Gas Stove Reality Check: Why Banning Gas Cooking is Not the Whole Story 

I understand what you're saying. But what concerns me is that we're adding device upon device, system upon system in our homes and creating a fragile, complex, and most likely incorrect/incomplete home. The difference in complexity from your tiny home to your new home is massive. Despite all your efforts to get it right in your tiny home, you found flaws and tried a different (and, again, even more complex) route in your new home. Alls I want to do is live comfortably, economically, and healthy. Watching videos like this one makes me think "Screw it! I'll just cook outside."

When we were looking at rentals, we always flagged units that had no range exhaust and considered it a serious negative. There are so many older homes that are ages behind getting the basics like this right.

I'd be interested to see how good various hood-situations are at mitigating the NOx and particulates. For example, say a given gas stove generates 1 unit of NOx and a given 100 CFM fan mitigates X% of that. A 400 CF hood mitigates Y%. Obviously, geometry changes things, but seeing the order of magnitude would be super helpful.

Banning or inventing is never the solution especially on its own. Education is, why can't we start educating people on stuff that affects our life like this so they can make educated decisions and then force market forces to change.

I am kind of in love with the idea of summer kitchens. I think a modern variation could be sectioned off from the rest of the house and conditioned differently so that heat, moisture, smoke intensive food prep processes are sequestered from the main living areas. With a smaller, more discreet food preparation area fully inside for daily use. People build out crazy kitchens so they have infrastructure available for holiday’s festivities but cook most of their food in one pan on a cooktop. And it all has to look really nice while it’s sitting there not being used. Having it sectioned off where utility air quality are the goals and aesthetics are less important makes more sense to me.

So, it would be interesting to see an FDA-style nutrition type label on these cooktops so that we can more easily compare the performance of different units in different ways, and therefore make a more informed decision. In the meanwhile, it would be interesting if you could do this kind of comparison between different types of cooktops so that we can at least understand the magnitude of the problem that they're trying to address.

A damper by itself might not be a good enough solution depending how far it is. Matt Risinger made a video that shows a powered make up damper with a fan. Besides that as always great information on the video.

Retired electrical engineer here. Studied power engineering. An electric oven generates 3 times the co2 as a gas oven. shocking isn't it. If you have a gas stove and use 1 gallon of propane a week to do your cooking, then convert to an electric oven, the power company will have to burn 3 gallons of propane to produce the electricity you need to cook. Power companies operate at about a 30 to 35% thermal efficiency. Burning a fossil fuel to create heat is almost 100% efficient. But converting that heat to electric power and 70% of heat energy in propane is thrown a away as waste heat. This thermodynamic result was proven by the scientist Sadi Carnot about two centuries ago. It a direct consequence of the first and second law of thermodynamics. 1. Energy can not be created or destroyed, only changed in form. 2. Entropy in any closed system can only increase. The electric grid itself has typical losses of about 9%. But the heat engine all power plants use struggle to be better that 30% efficient. So it would be very beneficial to the planet if you got rid of your electric oven and got a gas oven. Assuming you believe co2 is serious problem. Although given that co2 levels were 10 times higher during the Cambrian explosion of life, when Greenland was actually a green land and reptiles lived in the antarctic, I have doubts as to the seriousness of the high co2 levels. That calculation will tilt toward electric ovens generating less co2 if you are getting power from a nuclear power plant, or from a fossil fuel powered plant that is doing carbon capture. But carbon capture is many years in the future. and wind and solar don't work at night, when all do our cooking and charging of cars. Kevin

A 2015 study by the California Energy Commission of over 5,000 homes found that more than half of them (51%) had no exhaust hoods or fans. A 2016 study conducted for the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration News (“AH&RN”) showed that 79 percent of surveyed homeowners said they either didn’t have or didn’t know if they had an exhaust fan over their stove. These produce an estimated 100 million American homes cooking without venting the exhaust gases to outside. Research shows that what you cook accounts for the vast majority of emissions. For example olive oil, one of the most common cooking ingredients, generates 17x more emissions than gas stoves without reaching it's smoke point. This makes ventilation the key mitigating factor for indoor air quality and as pointed out above, a significant portion of the population either doesn't have it or simply recirculates the air into the wall space to leak back into your living area. Hence the CPSC could not outright "ban" gas stoves from being sold to consumers, as there is a rule which would remedy the danger. That rule? The CPSC could require that all new stoves included ventilation equipment. In other words "ban" selling just the gas stove itself. Without building and housing codes being updated to require external ventilation, you certainly could throw away the now included hood when renovating. But its inclusion in the cost of buying a new stove rather than a 'optional upgrade' helps to mitigate this too. After all, if you bought it, you might as well install it.

As a plumber i can tell you , there are minimum venting requirements for all gas appliances. It has never been a problem up until now. Home designs are changing.

I’m always surprised when people cook without their range hood. Even if you’re not into air quality, do they really want their house/cloths/hair to smell?

This is coming from the same government that says eating lucky charms are better for you then eating steak or eggs.

Could you do a video on where to install the exhaust vents for a make-up air system? I've heard in the toe-kicks beside the stove, behind the stove. above the stove, across the room. Then there's the amount of air - 60% of the air supply should come from those toe-kick vents and 40% from a vent on the other side of the room. Other sites say that you should provide 50% of the air near the stove and the rest can come in from an adjacent room. Perhaps you could draw out two different kitchen plans - one with the kitchen more isolated in it's own room and one where it is part of a great room and show where to place the vents?

Thanks for this. Easily broken down and demystified. The ease of freaking out over one "new" study is... well... easy. Going to use this video today in conversation with staff about systems thinking and current events.

Here in SoCal, our home built circa 1987 had no outside vent for the gas range hood……just blew the exhaust gases at the cooks face and into the kitchen😂 For manufacturers, more money from fewer skus and higher unit volumes.

The pressure relief system is interesting. But most houses have multiple exhausts. Do you know of a similar system that would measure the pressure inside the house (referenced to outside) and open the damper or operate a fan to keep DP ~0?

Interesting explanation. I'll bet few people have given thought to where the air is coming from while that fan is exhausting those cooking fumes. My last home was fairly air tight and when I ran the fan (always), I would crack open a kitchen window. Not only did it prevent/reduce air getting pulled down the chimney, it also helped the fan perform better! In fact, if I forgot to open a window, the fan would remind me when it's sound changed as the pressure in the house was lowered. Once the window was opened slightly, the fan would return to normal speed. Also, there will never be a hook on my pot rack for anything with a non stick coating.

I’ve got a pop up vent. Not really sure how effective it is. Can’t be nearly as good a full overhead hood. I figure the ERV will make up the difference. I use Home Assistant automation to kick the ERV to boost mode when VOCs go up on my Awair. There are many cool custom solutions you can do if you geek out with Home Assistant.

Well that's why there's an exhaust fan hood over the stove that removes those floating particles and sends them outside

The increasing "tightness" of our homes is a large part of the situation-not problem. Loosely built homes allowed a large amount of infiltration through the home. Now with tight homes, the lack of infiltration allows "bad" things to remain inside. Along with banning gas ranges, the ban will also have to include all the aerosols that are currently used--deodorants, cleaners, hair sprays, etc. When vent hoods become required for kitchens and bathrooms; where will the intake openings be located?

Sorry. Not getting rid of my gas cooktop. I will always cook with gas. I paid Atlanta Gas Light $3700 to extend a gas line from down the road so I could have gas cooking and gas furnaces at our new build. Cooking dinner on my Bosch cooktop with Fantech ~800CFM range hood fan as I watch this video. Also installed one of the Fantech silencers per your recommendation and love it! So quiet! I wired my makeup air damper right into the fan switch. Whenever the hood fan turns on, the damper opens. Also have an airthings wave between the kitchen and living room to measure PM counts.

Good ideas don't require force. The unintended consequences of banning things is worse than the problems it prevents. #NonAggressionPrinciple

With power outages as common as they are, more common in some parts of the U.S. than others, a ban on gas water heaters and stoves is almost criminal. How about our government focuses on removing all of the asbestos that still exists in thousands upon thousands of homes built before the 1990s. There should be a superfund to clean up that mess.

My wife hates running the vent fan. Although microwave over the stove is a handy location.. Its horrible for capturing the fumes. Small fan, and doesnt come out far enough. The fan should also come on automatically when stove is turned on.

great rundown.

So should we work on creating the perfect body? Or the perfect home?

How do you Properly vent a tent chimney or covered patio kitchen? I have used these things, yet don't know the official industry safety factors. All I know is what my particulate readers spiking and dropping when I toy around with certail settings implies. Also FYI most reasearch I've read implies that humidity/water in the air lowers carbon monoxide production during combustion, which is important if you arctic camp with a tent pipe stove that can get neer covered with snow drifts.

Lungs are babies... not a good analogy

A smidge off topic, but the vid clip that you showed for damper/make-up air. Is that filtered at all or just direct from outside?

The CPSC cannot ban gas stoves. They do not have any legal authority to do so. All they can do is make recommendations to congress.

Private jets, private helos, private yatchs and WARS create most of the greenhouse gasses, compared to small businesses and residential appliences.

Are they doing away with gas combustion because air condtioners are going to a2l refrigerants?

Awesome video!

It does seem that vent hoods should have both inflow and outflow. Maybe have outdoor air vented in around the edge of the hood.

What about the built in ovens? They vent their NOx and particulates into in the room too. What do we do for that?

it would be interesting to measure the noxious gases created from gas cooktops vs non gas cooktop.

If anyone thinks the government passes laws based on what’s good for Americans. I have some ocean front property for sale.

My family has been cooking with nat gas stoves for generations dating back to the 1920s. Their housing still exist through out New England. I don't recall of any talk of them being sick in general no less to a gas stove. I don't fully agree with the speculation that gas stoves in the off state are not shut off 100% as the pressure is so little is fairly easy to design and historically has been established with valves. I do worry about the fossil fuels that will be required to burn, bringing water to a high pressure boiling point with the huge latent heat requirements to spin turbines at electric power plants that will also add most water vapor to the atmosphere with cooling tower requirements along with transmission line losses to use and electric device instead of gas. Also grew up where having windows open was common.

so, here is where income inequality comes into play. it's great that people like you who understand or build these higher-end homes can help people understand the whole picture, but it really doesn't speak to those who can't afford homes with real vent hoods, make-up air ERVs, home dehumidifiers. I've lived in homes/apartments with the ol' microwave over the stove with a recirculating hood and maybe a carbon filter. I've also lived in homes with gas range and no vent hood at all. When I first moved out and my bills were more than I may take home, there was no way I could even consider any of those solutions, not to mention I was renting someone's condo. So, no.. just removing one thing is not the full answer, but it's a step in the right direction of protecting people who might not otherwise be able to afford "systems think"

Nice systems think drop in this video. Homes a whole of many systems!

The small amount of gas leaking from your gas cooktop can cause young children to develop asthma.

Well-explained, thx.

One major advantage of Induction over gas is there will never be a leak that causes an explosion leveling your house and maybe your neighbor's house as well!

A ban on the manufacture of gas cooktops will make their repair more popular.

This is all really good, but I was told on TV to be outraged. And I can only stay angry at XBOX and M&M’s for so long.

Really good explanation.

It's super crazy when you actually look into the stats of what percentage of the world dies of cooking fume related desieses. Cartiovascular and respretory desieses are the largest cause of deaths internationally. This is especially true in Developing countries where rough inificient burning covered stoves causes huge death, birth defect, and disabilities among the woman who tend the smoke shack fires and stovetops. This can often be the primary income source for many low income families. This may be 2+ video ideas, but It would be cool for your to do a low dollar basic fume reduction listical for "off grid" tent situations, or bad appartment exaust where you can't retrofit the structure. And then show a "owner/developer" way around camp stove poison, or minimally invasive appartment retrofits. Even camp sites should theoretically care about the poison levels guests are exposed to. Its sort of why "Solo" stoves have gotten so popular, less obvious poison.

I miss asbestos. I miss formaldehyde in insulation. I miss ground radiation in the basement. I miss noxious emissions from carpetings and furniture. I miss flammable material in clothing. I miss hazardous chemicals in shampoos. I miss tampered with medicines.

7:10 if users, installers were doing their job properly , governments don't have to do anything. that is important thing to remember. That way, you would understand that this negativity is not warranted at all.

what are your rhoights of a recurculating range hood fitted with plasma filter?

As always, great content!

@Home Performance Seriously? Corbett, your content overall is wonderful and fills a void of real building science education for those like me who are very interested in it. This video was a marked departure from your otherwise rich educational content, and I felt like nobody else was giving this feedback so I decided to chime in. If you're not interested in taking honest constructive feedback then simply don't read comments.

I bought a portable induction cooktop which enabled me to cook in the balcony. :)

Thanks! You make me wanna cook outside only. haha

The one thing we rarely ever see correctly done, even if they do install a range hood. Is what you mentioned about correct size. Smaller hoods are cheaper.. therefore, they check off that box as a exhaust hood was installed. If somebody wants a visual demonstration of how much exhaust and particulate material is missing the hood and bypassing and going back into the building . Just boil for large 12 inch pans like you’re sautéing on all four corners of your burners. Turn on your hood and you will see how much completely Mrs. going into the hood and actually rolls around the sides and the front into the building. Cheap landlords, uneducated, homebuyers and fast build cheap track housing all share this common fatal problem . Oh yeah, cannot exclude expensive track, housing complexes, townhouses apartment buildings, etc. etc..

So you're ok with this because they're not breaking into houses and taking the gas stoves by force.

Great explanation. Only the govt. can come up with one solution for every home. My range hood is installed properly, so why am I being punished? Typical...

So what do you do if you have no power .

Gas stoves are not good for your health. NO2.

Ban humans too!

I get that you're trying to get views off of a very popular topic, but you kind of invalidate yourself in your own video. You point out that gas emits methane but don't write it down. You point out that people are regularly poisoned but don't write it down. Honestly, it's pretty apparent that you're not talking about something you either don't know a lot about or are showing your bias. I would be interested to see randomized controlled trials referenced of the health impact of having gas in the home, whether in a stove or otherwise.

It is a terrible idea to ban new ones... how many homes are wired for a 50 amp stove service. It'd be in the 100s of billions to upgrade every home.

I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk, but considering all these problems came to light once we all started to live in airtight homes ,maybe the problem is our homes being airtight. Our grandparents didn't see these problems. They also didn't have mold issues. Just saying....

I live in a house rental. With a gas oven and no ventilation. I have noticed it has cause my wife and to feel like shit

The real problem here is the Department of Energy. Nobody realizes how much power they give to wacos they put in charge of these agencies. It goes unchallenged by all and all you hear is complaining.

Sure they are coming for your gas stove you already have, but they are coming for future generations and likely will destroy and remove all available has stoves not yet owned! Soo yeah you are technically right but you are being disingenuous here. It's the future generations that will be most affect here and that is one thing we are worried about!

Here's a revolutionary new way to get fresh air into your house and pollutants out: open the frickin' window.

So that is what this is really about. Corporate profit. I guarantee none of this has anything to do with our health.

Yet another "only the ultra-rich" can afford to live. Just waking up in the morning is going to kill the rest of us.