The number of "adults" I have met who do not think they need to run the vent and/or open a window while burning gas in their homes is deeply troubling.
this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2026
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Routing our range hood to vent outside is the single best upgrade we've done to our house (but also the most annoying to DIY). I'd love to have induction but with gas the outside vented range makes the issue non existent.
Even with electric, range hoods should be required to vent outside always. I don't know why it's still legal to build homes that vent inside.
It isn't legal to build new homes that vent to the inside. In the US, there is no national build code, only states regulate code. But all states default to some minimum year of the ICC codes. At this point there are no remaining states where it is legal to have a new build vented inside.
This isn't to say though that some states were late to adopt a minimum year that finally included it and maybe your semi-new-ish house just barely fell under old regulations when it was built. That said, cities can also enforce a higher code if the building is being rented out and needs to have an occupancy license and may force an owner to do the upgrade before renting out.
Oh that's awesome! The last new build I rented was built in 2013 (Ohio) and it didn't vent outside, maybe just missed the cutoff.
To be fair, there are several 'types' of home that have ways of avoiding building codes. For example, Alaska is notorious for the most lax building codes and easiest to get around. Want to build your own bushman log cabin on your 100 acres that barely passes as a shack but won't immediately kill anyone? Go for it. But if you are a track home builder trying to stand up a new neighborhood, follow the code.
Huh never realized that for gas but makes sense. Parents had a gas stove that I hated turning it on as a teen cause if it didn't light I felt like I had to wait some time, don't recall thinking of the fan even then which would have been the obvious solution but then I wouldn't be sure the gas hasn't accumulated cause well no Google back then to check.
Usually gave it like 4 clicks (of the spark trying to light it) if not lit then wait a bit. I sort of wish I understood gasses better, even if I knew high school chemistry well at the time. Never had a gas one since I've been adult to think of that part.
The gas wouldn't have gone upwards into the vent. It's a heavy molecule for starters, but also just depressurized on release, making it colder. It'd sink down. The reason the vent is important when running is because the gas fumes are going to be significantly heated and rise via convection.
It's pressurized though. It's basically sprayed upwards in a cooktop, it's not going to rise but it'll mix into to the air for a good while
Look at the way it jets out. It jets sideways. The preview picture to this article even shows it. The only thing curving the flame upwards is convection. The instant the gas is out of the jet, it's depressurized
I've spent a lot of time testing and modifying my hvac and general home circulation. My main tool is a smoke pencil, basically a pushbutton vape. Air is stupidly stagnant. Suction vents have stupidly low influence over the air even within arm's length of the duct. Convection is the only thing carrying stove gasses upwards and if there's no heat because it's not lit, the methane isn't going up on its own. Just diffusing into the air with a preference for sinking. But the amount coming out is pretty low for a reasonable lighting attempt and the dangerous ignitable level is much, much higher than what that attempt will dispense. A couple flaps with a hand towel or toaster tray will disperse it plenty for good measure
You should open the window regardless of gas.
Cooking is not an environmentally friendly action lol, and it also releases plenty of bad shit for you to breathe.
Life isn't perfect guys, sorry bout it.
Uh oh, the right-wingers are gonna lose their shit again.
I don't understand why gas stoves are still the default. When you step back and think about it its crazy that we still have an appliance which produces an open flame in our homes. Not to mention that it's one of the most used things in the house (probably).
Where in the world are they still the default?
Large cities, I know where I'm from is mostly gas and it's only 300,000, Google says that "Densely populated urban states like New York, New Jersey, Illinois (including Chicago), and California report that roughly 60% to 70% of households use gas for cooking, compared to a national average of about 38%"
Oh, the US
They're not really common in homes almost anywhere else in the world, tbf. I haven't seen one in europe in decades.
The US are major exporters of LNG. It is cheap and effective in the US. When Europe was importing the majority of its gas, it makes sense they'd transition away when there's other options available.
Everything is cost related. The cost of transitioning in the US doesn't make sense. I have gas appliances, and it'd be silly to transition to electric.
Burning fossil fuels kills more than 250,000 people a year in the US. We know gas stoves contribute to that number by releasing measurable benzene (a known carcinogen). Please, tell us the cost of a human life. So that you can justify your comment that "it'd be silly to transition to electric."
I appreciate what you're saying. I see oil and gas deaths closer to 91,000, which is obviously too many, and it comes down to proper ventilation. Shit, I know I cook with windows open, and I know that was the norm when I was growing up, but mainly because it got hot af. And so, unfortunately, when you factor in the safety measures, the cost of transitioning 47 million homes to electric stoves becomes a burden.
And I don't know what the cost of a human life is. I hear this "If you save one life" thing, and I'm not sure it means anything. I've heard people spout it at hearings for cell phone towers. In an ideal world we'll achieve this perfection where nothing we do has any risk to anyone, but it's not realistic. We will always find some way to kill ourselves.
That's a lot of deflection and minimization of the issue. It's WAY more than 91,000. Give the value of a human life. I dare you. Only then can you make an argument as to what is cost effective and what is not. BTW, throwing in the complete BS about cell phone towers makes you look like a complete buffoon.
Edit: Since you did no research other than asking AI how many people are killed/year by fossil fuels (and immediately went for the lowest estimate lol), I went ahead and did the work for you. AI gives the statistical value of a human life in the US between $13.1 million-$13.7 million. Multiple that by a few hundred thousand lives PER YEAR, and it makes your argument that "it would cost too much" pretty childish. Most Americans have been convinced by their corporate overlords (which includes the fossil fuel industry) that they don't deserve any rights, and you are a perfect example. Be better.
Once You get access to (pipes), it's commonly way cheaper. Extra cheaper if You have old house, made with old tech that would be extra expensive to turn into electric heating.
If You have fair income, ok, go full electric, but for many who lives from check to check in many areas, the gas do matter.
The difference may be quite big if You live in country without fairly cheap nuclear energy, unsure i'd call green energy extra cheap. Then often mining lobby may do harm even to gov, to keep unclean and expensive energy as main source of any electricity.
Also is gas so default? Afaik, if some gonna build whole building, within new tech, it is more common to go full electricity, without any gas connection - many decide to skip getting pipes (save lots once), even if that would mean paying slightly more (per year, long term, but who knows future prices, for how long calculations).
Gas companies push gas stoves and dryers because once you have those comparatively low usage devices they can sell you on gas water heaters and furnaces which are the real money makers for them.
Also, a lot of older homes don't have a high enough amperage on their electric service to power a bunch of 240V devices. But there's no excuse for new builds outside of the local grid not being able to handle it.
Even with cheap nuclear here. My old house's connection to the grid is inadequate for switching to full electric. Getting the power company to come and upgrade the connection is prohibited expensive even before replacing all my gas powered appliances.
And heat is hot. Who would have thought that having a gas canister in your home and having it burn natural gas INSIDE of your home could somehow worsen indoor air quality. Why don’t we just put our gas grill inside as well because clearly big electricity is just spreading fake news that gas is bad.
but there is NO SMOKE
But... it smells so good :(
I like having a backup heating/cooking source in case of power outage, still far too common for me here in Chicago with the above ground power lines. I have electric space heaters and then of course my gas furnace and fireplace.
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