Ventilation Louvres

Do natural gas stoves & ovens need ventilation?

The house I'm renting doesn't have any sort of vent over or around our stove that's run on natural gas. This doesn't seem that safe to me; I study science so it should be a clean burn, but I still can't see it being all that great for our health. Our landlords are irritated because we open the kitchen door when we cook to avoid inhalation of gas fumes. Anyone with more knowledge of kitchen appliances than I would would be of great help; apparently my Chemistry background isn't enough here. Thanks! None of the windows in the kitchen open, the only source of ventilation is the sliding glass door. My family at home always turns on the fan when we cook(on our natural gas stove), so I just got into the habit of it, and was annoyed when the rental house didn't have a fan or anything. It's also a fairly old & cheap model, it definitely does not have any sort of sensor on it. Thanks for all your input so far.

Public Comments

1. It depends on the stove. Many that are called ventless stoves do not require outside venting because they burn clean. They should also have a built in oxygen sensor so that if the oxygen level in the room drops below a safe level it will shut off the gas automatically.
2. the exposure you get from a kichen stove really wont harm you. just crack a window. Ever notice on Thanksgiving when the stove and oven are on all day...and after people eat they get sleepy? is it the food or the carbonmonoxide?
3. Sorry i don't much about appliances but I feel the same as you. I think it's safer to have some kind of ventilation because when we cook, I smell a slight gas odor at the beginning when the stove is on and also the frying and the burning odor are not that good to smell.
4. Many homes have natural gas stoves....but how often do you see the exhaust vents turned on? Not often unless you cook alot of bacon! Most homes have enough infiltration through the door ways, windows, and bathrooms to adquately ventilate the combustion products of a natural gas stove. I wouldn't worry Unless your home is exceptionally air tight.