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Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

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Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#21

Post by Spivak »

i80and wrote: post #12
zeroonetwothree wrote: post #5

There was a bunch of articles about this in 2020. After looking into the data my conclusion is the threat is overblown (big surprise), a large part of it is from cooking of any kind (heating produces particulates) and that if you take some basic precautions (open a window, use vent fan) the risk is very low.

It is extremely common, even default in the US in my experience, to not have vent fans not actually... vent. As a renter, I don't really get a choice in the matter. Opening a window significantly is also pretty unfeasible most of the year.

In new construction people are installing those microwave vents that literally do nothing except blow the air out the top of the microwave. It’s not totally worthless but it’s next to worthless.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#22

Post by [deleted] »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #5

There was a bunch of articles about this in 2020. After looking into the data my conclusion is the threat is overblown (big surprise), a large part of it is from cooking of any kind (heating produces particulates) and that if you take some basic precautions (open a window, use vent fan) the risk is very low.

[deleted]

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#23

Post by julianeon »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #5

There was a bunch of articles about this in 2020. After looking into the data my conclusion is the threat is overblown (big surprise), a large part of it is from cooking of any kind (heating produces particulates) and that if you take some basic precautions (open a window, use vent fan) the risk is very low.

I live in a part of California where the air is bad for a significant portion of the year - no less than one tenth to one quarter of the year. So opening the window wouldn’t save me from particulates & pollution - in fact, it would introduce them. The only solution for us is to not introduce them in the first place.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#24

Post by jimhefferon »

philips wrote: post #4

Relatedly I found this video on electric kettles vs gas stove efficiency for heating water pretty illuminating too: https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c?t=763 The summary is that a cheap electric kettle can boil water way faster and with far less wasted energy than a stove top kettle.

What about compared to putting a cup in a kitchen microwave?

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#25

Post by cplusplusfellow »

i80and wrote: post #12
zeroonetwothree wrote: post #5

There was a bunch of articles about this in 2020. After looking into the data my conclusion is the threat is overblown (big surprise), a large part of it is from cooking of any kind (heating produces particulates) and that if you take some basic precautions (open a window, use vent fan) the risk is very low.

It is extremely common, even default in the US in my experience, to not have vent fans not actually... vent. As a renter, I don't really get a choice in the matter. Opening a window significantly is also pretty unfeasible most of the year.

Do you also have a gas stove? I’ve lived in lots of places that have unvented blowers but none of them had gas. Would be against code in almost every city in America.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#26

Post by chomp »

achenatx wrote: post #14
philips wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are you heating your home? Most methane furnace designs use electric blowers to actually get the heat into the home (at least in North America).

in the texas freeze last year natural gas never stopped flowing even though power was out for about 5 days. I cut the wire to my gas furnace and put a plug on the end. My small 2kw generator could easily run the blower on my gas furnace. We could still cook food on our gas stove. We still had hot water from our gas hot water heater (though the pipes eventually froze).

During the freeze, my family of four lived in the living room huddled around the gas fireplace. Stayed relatively warm and only needed a C cell to keep the gas flowing.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#27

Post by ineedasername »

I think this may get the cause of health issues like asthma at least partially wrong. Perhaps natural gas plants a part, I don't know, but it tends to be used in cooking much more often in more densely populated areas which also happen to be in closer proximity to polution-producing industries.

The infrastructure for running natural gas lines costs money, so it is most economical in these more densely populated areas. Within 30 miles of where I live natural gas is dominant, but further out from this suburb of a major city electric heat and electric stoves are significant more common.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#28

Post by ajross »

7speter wrote: post #19
philips wrote: post #4

Relatedly I found this video on electric kettles vs gas stove efficiency for heating water pretty illuminating too: https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c?t=763 The summary is that a cheap electric kettle can boil water way faster and with far less wasted energy than a stove top kettle.

This assumes you (everyone) live(s) in a building whose circuit breaker won’t trip when you plug in said kettle. And it can cost a pretty penny to get a building up to this standard.

Old buildings aren't really the subject at hand, though[1]. Ideas about replacing standard cooking appliances are aimed at new construction and renovation. If you can afford to put in an induction range, you can surely run a wire for it.

[1] Though it must also be pointed out that older housing stock tends very strongly to be electric anyway. Gas cooktops have always been high end devices. People renting buildings in old urban neighborhoods never installed them.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#29

Post by cplusplusfellow »

liketochill wrote: post #18
achenatx wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in the texas freeze last year natural gas never stopped flowing even though power was out for about 5 days. I cut the wire to my gas furnace and put a plug on the end. My small 2kw generator could easily run the blower on my gas furnace. We could still cook food on our gas stove. We still had hot water from our gas hot water heater (though the pipes eventually froze).

Why did pipes freeze with furnace fan on generator ?

Poor construction of pipes in exterior walls with degraded insulation.

Re: Gas stoves are more hazardous than we’ve been led to believe (2020)

#30

Post by melolife »

hoppyhoppy2 wrote: post #11
philips wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are you heating your home? Most methane furnace designs use electric blowers to actually get the heat into the home (at least in North America).

They're talking about gas stoves, which are designed for cooking but can be repurposed in a pinch as an emergency heat source.

They really can't because of the ventilation requirements and the amount of water vapor produced.
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