Smell gas near a fitting, failed a pressure test at inspection, or need a line run for a new range? Send a few details and one vetted, licensed San Francisco plumber gives you a straight read. Not five companies fighting over your number.
If you smell gas right now, leave and call PG&E from outside first. They handle the meter and the emergency. Then tell us what’s going on and you’ll get a clear read on the house-side repair.
Gas work splits cleanly in this city. PG&E owns the line up to and including the meter. Everything past it is yours: the house-side piping feeding the furnace, the water heater, the range, the dryer. That’s the plumber’s half. And in the older housing that piping is usually original black steel, which after decades in the marine fog corrodes right where you’d expect. Threaded joints. The run through a damp crawlspace. Where it passes through an exterior wall. A leak there doesn’t announce itself like a burst pipe. It shows up as a faint smell, a hissing valve, or a failed pressure test at sale.
Finding and fixing the leak
The honest first step is a pressure test. Isolate the system, watch the gauge, confirm whether it’s actually losing gas. Then find the leak, which is often a corroded coupling, a tired valve, or a joint that was never sealed right in the first place. The fix ranges from swapping a single fitting to re-running a corroded section in modern pipe. All of it is permitted and inspected, with a pressure test the DBI inspector signs off before the gas comes back on.
Don’t let anyone patch fitting after fitting on a black-steel system that has already failed three times. Once original steel is corroding in more than one place, chasing single leaks is throwing good money after bad. Re-run the section. It costs more today and far less over the next five years.
What it runs in San Francisco
Rough 2026 ranges for house-side work. Access and how much pipe is failing move these more than the leak itself.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Pressure test and leak locate | $150 – $400 |
| Single fitting or valve | $250 – $600 |
| Re-run a corroded section | $800 – $3,000 |
| Replace a full house-side run | $3,000 – $9,000+ |
| Seismic shutoff valve | $250 – $700 |
| New appliance line (range, dryer) | $500 – $2,000 |
Your side of the meter, and where it rots
People are surprised the house-side pipe is theirs. It is. PG&E stops at the meter, and everything inward is the property owner’s to maintain and repair. On a pre-1950 Richmond or Sunset home that pipe is black steel, and steel in a foggy, salt-touched climate gives out at the threads first. A plumber reads the run, finds the joints that are weeping, and tells you honestly whether one fix will hold or the section is done. Black steel doesn’t fail politely in one spot.
Earthquake shutoff and new appliance lines
This is earthquake country, so a gas repair is a natural moment to add a seismic shutoff valve. It closes the gas automatically when shaking passes a set threshold, which matters in a city where a post-quake leak is a real hazard, and some sales and insurers now look for one. The same crew handles new appliance runs: a dedicated line for a range in a kitchen remodel, a dryer hookup, a stub for a future appliance, each sized for the load and pressure-tested. If you’re weighing gas against going electric, an induction range or a heat-pump water heater, an honest plumber lays out the tradeoff instead of just selling you pipe.
Related San Francisco plumbing services
San Francisco gas line repair questions
Who fixes a gas leak here, PG&E or a plumber?
Both, each on their own side. PG&E owns the line to and including the meter and responds to gas emergencies, so if you smell gas, leave and call them from outside. A licensed plumber repairs the house-side piping past the meter, the part feeding your appliances. Call PG&E first for safety, then a plumber for the fix.
Why do older San Francisco gas lines corrode?
Most older house-side piping is black steel, and decades in a damp, foggy climate corrode it at threaded joints and where it runs through crawlspaces and exterior walls. That’s what produces the slow leaks and failed pressure tests in the pre-war stock.
Should I add an earthquake gas shutoff valve?
Worth considering. A seismic shutoff closes the gas automatically when shaking passes a threshold, cutting the risk of a post-quake leak, and some sales and insurers now look for one. A repair or a new appliance line is a convenient time to add it.
Send your San Francisco gas line details
Tell us what you’re seeing, a smell, a failed test, or a new appliance to connect. You’ll get an honest read on the repair and whether a pressure test is the place to start, with no pressure to book.
No cost, no obligation. Just a clear answer from the one vetted, licensed San Francisco plumber who’d actually do the work.