My roommate left the stove's gas on without a flame for 1hr+. How can I scare her into never doing it again?

Question

I was sitting in my own room with the door shut, and then I smell the propane. I walk out my room, and the smell is so strong I know someone is going on. I go into the kitchen, and find one of my roommates LEFT THE GAS ON without a FLAME for at LEAST 1 hr.

(I called the fire department, took all necessary precautions, and everything is clear now)

I am aware of the DANGERS and DEATH that can result from a mistake like this - but I lack the knowledge and facts around it.

Can you help me make a list of reasons of how leaving the stove on can cause death, etc. Do you know how long it takes for propane to kill, how many it kills a year, combustion rates?

I'll take anything (ANYTHING) factual to scare this girl straight.

Thank you!
- a very dizzy Kelsea

Answer 1

Your gas company will have all of the literature you need. A thing to remember is that gas is lighter than air so with natural gas when you smell it it is in the air. Propane is a different animal. It is heavier than air. This means that by the time you smell it it has filled up about 5 feet and if it were in a basement, the basement would be completely full plus the 5 feet. Damn now that will be one large and fatal explosion.

Answer 2

The question should be, why is there no pilot light on your gas stove? You need to call the gas company right away and have them come out and fix this for you. They will usually do this for free. They don't want any of their customers blowing themselves up. I would not use a gas stove if the pilot light was not working! Anyone can forget to light the stove once- but that one time could be the time that you could have a tragic accident. I'm sure your roommate did not mean to leave the gas on!

Answer 3

2 miles from my home, a couple live, and the left the propane on all nite long without a flame. In the morning it ignited, (maybe they flipped on a light switch) The explosion was so big it shook the ground here, 2 miles away. There was nothing left of the house bigger than debris a foot or 2 in size. the debris was scattered for hundreds of yards. They found the couples body parts hundreds of yards from where the home had been. This is a true story, show your roomate.

Answer 4

Kelsea, call your fire department again and ask to speak to a Fire Marshall. Invite him/her to talk to your roomie, I'm sure he can explain in great detail what can happen when you leave the gas on with out lighting it right away.

He might even have some photographs to go along with the lecture.

Answer 5

screw factual

take her to a large field, a big container full of gas (the propane you mentioned, but theres also lots of other gases in there), and a match

devise some kind of mechanical to drop the match into the container while you and your roomate stand 1000 yard away

in the distane you will see this huge explosion.

tell her if she does that again thats what will happen to her room

Answer 6

Simple.

Have her volunteer a day with you in a critical burn ward.

Harsh reality is better than a page full of facts.

Answer 7

See if you can find a story of photos of a house that has blown up into a pile of rubble from that very mistake.

Answer 8

www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0904abrk-trailerfire90407-ON.html

archives.cnn.com/2001/US/01/08/gas.blast.02

www.youtube.com/watch?v=28cUOpOtc8I

there are 3 for you, do a google search on propane explosions for more, you also might try gas explosions

Answer 9

Tell her you suspect it was intentional. That might scare her. The best precaution is prayer. Read Psalm 91 daily.