In case of an earthquake or other emergency, everyone in your family should know where your gas meter is and how to turn off the gas. Most meters are at the front or side of the house. Some are put inside a building. In apartment or commercial buildings, they might be in the back.
If an emergency arises and you don't smell or hear gas escaping, you probably don't need to shut off gas service. But if you do smell or hear gas:
- Locate the meter shut-off valve. It's usually the first fitting on the gas supply pipe coming out of the ground near your meter.
- Use a long-handled wrench to give the valve one-quarter turn in either direction so that the lever is crosswise to the pipe.
- Once the gas is off, leave it off. Contact Puget Sound Energy (or your local gas company) to inspect the system, check and relight appliances.
For temporary shut off during non-emergency situations, use the fuel-line valve located near each appliance.
The shut-off valve for an individual appliance is typically located on the fuel line entering the appliance. Most of these valves can be operated by hand and don't require a wrench. For more information, read How to Shut Off Gas in an Emergency (70k pdf).
Once the gas is off, leave it off until a qualified service representative can check out the system.