Are You Prepared? Maybe Home Inspectors Can Weigh In On This Subject...

Yikes....thank heavens there were no injuries. Very scary. We do all we can, but sometimes it's just not enough and we need to know what to do in emergencies.

Annual servicing of your heating/AC system by homeowners is somewhat standard here.

Gas, especially advised!!!

Well....  Sounds like there must have been a prior gas leak which was finally ignited with her last use of the appliance.  Modern appliances have electronic igniters and no pilots or thermo-couplers to worry about.  You still have gas connectors, valves, and regulators to worry about. 

On another note, don't forget to install the anti-tip device at free standing ranges.  A child can open the door, climb onto the door and the entire appliance can flip over onto the child or burn them from falling hot items.

Al & Peggy,

I agree with the annual servicing and another thing to consider is the flexible supply line which is known to leak, your local hardware store should be able to tell you which type to replace it with.

I hope Russel Ray stops by...his expertise would be very helpful.

I'm gonna be watching this thread to see if more home inspectors weigh in . . . a really close call for that homeowner!

How frightening - I'm so glad no one was injured.  I will be watching the comments for more information.

Clean your stoves and ovens!

When you cook and splatter grease and whatever else all over the place, that gunk can clog your burners. Additionally, the mere burning of gas creates some gunky byproducts that can also clog your burners. Clean, clean, clean your gas cooktops!

I have a Mexican fiesta party the first Saturday of each month. Friends come over for Mexican food and margaritas, but before they get anything, everyone opens and closes a door or window (I have vinyl multipane doors and windows) and people clean mirrors, cabinets, countertops, range hood, cook top, oven, etc. Once they are done with that, they can eat and drink as much as they want, all on me.

I actually use a toothpick to poke into the burner jets. The wood will crush before it will do any damage to the burner jets. Don't use an icepick because you will cause damage, I guarantee it.

Then, of course, have all of your gas appliances inspected and tested by a qualified plumbing professional (here in San Diego) or whomever takes care of gas plumbing in your locale.

Hi Al and Peggy - I've never had a gas stove and never plan to have one.

I was not aware that a gas stove should have an annual inspection and this is a valuable service announcement that you have made.

Great point Al & Peggy, I check each year and have a pro come in every other year. My pellet stove came with a great dvd showing exactly what and how to inspect each year, that dvd is great. I wish all appliances came with something similar. Have a great weekend my friends...

A&P, This may have been one of those rare instances, where the igniter failed to spark on that burner and ignite the gas. It looks as if fumes built up and the spark from another burner ignited the fumes and then, POOF!!!. A good word to the wise: periodically have your igniters periodically serviced. If the burner does not ignite within 2-3 seconds shut down the fuel source as the igniter may not be functioning properly...

Helping you help others live their American dream...

Maybe the time has come to introduce sprinkler systems, not just alarms into our building code...

RUSSEL you are the coolest guy! :)

I'm glad to know I'm doing the right thing by using a toothpick to clear the gas jets on my stove.

Al & Peggy - I'm glad to hear everyone was safe.  Unfortunately I have electric, so I don't have to worry about this, but it's nice to hear from some inspectors on how this can be prevented.

Fire has to be one of the scariest things out there.  Thank goodness they were safe!

I can't add anything to what Russel said in his comment. I'm lucky that I get free tips and tricks from him to pass on to my Clients in my monthly newsletter.