Natural Gas Safety
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Staying Safe Around Natural Gas
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If you experience a natural gas service outage or you suspect a natural gas leak, leave the building immediately, then call Ameren. Do not open or close windows, turn any electrical device or light off or on, or use any other device that could cause a spark.
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Have a fire extinguisher near any gas appliance. Use a carbon dioxide or a dry-chemical extinguisher for gas kitchen appliances.
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If your gas appliance does not have an automatic igniter, always keep the pilot light on the gas appliance lit. If you extinguish it without turning off the gas supply, a dangerous gas build-up can occur and possibly result in an explosion.
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Look for a certification seal when purchasing a new gas appliance. This ensures that the equipment design meets strict safety standards.
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Never use your gas range to heat your home or apartment. The carbon monoxide fumes can put your family in serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Have your gas fireplace routinely serviced by a professional to ensure proper working order. A professional can adjust millivolt output, clean elements as needed, and ensure vents are unobstructed.
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Make certain that chimneys, flues and vents for all natural gas appliances are also kept clear of snow and ice. Blockages can cause deadly carbon monoxide to build up inside your home in just a matter of hours.
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Use a broom to keep natural gas meters and piping clear during the winter. Never use a shovel, ice chipper, pole or similar tool or even hit your natural gas meter or piping as this may damage equipment.
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Every home and apartment in Illinois is required to have at least one carbon monoxide detector within 15 feet of every bedroom. In Missouri, some municipalities require CO2 detectors, but it is not mandated by law.
Severe Weather
More About Natural Gas

Carbon monoxide (CO) is tasteless, odorless and dangerous to humans. When CO is inhaled, it disrupts the transportation of oxygen throughout the body and causes asphyxiation and can lead to death. Symptoms of CO poisoning can include: burning eyes, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, confusion, shortness of breath, and increased episodes of angina in people with coronary disease and unconsciousness.

Some visible indications of the presence of carbon monoxide are: black soot around air registers, moisture inside windows, dead or dying houseplants or pets, and abnormal-looking flames on appliances or burners.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, vacate the area immediately to get fresh air and call 911.

Safety Tips

  • Vents on outdoor walls should be kept clear of snow accumulation, debris, landscaping, or other blockage.
  • Purchase and install a UL-rated residential carbon monoxide detector. Detectors can be purchased at hardware stores, and many can be plugged into an ordinary outlet.
  • Never operate your car or other gas-powered engines in a confined or enclosed space, such as a garage, because the car exhaust can leak into the house, even if the garage door is left open.
  • Before each heating season, have your heating system and appliance vents and ducts checked by a qualified heating and ventilation service contractor.
  • Check your chimney to make sure it is not blocked by dirt or bird nests. Replace rusted vent pipes.
  • When using an approved unvented space heater for supplementary heat, open a window an inch or more as stated in the space heater operating instructions.
  • Contact the Illinois Poison Control Center toll free at 800.942.5969 or the Missouri Regional Poison Center toll free at 800.222.1222, ventilate the structure by opening windows and doors, then leave the premise if you suspect carbon monoxide in your home.
Maintaining the Natural Gas System
With more than 16,000 miles of gas distribution pipelines and 1,275 miles of transmission gas lines, we take our commitment of delivering safe, reliable natural gas seriously. We provide natural gas safety and best practices to prevent gas damages within the communities we serve through bill messages, brochure mailings, newspaper and radio ads, and social media platforms.
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We conduct regular patrols and inspections of natural gas pipeline rights-of-way and facilities. Highly trained Ameren natural gas employees are qualified under U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) standards for natural gas pipeline operators.

We also conduct and participate in safety education for emergency responders, contractors, customers, children and others.

If you live or work near natural gas pipelines, you should have received a special pipeline safety pamphlet – part of an Ameren communications effort to educate the public and emergency responders on safety around pipelines.

Junction Box
A junction box is a simple piece of pad-mounted equipment, used for splitting high voltage circuits into multiple directions. As with pad-mounted transformers, junction boxes are forest green in color. Two sizes of junction boxes are used on the Ameren Missouri system. The smaller one is approximately 3' x 2' x 3' (H x W x L), and the larger one is approximately 3' x 2' x 6' (H x W x L). Crews inspect junction box equipment once every four years, and open and test this equipment once every eight years.