Safety

Keeping you and your families warm, comfortable and safe…it’s who we are and what we do.

Safety begins with being in the know. If you smell gas or have other concerns about your immediate safety, exit your home, call 911 and then call us 24-hours a day at 1 (800) 600-4728 and a live customer service person will assist you. Parents, do you want to teach your kids about propane safety? Please check out propanekids.com for some fun games and interactive training tools.

Have you heard about plastic coated CSST piping in the news or with regard to lightning strikes near homes that contain it? Check out this notice from the NH Fire Marshal’s Office.

What To Do If You Smell Gas Carbon Monoxide Safety Winter Heating Safety Propane Safety Fuel Safety

What To Do If You Smell Gas

Smell gas? Immediately follow the six steps below.

No flames or sparks! Immediately put out all smoking materials and other open flames. Do not operate lights, appliances, telephones, or cell phones. Flames or sparks from these sources can trigger an explosion or fire.
Leave the area immediately! Get everyone out of the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking.
Shut off the gas! Turn off the main gas supply valve on your propane tank, if it is safe to do so. To close the valve, turn it to the right (clockwise).
Report the leak! From a neighbor’s home or other nearby building away from the gas leak, call 911 and then call your propane retailer right away.
Do not return to the building or the area! Do not return until your propane retailer or the fire department have determined it is safe to do so.
Get your system checked! Before you attempt to use any of your propane appliances, your propane retailer or a qualified service technician must check your entire system to ensure that it is leak-free.

Wondering what to do if you don’t know what propane smells like? Ask White Mountain Oil & Propane for a copy of the Propane Education and Research Council’s scratch and sniff pamphlet to help you recognize the odorant added too propane.

Carbon Monoxide Safety

An invisible, odorless and colorless gas… You can’t see it or smell it. Install a carbon monoxide detector.

Often called the silent killer, Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

Consider installing Carbon Monoxide detectors in your home. They are as important as smoke detectors in saving lives.

Eliminating the Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Home

At the request of Retired State Fire Marshal J. William Degnan and The Carbon Monoxide Work Group, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed a proclamation to declare November as Carbon Monoxide Awareness month. Marshal Degnan wants to remind residents about the dangers of carbon monoxide levels in your homes. “Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. As the winter months come upon us, our use of fuel for heating increases thereby, increasing the potential for elevated levels of carbon monoxide”, says Marshal Degnan.

Nationwide, hundreds of people die accidentally every year from CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning or improperly used fuel-burning furnaces or appliances. Fire departments have responded to over 700 New Hampshire households for CO concerns already this year. Infants, elderly people, unborn babies, and people with anemia or with a history of heart or respiratory disease can be especially susceptible. Symptoms of CO poisoning may include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and confusion. Do not ignore symptoms, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. If you suspect CO poisoning, get outside to fresh air immediately, and then call 911.

Techniques to reduce the risk of CO poisoning in your home when using fuel-burning devices include:

Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks promptly.
Install CO alarm(s) with battery backup outside of sleeping areas.
Test your CO alarm(s) frequently and replace dead batteries.
Do not use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
Do not use any powered engines, such as portable generators, in enclosed spaces, including your garage and locate them at least 10 feet from your house with the exhaust facing away from the building.
Do not idle your vehicle inside a garage.
Do not sleep in any room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.

Winter Heating Safety

Be aware, heat with care. Follow our winter heating safety tips to ensure the safety of you and your family.

There is something about the winter months and curling up with a good book by the fireplace that seems so perfect. But did you know that heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths? With a few simple safety tips and precautions, you can prevent most heating fires from happening.

Tips for vacation homes or rental properties

A vacation or second home in a high snowfall area requires special attention because you may not be at the home to clear snow and ice after a winter storm.

For your safety and others, designate a responsible person or party, such as your property management company or a snow removal service, to monitor your propane system regularly while you are away.
Show the location of all tanks, pipes, regulators, and other parts of your propane system, and give instructions on the importance of keeping these areas clear of snow and ice.
Give instructions to regularly and carefully clear snow and ice accumulations away from all propane equipment, including tanks and secondary pressure regulators.
When you return to your home, carefully examine the propane system for evidence of damage from snow and ice. Be attentive to any propane odor, both inside and outside the home. If you smell gas, exit the building, then call 911.

Propane Safety

Propane Gas (LPG) is a very safe and versatile fuel. Be safe and in the know.

With any energy source, there are steps you should take to further insure your safety:

If you detect a propane gas leak, immediately evacuate everyone from the house and then call the local Fire Department (911) from your cell phone or a neighbor’s telephone. After doing that safely, then notify White Mountain Oil & Propane 24 hours a day, at (800) 600-4728. Do not attempt to repair the leak yourself or go back into house until it has been determined safe to do so.

Safety Resources

Additional information on general propane safety can be found at https://propane.com/safety/
Watch a video about Dig Safe

In any case you should familiarize yourself and your family with what propane smells like. Please contact us at 603-356-6386 and ask us to send you the National Propane Gas Association’s “Scratch and Sniff” pamphlet to help recognize propane’s distinctive odor. Learn where your gas lines are located, so you won’t damage them when digging in the yard.

Alert! Always contact Dig Safe System, Inc. by dialing 811 or at www.digsafe.com in order to have utilities accurately marked before digging or excavating. What is Dig Safe? State laws require anyone who digs to notify utility companies before starting, and for good reason. Digging can be dangerous and costly without knowing where underground facilities are located. Note that only those participating in the program may be asked to mark lines. It is not a guarantee that all underground lines have been marked and private facilities may not be notified.

Dig Safe System, Inc. is a communication network, assisting excavators, contractors and property owners in complying with state law by notifying the appropriate utilities before digging. Dig Safe, a free service, notifies member companies of proposed excavation projects. In turn, these member utilities respond to the work area and identify the location of their underground facilities. Callers are given a permit number as confirmation.In New Hampshire as well as Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island, state law requires advance notice of at least three business days (72 working hours).

Fuel Safety

Keep in the know when it comes to fuel safety.

Oil heat has a proven safety record. It takes an advanced, high-tech, specifically designed oil burner to ignite oil. (If you drop a lit match into heating oil, it will go out as if dropped into water.) Oil heat has been providing safe, comfortable heating and water-heating to consumers for generations. For more information on oil heat safety please visit www.oilheatamerica.com

Fuel Oil Storage Tanks

White Mountain Oil and Propane will inspect all new-customer oil tanks prior to making a delivery. Our employees will complete an oil tank inspection on each new customer and on any new oil tank installed to make sure that it is safe to put oil into it. It is important to periodically check the tank yourself for leaks or defects that could lead to a leak. Fuel oil can contaminate water and soil as well as damage property and impact indoor air quality.

Why should you or White Mountain Oil & Propane be concerned about your fuel storage tank and the condition it is in? Please see this section of the State of New Hampshire website for information on the safety of your oil tank.

If fuel oil is leaking from your storage tank or piping, contact White Mountain Oil & Propane, a qualified oil technician, or your local fire department immediately. If possible, and safe to do so, attempt to control the leak and keep it from spreading or from entering any floor drains or sump pump areas.

Fuel Burning Appliances

White Mountain Oil & Propane, as well as manufacturers, recommends having your oil burning appliance maintained annually. Regular maintenance is a good investment as repairs are sometimes necessary and can add up. We offer several different service plans for maintaining your fuel burning appliance.