Author Topic: do gas stoves need to be vented to outside to avoid carbon monoxide accumulation  (Read 95608 times)

mrtimo

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Just bought a house that has a gas stove/oven. Home inspector recommended that it be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide accumulation. Alternative is opening a window.

I'm ok with venting the stove to the outside, but I wonder how big of a deal it would be if I didn't. Thoughts?


I'm a red panda

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I don't regularly have my windows open, and it's a pretty big deal to die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

But if you are willing to keep the window open, it isn't strictly necessary.

laughing_paddler

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Here's what I found with some gglng around:

http://www.abe.iastate.edu/extension-and-outreach/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-gas-fired-kitchen-ranges-aen-205/

"Gas kitchen ranges releasing unvented combustion products into the kitchen are common in many homes. Studies show carbon monoxide concentrations in the kitchen are elevated when the stove is used without using the range hood."

I hadn't really thought they'd be a problem, but this document suggests they can be. Go Go inspector.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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They very frequently aren't and you don't see stories of people dying from cooking dinner. That doesn't mean that levels of carbon monoxide that don't produce acute effects are good for you.

Argyle

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My gas stove is not vented to the outside, and my carbon monoxide alarm, located in the nearby hallway, has never gone off.

Fi(re) on the Farm

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My gas stove is not vented to the outside, and my carbon monoxide alarm, located in the nearby hallway, has never gone off.

I'm the same, carbon monoxide detector in the same room with the stove, the stove doesn't vent outside, I cook A LOT and the detector has never gone off.

NoNonsenseLandlord

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Carbon monoxide is from unburned fuel.  Most gas stoves are very efficient in regards to burning all the gas.

Left long enough though, you could get asphyxiated.

MoonShadow

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I'm ok with venting the stove to the outside, but I wonder how big of a deal it would be if I didn't. Thoughts?

I've used gas stoves & ovens my entire adult life.  Only the most recent has even had an exhaust hood.  I've never used it.  Contrary to popular belief, the largest component of 'natural gas' is hydrogen (not methane), and thus the exhaust consists primarily of water vapor.  Carbon monoxide is possible from unburned hydrocarbons, but that is very rare in the presence of hydrogen combustion.

In short, unless you can smell the gas or some other smoke, you have nothing to worry about.

KCM5

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It's not quite true that gas stoves are efficient enough to produce little CO. CO does result from incomplete natural gas combustion. 84 pounds per million standard cubic feet is the general emission factor used and that's the case for large industrial boilers as well as household appliances. You can look at your use level and see that the

That said, we also have an unvented gas stove in our house, although we did just buy a vent for it. The CO detector is in the same room and has never even been elevated, let alone gone off.

I just looked at our summer gas bill (so no heating) and we used 15 therms/month. That's 0.0015 mmcf, so it results in 0.126 lbs/month CO using 84 lbs CO/mmcf. That includes our water heater, which is in another location and is vented. Our CO detector in the kitchen has never gone up to 1 ppm.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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I'm ok with venting the stove to the outside, but I wonder how big of a deal it would be if I didn't. Thoughts?

I've used gas stoves & ovens my entire adult life.  Only the most recent has even had an exhaust hood.  I've never used it.  Contrary to popular belief, the largest component of 'natural gas' is hydrogen (not methane), and thus the exhaust consists primarily of water vapor.  Carbon monoxide is possible from unburned hydrocarbons, but that is very rare in the presence of hydrogen combustion.

In short, unless you can smell the gas or some other smoke, you have nothing to worry about.

I don't think you're right about that.

KCM5

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I'm ok with venting the stove to the outside, but I wonder how big of a deal it would be if I didn't. Thoughts?

I've used gas stoves & ovens my entire adult life.  Only the most recent has even had an exhaust hood.  I've never used it.  Contrary to popular belief, the largest component of 'natural gas' is hydrogen (not methane), and thus the exhaust consists primarily of water vapor.  Carbon monoxide is possible from unburned hydrocarbons, but that is very rare in the presence of hydrogen combustion.

In short, unless you can smell the gas or some other smoke, you have nothing to worry about.

I don't think you're right about that.


Yeah, that compostition graph is right. And in a perfect world, the methane, ethane, propane, butane and pentane will combust to create CO2 and H20. But that's not actualy how it works - combustion is never perfect and incomplete combustion creates CO. And the nitrogen means NOx, another hazardous air pollutant (see www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/ch01/final/c01s04.pdf).

forummm

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I'm ok with venting the stove to the outside, but I wonder how big of a deal it would be if I didn't. Thoughts?

I've used gas stoves & ovens my entire adult life.  Only the most recent has even had an exhaust hood.  I've never used it.  Contrary to popular belief, the largest component of 'natural gas' is hydrogen (not methane), and thus the exhaust consists primarily of water vapor.  Carbon monoxide is possible from unburned hydrocarbons, but that is very rare in the presence of hydrogen combustion.

In short, unless you can smell the gas or some other smoke, you have nothing to worry about.

I don't think you're right about that.


Yeah, that compostition graph is right. And in a perfect world, the methane, ethane, propane, butane and pentane will combust to create CO2 and H20. But that's not actualy how it works - combustion is never perfect and incomplete combustion creates CO. And the nitrogen means NOx, another hazardous air pollutant (see www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/ch01/final/c01s04.pdf).

You guys beat me to it. Hydrogen isn't even the largest component by weight of methane.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Natural gas combustion will create water too, because of the hydrogen bonded to the carbon in hydrocarbons, which maybe is what got MoonShadow turned around. But yes, it'll also make carbon monoxide. Millions of people have gas stoves in their homes that aren't vented without apparent ill effects, though.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!