that was scarier than it needed to be.

[fox]

So I went into the kitchen just now to refill my soda, and on the way back to the couch I was sure I smelled gas.  Turns out that when I switched off the burner under my dinner several hours ago, I'd switched off the flame but not turned the dial all the way back to 'off'.  Fucker had been running, slowly, ever since.

I'd been coughing a bit, but no more than I would have just from the fact that it's winter.  I was going to be sure to take a little cold medicine before I went to bed.  Like that would have helped me.  Doesn't really bear thinking about, does it.  Ugh.

Comments

[king-chiron.livejournal.com]

Yikes, doesn't the burner has a switch that turns off the gas if the flame isn't lit?

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

I don't know how it could possibly know. I mean, there's a lighter, but if the lighter breaks I could still light the burner with a match -- or, once the flame was lit, I could put it out without turning the gas off. That is, I don't know how the lighter can be aware that the gas isn't getting burned.

[king-chiron.livejournal.com]

I know some gas devices have a switch that will only allow gas through when they're heated by a pilot light, if the light goes out the switch closes and the gas stops. I wonder if you can buy a natural gas detector like a smoke detector?

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

Eeep - glad you didn't blow yourself up!

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

I'm more glad I didn't asphyxiate slowly in my sleep, but yes, not blowing myself up is good too!

[corvidae9.livejournal.com]

s;dlkgj;ajghg. :O *clings*

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

asdf;ljgjkl; I know! *clings too*

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Eep! Glad you caught it!!!

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

Then I realized the windows were open, so I'd probably just have gotten v. sick -- but still, the moment of realizing "omg that's why I've been coughing" = not so fun.

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Feel better!

[sneezer222.livejournal.com]

Holy moly! That really is scary.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

Yes. Yes, it is. And you think you're being so responsible and wonder how ordinary adults can be injured and killed in such easily preventable accidents, the ones you hear about in the news all the time, and then it turns out all it takes is turning the burner not-quite-off by like a quarter of an inch.

[jgesteve.livejournal.com]

This is why I like electric :-)

Glad you didn't go all 'splodey.

[servalan.livejournal.com]

Augh. Glad you caught that in time.