Guest guest Posted July 12, 2009 Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Joy - My brother-in-law, who has been in the home health care business for over 20 years is quite knowledgeable about oxygen. He was a paramedic, a tech for an home oxygen supplier, owned his own home health care business, worked as an executive for a large firm, and currently is a "mucky-muck" at a Houston hospital. He has the following to say about this subject. "On to your question regarding gas stove and other appliances. Oxygen is an accelerant which will enhance an open flame greatly. I could tell you bad stories here, but it is really very simple. Open flame and oxygen can be a bad mix. That is not to say many patients do not ignore the 15 foot rule....I even have some that smoke with their oxygen flowing. That said, I agree that the gas stove needs to be changed to electric, but that does not entirely eliminate the risk. If your tubing is resting on an electric burner without your knowledge obviously that's an issue. One of the worst cases of oxygen related burns I've been exposed to was a lady cooking on a gas stove. The tubing was in the fire and when it caught, the oygen enhanced the flame all the way to her face. There were severe burns because her hair caught as well. The other gas appliances in your home should not be an issue....we are really talking open flame and proximity to that flame." I, personally, still am on the fence about what to do. If money were no object, I would change out my stove in a minute. BUT, we have a gas COOKTOP with a downvent, and to replace it would be about $1,000 plus installation, plus de-installation of the gas, plus (probably) a new countertop because the original cooktop is a custom size. (The cooktop came with the house when we bought it......) I worry because my husband has accidentally left the stove on and walked away a couple of times. And he is a smoker. The house is small, so the concentrator and the liquid reservoir are one room away from the kitchen, and the space is pretty open. Some on the forum say that they have cooked with gas for a long time, with no problem. Others say that they absolutely would not do that. I guess it's a personal decision. In any event, if you do cook with gas, or do anything around an open flame, BE CAREFUL. Barbara McD IPF, Sept 08 Beautiful Western NC Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 To: Breathe-Support Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 11:32:45 PMSubject: GAS and tubing... I just called my oxygen-guy and he explained that it's the tubing - if it burns it excelerates the O2 inside - and burns.I don't use liquid O2 - so no problem there. He assured me that as long as I use common sense and don't burn the tubing - I will not go up in flames. Whew. Only thing is I was going to ask for liquid O2...now I'm not!!!!Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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