This Mulching Mistake Could Create A Gas Safety Hazard On Your Property

Maintaining curb appeal matters a lot to many homeowners — it gives them a deep sense of satisfaction and pride. Mulching garden beds is one way to keep a front yard looking tidy, but most people would agree that a tidy landscape isn't worth risking life and limb for. You probably wouldn't think that mulch could pose much of a safety hazard, but it can if you or your landscaping team install it incorrectly. In fact, one of the must-know safety measures to prevent gas explosions at home is keeping mulch far away from your gas meter to prevent corrosion and maintain access. That's right. You can go ahead and add this mulching mistake to the list of scary dangers that are lurking around your home.

Your gas meter and the various pipes that enter and exiting this vital piece of monitoring equipment aren't exactly an aesthetically pleasing ensemble. You may be tempted to block it from view by covering as much of the equipment as possible with mulch. But if you cover the gas riser connected to your gas meter, you risk causing a gas leak. Mulch, whether it's pine bark, compost, or straw, stays moist. In fact, one of its main functions is to retain moisture in the soil below. A metal gas riser covered in damp mulch could start to corrode. You may think you're safe if you switch to an inorganic mulch material, like gravel or recycled tires, but those have the same potential for trouble.

You may have never looked closely at your gas meter until the moment you start pondering how best to disguise it. There's a vertical pipe connected to the box-like meter — it comes up from the ground and has a valve on it. That pipe is the gas riser, sometimes called the service riser, and it delivers gas to the appliances in your home. Understanding what flows through this pipe should drive home how important it is that it remains corrosion-free. A corroded pipe has the potential to crack or break, allowing gas to leak out. This is why piling damp mulch around your gas meter is a safety hazard, though corrosion isn't the only concern.

While there are lots of clever DIY ideas for hiding the outdoor electrical boxes in your yard, covering your gas meter is never a good idea. No matter how unattractive you find this vital piece of utility equipment, it needs to remain accessible in case of an emergency. You shouldn't even allow the gas meter to become buried in snow and ice in winter, let alone hide it permanently. If you end up with a gas leak, either you or a professional will need to turn off the valve on the riser to stop the flow of gas. Since gas is highly explosive, being able to locate and access the riser quickly is imperative. The time it takes to move mulch away from the gas riser could mean the difference between a disaster averted and a serious accident.