Should you smell gas when stove is on?

Author: Elmore Mraz  |  Last update: Sunday, November 30, 2025

An oven's igniter produces the energy that ignites the gas, preparing the oven to heat to your selected temperature. While it's normal to catch a whiff of gas when you first switch your oven on, you shouldn't smell it the whole time it runs.

Is it normal to smell gas when the stove is on?

No matter the age of your appliance, your oven should never be smelling like a gas while you are using it. If the gas valve is on and you hear a hissing sound, this could be caused by a puncture in your gas tank resulting in gas leakage.

How can I tell if my stove is leaking gas?

What To Look For
  • The gas flames on your stove are yellow, not blue.
  • You can smell gas near your stove, even if it's turned off.
  • If you touch the oven door, it's hot to the touch.
  • You can hear a hissing noise near your stove.

Is it normal to smell gas when you turn it on?

Sometimes, gas is released from your furnace every time you start it. The odor is usually faint and should dissipate within a short time when you open the windows. If the odor seems to be spread across your house and does not go away, it is probably a leak.

Is it normal to smell a little bit of gas?

No. The smell of gas is never ``normal''. That's why they put the most obnoxious odorants available in the gas, mimicking putrefied onions, so that people wouldn't get accustomed to it and consider it ``normal''. Open all the windows and make sure the house is well ventilated.

Smelling Gas From Your Oven This Is Why

What if I smell gas but no leak?

If your home smells like gas, but there's no apparent leak, here are steps you should follow: Ventilate the house by opening all windows and turning on ceiling fans. After this, if the smell is persistent, evacuate your home. Put out any materials that can create a flame or cause a spark, such as any open flames.

Is it normal to smell a little natural gas?

Natural gas has no odor. Gas companies add a harmless chemical called mercaptan to give it its distinctive “rotten egg” smell. All natural gas and propane pipeline gas in Connecticut is odorized. If you smell gas near an appliance, it may be just a pilot light that has gone out or a burner valve that is open slightly.

Is it normal to smell gas when turning on heating?

It's reasonable for a gas furnace to emit a bit of gas whenever it turns on due to its combustion process. The odor should be faint and disappear relatively quickly.

Is a faint smell of gas normal?

It's normal for a faint odor to remain after lighting a stove or if the pilot light in a hot water heater, gas fireplace or other appliance goes out. Nonetheless, any possible leak must be taken seriously, especially if the odor is strong, persistent, or accompanied by a hissing sound.

What to do if you leave a gas stove on without a flame?

Because natural gas and propane are odorless, gas companies add an odorant that smells like rotten eggs as a safety measure. If you detect that scent, it's a clear sign that gas is escaping into the air. You should turn off the stove, and you, your family, and any pets should leave immediately.

How do you know when your gas stove is going bad?

How Do I Know If My Gas Stove Is Broken? Signs that your gas stove is not working properly include smelling gas, the burners not lighting, strange noises, poor temperature control, or the flame color changing to red, yellow, or orange rather than blue.

Do gas stoves constantly leak gas?

In every perceptible way, gas stoves are fantastic. But their problems hide where we can't see or smell them. In a landmark new paper out of Stanford, published in Environmental Science & Technology, researchers discovered that gas stoves constantly leak methane into the air, even when turned off.

What are the symptoms of natural gas poisoning from a stove?

2. Be Aware of Physical Symptoms from a Natural Gas Leak
  • headaches, sometimes severe.
  • dizziness.
  • fatigue.
  • nausea.
  • irregular breathing.
  • chest pains.
  • memory problems.
  • blurred vision.

How to tell if gas leaks on a stove?

A tell-tale sign of a gas leak is a discoloured flame. Gas stoves should typically have a blue burner flame when ignited. A consistently yellow or orange flame, on the other hand, is not normal and is a sign of a gas leak.

Will a carbon monoxide detector detect a gas leak?

No, carbon monoxide (CO) alarms cannot detect natural gas leaks. They are designed to detect the presence of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas formed during incomplete combustion of fuels like oil, gas, propane, and wood.

Are gas stove fumes bad?

Cooking with gas can also emit carbon monoxide, particulate matter and even formaldehyde. Those all have various deleterious health impacts, and can affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. There's probably a more insidious form of pollution emanating from your stove.

Is it normal to smell a little gas near the stove?

Gas Smell: When the oven first starts, it is normal to detect an unusual odor coming from the range. This odor is caused by the combustion of gas at the burner and it will go away within a few minutes as the oven heats up.

Is a small gas leak acceptable?

Is a small gas leak dangerous? Yes, it is. A small gas leak can still catch on fire and trigger an explosion from another fire source or electrical spark.

Is it bad to smell a little bit of gas?

Many adverse health effects of gasoline are due to individual chemicals in gasoline, mainly BTEX, that are present in small amounts. Breathing small amounts of gasoline vapors can lead to nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and breathing difficulties.

How to detect a gas leak?

Think you smell natural gas?
  1. Listen. For a hissing, blowing, whistling or roaring sound.
  2. Smell. A distinct odor like rotten eggs or sulfur.
  3. Look. For blowing dirt, bubbling water or dead vegetation.

Why does my house smell like gas when I turn the oven on?

Double-check that the burner's knobs are switched off completely. If you still smell gas, your oven may have parts that need replacing or a leak in the gas line.

Should I be worried if my house smells like gas?

The scent resembles rotten eggs or sulfur. If you smell it, you'll quickly know you have a gas leak and should leave your house or building immediately.

Does a gas leak smell come and go?

Natural gas leaks are particularly likely to cause smells in small, enclosed areas where gas can build up. If the leak is outside, the smell may seem to come and go as the breeze blows it away. The other big sign to look out for is a strange noise.

Is it normal to smell a little bit of gas around your gas meter?

Gas Meters:

The meter outside you houses a regulator on it which helps control the flow of gas into your home or business. There are times it will normally bleed-off or "burp" small amounts of gas to keep the pressure from building too high in your home. This is normal. So if you are near a meter you might smell it.

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