Gas Line Services in Belews Creek, NC

Gas service near Belews Lake

Belews Creek is a rural, unincorporated community in northeastern Forsyth County, near the lake Duke built for its Belews Creek Steam Station. The 2014 state Utilities Commission report lists all of Forsyth in Piedmont Natural Gas's territory, but ZIP-level figures for 27009 show only about 2% of homes heating with utility gas. About 85% heat with electricity, and propane, at about 7%, is the main gas fuel.

That means most gas work here involves propane: a tank on the property, a regulator and piping into the house. The supplier usually owns or services the tank and first regulator, while the house-side piping belongs to the homeowner.

Housing is fairly recent, with a median build year of 1994 and about 28% of homes from before 1980. Permits for unincorporated Forsyth County go through the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division; addresses on the Stokes County side of the ZIP may fall under Stokes County instead.

Many homes here mix fuels: electric heat pumps for heating, with propane for a range, a fireplace, a water heater or a generator. Each added appliance draws from the same tank and piping, so the line sizing has to account for all of them running at once.

Propane: who handles which part

Signs something is wrong

• A rotten-egg odor. Get out first. Propane is heavier than air and can settle in low spots.
• Hissing at the tank, regulator or where the line enters the house
• Frost on a fitting or regulator in mild weather
• Yellow flames or soot on a burner
• A dead line of grass across the yard from the tank

Timing notes

Schedule gas piping work before winter, when furnaces and space heaters work hardest and supplier schedules fill. If you're adding a standby generator, plan the piping and tank size together, since a generator can draw much more gas than other appliances. After any work or a tank run-out, the system should be leak tested before appliances are relit. Lakefront lots near Belews Lake can involve long or awkward routes from the tank, so a site visit helps before pricing.