We were discussing emergency preparedness today and it brought up a
question that I don't have an answer.
The local electric utility is pretty good about keeping the power supply on
but it's not impossible to lose power for 2 or 3 days. On the rare
occasion when that happens there are always a few deaths because someone
decides to heat their apartment with a charcoal BBQ. I'm not stupid enough
to do that, but I'm afraid I may be capable of doing something equally stupid.
I have a natural gas forced air furnace which needs electricity to operate,
and I piped my house so I could install a gas range and a gas fireplace
log. I also have a variety of items that run on propane.
My natural gas appliances, if installed according to code, are apparently
safe to use. But it's not clear to me whether propane is safe to use
indoors. One of the appliances I have is a simple two burner cast iron
stove that runs on propane. I also just salvaged a Jen-aire cooktop that
looks unused.
So I have a choice between a propane stove, a propane BBQ, and a natural
gas cooktop that I'd to use for cooking when the power is out. They all
seem to use gas under pressure and some sort of burner that has a valve and
a some sort of device to mix fuel/air so it will support combustion. None
of them have a flue like a fireplace or a furnace. I know that there are
laws governing these as there are probably safety issues but I don't
understand the differences. Which of these have the potential to kill me?
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