Gas oven to heat apartment

[poochiecollins]

I did a little Googling on the subject, and the concerns I've found were something about a pilot light and carbon monoxide. While it definitely looks bad to use a gas oven to heat an area for a length of time, could this be done in short periods safely with proper precautions, such as a carbon monoxide alarm? What's the deal with the pilot light? These questions are especially for people who are professionally familiar with such units. Thank you.

[mikejamm]

I'm telling you right now don't fuk'in do it! Ovens were never meant to be used for apartment heating or any type of area heating for that matter. They are meant to cycle on, reach a ceatain temperature and cook food. When you leave an oven door open, it's unable to reach that temperature, so the heating element will continuously stay on, overheat, catch fire, and you will die! Buy a space heater if you need extra heat.

[koz-man]

I'm telling you right now don't fuk'in do it! Ovens were never meant to be used for apartment heating or any type of area heating for that matter. They are meant to cycle on, reach a ceatain temperature and cook food. When you leave an oven door open, it's unable to reach that temperature, so the heating element will continuously stay on, overheat, catch fire, and you will die! Buy a space heater if you need extra heat.

Excellent advice!!

My friend asked me that question and your response was pretty close word-for-word the answer I gave him.

[peacebyinches]

yeah this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, dont do it!

[LVHerbie]

Wouldn't the cost run higher then traditional heating anyhow?

[poochiecollins]

I'm telling you right now don't fuk'in do it! Ovens were never meant to be used for apartment heating or any type of area heating for that matter. They are meant to cycle on, reach a ceatain temperature and cook food. When you leave an oven door open, it's unable to reach that temperature, so the heating element will continuously stay on, overheat, catch fire, and you will die! Buy a space heater if you need extra heat.

I take this as a challenge!

[pavyracer]

Ask yourself this question: If your oven is broken will you use the heat blowing out from the duct to cook food?

[InTheDrink]

Ask yourself this question: If your oven is broken will you use the heat blowing out from the duct to cook food?

sorry...that's a terrible analogy

i had a buddy who hated his landlord in college and had utilities included in rent so he turned his electric stove on whenever it was cold....didnt have any issues

key word though is electric....gas stove REALLY sounds like a terrible idea

[pavyracer]

sorry...that's a terrible analogy

i had a buddy who hated his landlord in college and had utilities included in rent so he turned his electric stove on whenever it was cold....didnt have any issues

key word though is electric....gas stove REALLY sounds like a terrible idea

Yeah it's a terrible analogy. Let the electric stove on 24/7 and burn down the house.

[InTheDrink]

well they were two unrelated thoughts and no, a properly working electric stove set at 400 would NEVER burn down any house

an oven CAN heat space....a heat duct would make your food what, 70 degrees?

[pavyracer]

well they were two unrelated thoughts and no, a properly working electric stove set at 400 would NEVER burn down any house

an oven CAN heat space....a heat duct would make your food what, 70 degrees?

Exactly..an electric/gas oven will not heat your house and a heat duct will not cook your food.

[InTheDrink]

an oven absolutely will heat your house....or at least the room you're in

ever heard of a wood stove? an oven is the same thing just a different type of energy

[Covy]

Just read about ppl who died from trying this 2 weeks ago

[robzilla]

Ovens give off alot of carbon monoxide. CO is from incomplete burning, even candles can give off alot of CO if u get enough of them lit. you need to be able to vent that stuff and still keep ur house hot.

[pavyracer]

an oven absolutely will heat your house....or at least the room you're in

ever heard of a wood stove? an oven is the same thing just a different type of energy

Your water pipes will freeze before you heat your house with an oven. If lets say it's 10 degrees F outside and you have no heat good luck heating your whole house without bursting the water pipes.

[Mudcat]

Best idea is to try it and see how it goes.

[falconticket]

Give a friend of yours the login info for this site, so he can let us know how this plays out. Thx

[poochiecollins]

I'm writing about running an open oven over a short time period while essentially babysat; can anyone get into some specifics about what a gas oven should be able to safely handle and/or the degrees of risk in running an open oven. The same questions go for gas stove burners too, actually.

[pavyracer]

Good idea poochie. Run a gas oven with a baby in the apartment. Maybe you need to ask the parents.

[Jericholic]

I don't see how anything could go wrong with this.

[poochiecollins]

Good idea poochie. Run a gas oven with a baby in the apartment. Maybe you need to ask the parents.

Babysit the OVEN... or stove.

I don't see how anything could go wrong with this.

There, it's settled!

[InTheDrink]

Your water pipes will freeze before you heat your house with an oven. If lets say it's 10 degrees F outside and you have no heat good luck heating your whole house without bursting the water pipes.

you're trying to relate two things that have nothing to do with each other...who cares about pipes?

an oven can heat a room....it's a fact...the OP said "heating an area" not the whole damn house

my thermostat is right next to my kitchen....if i leave the oven open while it's on the temperature goes up on the thermostat...THAT is a fact my man

[Dirty Sanchez]

I did a little Googling on the subject, and the concerns I've found were something about a pilot light and carbon monoxide. While it definitely looks bad to use a gas oven to heat an area for a length of time, could this be done in short periods safely with proper precautions, such as a carbon monoxide alarm? What's the deal with the pilot light? These questions are especially for people who are professionally familiar with such units. Thank you.

Let us know when you're going to do it so we can sit down the block and watch your place blow sky high

[pavyracer]

you're trying to relate two things that have nothing to do with each other...who cares about pipes?

an oven can heat a room....it's a fact...the OP said "heating an area" not the whole damn house

my thermostat is right next to my kitchen....if i leave the oven open while it's on the temperature goes up on the thermostat...THAT is a fact my man

Keep the oven on for more than 24 hrs non stop in freezing weather and this is going to happen:

1. Your water pipes will burst because all the other rooms except the area 1 ft from the oven door (which has to be left open to allow heat out) will freeze.
2. If you run a gas oven you run the risk of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.
3. If you run an electric oven you run the risk of shorting the wiring and then burning down the house.

And all this to save $2 which is going to be the cost of heating the whole house with a furnace. Because the gas oven will burn as much gas as your furnace and the electric oven running at 0.5 KWh will cost more to be on than your regular heat.

Other that this is a brilliant idea.

[InTheDrink]

3. If you run an electric oven you run the risk of shorting the wiring and then burning down the house.

Wow you're really stretching things now eh? I suppose I should be worried that my TV might blow up if I leave it on because of a short in the wiring.

Won't be able to sleep at night!!!

[falconticket]

Electric oven is ok. If you can afford. it. Pavy ovens dont run at kwh. Ovens run at watts. However long you leave it on determines your kwh. An electric oven is no more likely to "short out" with the door open as it is closed.

[Hootie Johnson]

What does a space heater cost? 20 bucks?

Darwin 101 stuff here.

[nyed1010]

I do it all the time, not dangerous at all.

[orioles]

Make sure to use a lighter.

[pavyracer]

Electric oven is ok. If you can afford. it. Pavy ovens dont run at kwh. Ovens run at watts. However long you leave it on determines your kwh. An electric oven is no more likely to "short out" with the door open as it is closed.

Point is an oven burning 500W per hr which is 0.5 kwh will use 12 kw for the whole day (24hrs). 12kw of electricity costs more on your electric bill than heating the house with a furnace for 24 hrs whether is a natural gas furnace or electric furnace. The furnace for the heat doesn't run 24/7 like the electric oven would. So if you are using the electric oven to save money on your heating bill you are actually spending more money and you don't even heat all the rooms.

[WvGambler]

I've known guys that have done it successfuly. Problem is though, those guys were dumbasses. Don't be a dumbass.

[poochiecollins]

Let us know when you're going to do it so we can sit down the block and watch your place blow sky high

I did not find mention of a serious threat of explosion in my research.

[falconticket]

Point is an oven burning 500W per hr which is 0.5 kwh will use 12 kw for the whole day (24hrs). 12kw of electricity costs more on your electric bill than heating the house with a furnace for 24 hrs whether is a natural gas furnace or electric furnace. The furnace for the heat doesn't run 24/7 like the electric oven would. So if you are using the electric oven to save money on your heating bill you are actually spending more money and you don't even heat all the rooms.

Ovens don't use 500 watts per hour. That is not an actual term. Wattage is a continuous rating of power derived from Voltage Multiplied by current. An average oven actually consumes 2000 watts at 350 degrees, so to run it for 24 hours would be 48 KWH. However a typical heat pump runs about 3000 watts, but would not run for 24 hours at a time./. An oven would be extremely inefficient way to heat a room mainly because it has no blower. It would certainly be very expensive, and would only heat a small area. However in a dire situation it would keep you alive. You would basically just set up your chairs around it. This can not be done with a gas oven, since they are not vented to the outside. Eventually you would die from CO poisoning. Your circuit analysis is dismal at best. You are correct in your conclusion though.

[Flexin]

sorry...that's a terrible analogy i had a buddy who hated his landlord in college and had utilities included in rent so he turned his electric stove on whenever it was cold....didnt have any issues key word though is electric....gas stove REALLY sounds like a terrible idea

Its a great one. If he damages the stove from running it too long he does not have a way to cook. Buy a heater to provide heat. Using a gas stove to heat a house is stupid.

you're trying to relate two things that have nothing to do with each other...who cares about pipes? an oven can heat a room....it's a fact...the OP said "heating an area" not the whole damn house my thermostat is right next to my kitchen....if i leave the oven open while it's on the temperature goes up on the thermostat...THAT is a fact my man

Have a pipe burst and then ask who cares about pipes. If its really cold outside and you don't have heat on it isn't going to provide enough heat to protect your water pipes. And most kitchens don't have a door so you can't just heat that area. Many times I closed the door in my computer room so I could have it hot in there. The rest of the house was just warm. You need a way to contain the heat if you want to heat just an area.

As far as wood stoves go, they exhaust the all of the bad stuff to the outside.

James

[Flexin]

I did not find mention of a serious threat of explosion in my research.

Then you didn't search to hard.

"
Open Flame

• Should the pilot lights in a gas range go out while the burners are on --- meaning the gas is coming out at a faster clip than when the burners are off --- your home could fill with gas, creating both poisoning and explosion risks. Even if you vow to stay awake and monitor the burners, it's still possible for you to fall asleep despite your best efforts. There's also a burn risk if something close by falls onto the flame."
  
  

James