Why would my stove start smelling like kerosene?

[Bigtanker]

When I started up my gas stove to cook supper tonight, I started to get a slight odor of kerosene. We've been doing a bit of staining today but my wife said she has been smelling it the past few days before we started the staining.

Is my range going bad? The flames are a nice blue color. It is older, probably 20+ years if I had to guess. I did the match test at each burner on top of the stove. No extra fire or anything.

I've never heard of this before but searching online does say it could be a bad range. I guess I don't understand how the smell could change.

Thoughts?

 

[Leadeye]

What sort of stain? Most modern solvent wiping stains have a lot of mineral spirits in them that has a kerosene like smell. Gas should have no smell other than the mercaptan they use to make it stink.

 

[dprimm]

Anyone give you and upper decker in it?

 

[Creedmoor]

Anyone give you and upper decker in it?

Now thats ****ing funny.

 

[JCSR]

Nice blue flame is good.
Rotten egg smell is bad. (leak)

What could be happening is called "product of combustion". In the house someone used or opened some sort of stain, paint, varnish or comparable compound including cleaners. The molecules carry over and get mixed in with air and then burned off from open flame. If you light a candle or a lighter you will smell the same odor, although not as strong- the more flame the stronger the odor. The odor should dissipate over the next few days after there are no more molecules from the source left in the air.

Now this contradicts what your wife is saying. So tread lightly my friend.

 

[Lee11b]

A

When I started up my gas stove to cook supper tonight, I started to get a slight odor of kerosene. We've been doing a bit of staining today but my wife said she has been smelling it the past few days before we started the staining.

Is my range going bad? The flames are a nice blue color. It is older, probably 20+ years if I had to guess. I did the match test at each burner on top of the stove. No extra fire or anything.

I've never heard of this before but searching online does say it could be a bad range. I guess I don't understand how the smell could change.

Thoughts?

Aldehydes!!!!! The flame on your gas range is burning at 3400 degrees. It will take the vapors of any solvent and turn it into another smell and even change the color.

 

[Lee11b]

Kerosene smell is popular with stains, varnishes and lacquers

 

[Creedmoor]

Nice blue flame is good.
Rotten egg smell is bad. (leak)

What could be happening is called "product of combustion". In the house someone used or opened some sort of stain, paint, varnish or comparable compound including cleaners. The molecules carry over and get mixed in with air and then burned off from open flame. If you light a candle or a lighter you will smell the same odor, although not as strong- the more flame the stronger the odor. The odor should dissipate over the next few days after there are no more molecules from the source left in the air.

Now this contradicts what your wife is saying. So tread lightly my friend.

Excellent Post.

 

[Lee11b]

Best thing you can do is ventilate the room or house.

 

[JCSR]

A

Aldehydes!!!!! The flame on your gas range is burning at 3400 degrees. It will take the vapors of any solvent and turn it into another smell and even change the color.

 

[JCSR]

Excellent Post.

May I have a cookie?

 

[Creedmoor]

May I have a cookie?

I can send you my ex's Box of Porn?

 

[JCSR]

I can send you my ex's Box of Porn?

No thanks, my orifices are all exit only.

 

[Lee11b]

High humidity will cause natural gas to burn yellow. We get a lot of calls for this. It can take months for a gas stove to burn blue again. This is okay though. As long as the tips in the flame are distinct and touching. You can still safely humidify your home but your stove is going to be yellow.

 

[Bigtanker]

Best thing you can do is ventilate the room or house.

We've done that.

 

[KG1]

I smell methane gas in the living room coming from the vicinity of an easy chair recliner.

 

[BugI02]

By kerosine smell, do you mean what a kerosine burner smells like in use or the smell of the liquid, unburned fuel

A smell usually interpreted as burning kerosine is common during inefficient/incomplete combustion quite often of plastics or organics. Maybe check for spills on/under burners that are getting slowly burned off during use. Thanksgiving cooking is really good for all sorts of stuff to be spattered all over during prep/stirring etc

 

[Bigtanker]

The smell was the same as if you had a kerosene heater going.

We had the house aired out yesterday and didn't stain today. I put a pot of water on the stovetop and brought it to a boil. No smell.

So us "recalling" the smell was a trick of our mind.