I came home the other night to find the house filled with gas. Mother had turned on the stove and did not notice that the pilot light did not catch. She is 87 and could not smell the gas (I found several articles that noted that loss of smell is common). I was babysitting my grandchild and almost ended up staying overnight at my daughter's. If I had, mother and the dogs would have been dead by morning.
I have found a couple of alarms (First Alert and Kidde brands) that are specific for natural gas, but found mixed reviews on both. Does anybody have any experience with either? Or any suggestions of another brand?
Thanks.
Carbon Monoxide or CO is heavier than air; alarm should be near the floor.
Neither one will help with active burners left on.
The safest thing to do is turn the gas off when you are not home. Pull the knobs off the burners and take them with you, or if the gas line is accessible, turn off the stopcock on the flex line.
house alarm would make.
At first, Mom was not happy about being banned from the stove. She didn't seem to understand how dangerous it was. We went through the phase of her looking and sometimes finding the knobs. It took a little for her to get used to someone else cooking in the kitchen but it's an adjustment that had to be made for safety's sake.