut if you smell something and get it checked out.

Other indicators of a gas leak, according to a Constellation article, are below:

1. Hissing sounds: Large gas leaks in pipes or appliances may produce hissing noises, even if the appliance is turned off.
2. Air bubbles outside your home: If you see bubbles in standing water—including puddles and mud—it may be a sign of natural gas dispersing through the soil and into the surrounding air.
3. Dead or dying plants: No, not because you are bad at raising your plants...Dead, dying, or stunted plants inside or outside your home can be a potential sign of a natural gas leak in your home, especially if you’ve been taking proper care of your plants.
4. Higher-than-normal gas usage: Always keep an eye out for large spikes, and compare them to your last year's usage.

And if you're curious where NOT to travel this year, below is this year's US Government Do Not Travel list: