A parent shared a disturbing story in the r/Home subreddit about a contractor installing their gas stove incorrectly, potentially exposing their family to toxic gases.
"I just found out our gas stove may have been poisoning my family for years," they said in the post.
They explained that after buying a new home four years ago, they noticed the over-the-range microwave wasn't venting correctly, judging by the cabinets that would constantly get covered with smoke. However, after technicians came out to diagnose the problem, they were unable to find the cause.
The homeowner ended up finding the issue after replacing their microwave: a faulty blower unit that was recirculating the gas fumes from the stove back into the house.
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Considering they have two children with special health care needs and the contract they signed said the home was up to code, the parent has every right to be concerned, especially since fumes from gas stoves are known to cause health problems.
"I don't know what to do, or if I should do anything," they said. "I'm definitely replacing it and it will properly vented. How worried should I be about the implications of long term exposure?"
One person seemed to think it wasn't a major issue, writing: "So if you're over the range hood wasn't venting correctly, you've been breathing in your cooking fumes and perhaps retaining more grease and particulate in the house than you would've otherwise, but there's nothing dangerous about any of that. Most homes don't have venting hoods to begin with."
"There's a chance you had little exposure. I had almost the same thing and none of my carbon monoxide alarms went off and all said zero," someone else said. "I bought a second one by another company and places it in a different place and that said the same thing, zero. I could be wrong about this but I did some research and I saw something called complete combustion. I think if the oven is in perfect working order it might produce very little carbon monoxide."
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But according to Clea Deep, a kitchen ventilation and air purification company, cooking without proper ventilation can be dangerous, contributing to high levels of indoor air pollution, fire hazards, and moisture issues. And since the children in the home have health problems, it makes the situation even more serious.
Nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter are just some of the pollutants released from cooking on gas stoves. Without proper ventilation, these fumes remain trapped inside, putting everyone at risk.
That's why many people are switching to induction stoves, which run on electromagnetic fields to induce an electrical current in cookware. If you switch, you can get up to $840 off an induction stove through the Inflation Reduction Act and enjoy more savings and faster cooking times compared to both electric and gas stoves.
But if you're renting or don't want to invest in a full range, a plug-in version that fits on your countertop will work just as well, and you can find some models for just $50.
Another Reddit user reassured the homeowner, writing: "Don't worry about 4 years. You found it, you're fixing it. Once the vent is fixed, still open a window when you cook or get an air purifier in your kitchen and you'll really help the air pollution in your kitchen/house, and probably end up ahead of the game compared to someone who had a working vent the whole time."
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