I did the math on my gas stove and it blew my mind

So I was reading this report from Stanford last week about methane leaks from gas stoves, and I found out that even when your stove is turned off, it can leak a tiny amount of methane. I have a gas stove, like most people in my neighborhood. But here is the kicker that got me: the researchers said that over a year, the methane leaking from just one stove has the same warming effect as driving a car for about 2.5 miles a day. That really stuck with me because I always just thought of my stove as fine since I only use it to cook. I checked my stove with a little handheld methane detector I borrowed from a friend, and sure enough, it was leaking a tiny bit from the knob seals. I never even thought about that before. Has anyone else here actually checked their stove for leaks or looked into switching to induction? I did not realize how much background pollution my kitchen was putting out.

2 comments

2 Comments

umab3525d ago

Leaking a tiny bit from the knob seals" doesn't sound like something to panic over... I get that methane is bad but we're talking about such small amounts here. A car driving 2.5 miles a day is nothing compared to what comes out of a factory or a truck on the highway.

sagea8825d ago

2.5 miles a day" wait are you serious @umab35? that's actually insane lol.