--- title: "Cooking With Gas and the Air in Your Kitchen" description: "Nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide from burners, EPA's figures, a hood that vents outdoors, what flame color means, and habits that make the air worse." url: "https://rangerepair.center/guides/gas-range-and-indoor-air/" date_modified: "2026-09-25" --- Gas, fire and burn safety # Cooking With Gas and the Air in Your Kitchen Gas range indoor air concerns come from burning fuel in the open kitchen: EPA names gas cooking among indoor sources of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. What helps is a hood vented outdoors and switched on, burners kept properly adjusted, never warming the room with the range, and a carbon monoxide alarm that is tested and working. By [RangeRepair.center technical team](https://rangerepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 25, 2026 ## At a glance. Every gas burner is a small open fire inside the house, and what it gives off stays in the room unless something carries it out. How much that matters depends less on the brand of range than on how cleanly the flames burn and whether the hood above is actually running. Read the whole guide ### The two gases that matter Nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide EPA lists gas cooking among the indoor sources of both. ### Carbon monoxide by the burners 5–15 ppm adjusted, 30+ ppm not EPA's levels near properly and poorly adjusted gas cooking appliances. ### The step EPA puts first An exhaust fan vented outdoors Installed over the gas range and actually used while cooking. ### Never Warming the room with the range GE warns it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and overheat the oven. In this guide 1. What burning gas adds to kitchen air 2. Getting real work out of the hood 3. What the flames say about combustion 4. Habits that make the air worse 5. Alarms, checkups and when to call 6. Questions ## What burning gas adds to kitchen air Gas range indoor air questions start with chemistry. Burning gas makes heat, water vapor and carbon dioxide, plus smaller amounts of other gases whenever combustion is less than perfect. EPA's indoor air pages put unvented gas cooking on their short list of indoor nitrogen dioxide sources, and name incomplete burning in gas ranges among the sources of carbon monoxide. EPA notes that homes without combustion appliances average about half the outdoor level of nitrogen dioxide, while in homes with gas cooking, kerosene heaters or unvented gas space heaters, indoor levels often exceed the level outdoors. Nitrogen dioxide mainly irritates the eyes, nose, throat and airways; at low levels EPA links it to more reactive airways in some people with asthma and a higher risk of respiratory infections in young children. ### Carbon monoxide, which has no smell Carbon monoxide is not the gas you smell during a leak. It comes out of a flame that is short of air, and EPA describes it as colorless and odorless. EPA gives levels of 0.5 to 5 ppm in homes without gas cooking, 5 to 15 ppm near properly adjusted gas cooking appliances, and 30 ppm or more near poorly adjusted ones. The symptoms it lists include headaches, dizziness, nausea and flu-like illness that clears up after leaving home. ### Where electric and induction ranges stand A coil, radiant glass-top or induction range burns nothing, so it adds no combustion gases of its own. Cooking itself still sends smoke, grease and steam into the air on any range, which is why a hood earns its place over an induction range too, only for different reasons. Source: [EPA — Nitrogen Dioxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/nitrogen-dioxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) — Gas stoves are an indoor source of NO2; indoor levels in homes with gas stoves often exceed outdoor levels, about half outdoor levels without combustion appliances; health effects; install and use an exhaust fan vented outdoors over gas stoves; [EPA — Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/carbon-monoxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) — CO is colorless and odorless; incomplete combustion in gas ranges is a source; 0.5–5 ppm without gas stoves, 5–15 ppm near properly adjusted and 30 ppm or more near poorly adjusted stoves; symptoms; keep gas appliances adjusted and vent an exhaust fan outdoors ## Getting real work out of the hood EPA's first recommendation for both gases is the same: put a fan over the gas range that exhausts to the outside, and use it. Both halves of that advice matter. A hood that only recirculates air through a filter back into the kitchen catches grease but does not send combustion gases outside, and a ducted hood that is never switched on removes nothing at all. A few habits make a working hood far more effective: - Switch the fan on when the first burner lights, not once the kitchen already smells of dinner. - Use the back burners when a pot fits there, since they sit most directly under the hood. - Leave the fan running for a while after the last burner goes off. - Keep the grease filters clean; GE's manual warns that grease should not be allowed to build up on the hood or its filter. ### Air has to come back in from somewhere A strong ducted fan pushes air out of the house, and the same amount has to find its way back in, which in a tight modern house can mean a window cracked open while cooking. Whirlpool's installation instructions add a warning about air moving the other way: never fit a ventilation system that blows down toward a gas range, because it can upset ignition and combustion. Source: [EPA — Nitrogen Dioxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/nitrogen-dioxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) — Gas stoves are an indoor source of NO2; indoor levels in homes with gas stoves often exceed outdoor levels, about half outdoor levels without combustion appliances; health effects; install and use an exhaust fan vented outdoors over gas stoves; [EPA — Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/carbon-monoxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) — CO is colorless and odorless; incomplete combustion in gas ranges is a source; 0.5–5 ppm without gas stoves, 5–15 ppm near properly adjusted and 30 ppm or more near poorly adjusted stoves; symptoms; keep gas appliances adjusted and vent an exhaust fan outdoors; [GE Appliances — Owner's Manual, Electric Free-Standing Ranges (49-2000951)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--3mbg7X0W--/jpbhjldyidthhl0anlxv.pdf) — Clean ventilating hoods frequently; grease should not accumulate on the hood or filter Close on a range hood fan running over a gas range with a pot simmering on a low blue flame. ## What the flames say about combustion The look of each flame is the everyday check anyone can make. GE's installation instructions describe normal flames as soft blue on natural gas, with some yellow tipping on the outer cones normal on propane, and call for service when the flames are yellow. Whirlpool's describe the bake and broil flames as a half-inch bluish-green inner cone inside a dark blue outer mantle, clean and soft, with no yellow tips and no blowing or lifting. Flames that burn yellow, soot on the bottoms of pans or a flame that lifts off the burner ports mean the range is not burning cleanly, and a poorly adjusted flame is exactly where EPA's higher carbon monoxide figures come from. Setting it right is an adjustment for a technician; until then, keep that burner for short jobs with the hood running. ### Flame colors that are not a problem Not every odd color means poor combustion. Whirlpool explains that an ultrasonic humidifier anywhere in the house can carry minerals into the flame, calcium turning it orange or red and potassium lilac or pink, and GE notes that particles in a newly connected gas line can give an orange flame that soon clears. Judge the whole flame, not a flicker of color at its tip. Source: [EPA — Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/carbon-monoxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) — CO is colorless and odorless; incomplete combustion in gas ranges is a source; 0.5–5 ppm without gas stoves, 5–15 ppm near properly adjusted and 30 ppm or more near poorly adjusted stoves; symptoms; keep gas appliances adjusted and vent an exhaust fan outdoors; [GE Appliances — Installation Instructions, Gas Range (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) — Soft blue flames normal on natural gas, yellow tips on outer cones normal on propane, yellow flames call for service; [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) — Bake and broil flames: 1/2-inch bluish-green inner cone, dark blue outer mantle, no yellow tips, blowing or lifting; do not install ventilation that blows air downward toward the range ## Habits that make the air worse GE's owner's manual for its single-oven gas ranges lists several uses that raise carbon monoxide or starve the burners of air. Each looks harmless, which is why they are worth knowing: - Using the range as a space heater to warm the room, which GE says can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and overheat the oven. - Setting an after-market grill plate over a gas burner, which GE says causes incomplete combustion. - Putting a wok support ring over a burner or grate instead of standing a flat-bottomed wok on the grate. - Covering the oven bottom, its slots or a whole rack with foil or liners, which blocks the air the oven burner needs. - Blocking the range's air openings at the back of the top, around the oven door or under the drawer. Source: [GE Appliances — Owner's Manual, Single Oven Gas Ranges (49-2000316)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--QvFl5fh9--/049499dddf2b280226be7b9dd09299ce63308b57.pdf) — Never use the range as a space heater (carbon monoxide, oven overheating); after-market grills cause incomplete combustion; no wok support rings; no foil on the oven bottom or whole racks; never block the range's air openings ## Alarms, checkups and when to call Because carbon monoxide gives no warning of its own, an alarm is the practical way to know it is building up. Nicor Gas reminds customers that carbon monoxide comes from incomplete burning of any common fuel, including natural gas and propane, and that alarms need testing often and replacing when they reach 10 years old. Some states set rules on where they must go; Illinois, where Nicor operates, requires one within 15 feet of every sleeping room. Book a look at the range when flames stay yellow after the burner caps and ports have been cleaned, when pans keep coming away sooty, when the kitchen feels stuffy and headache-inducing during cooking, or after the alarm has gone off. If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone out into fresh air and call 911 or the fire department from outside first; the range comes after. Source: [Nicor Gas — Emergency information: Carbon monoxide](https://www.nicorgas.com/safety/emergency-information.html) — CO comes from incomplete combustion of common fuels including natural gas and propane; test detectors frequently and replace every 10 years; Illinois requires an alarm within 15 feet of every sleeping room ## Where to stop If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or anyone feels dizzy, sick or headachy while the range is on, leave the house and call from outside before doing anything else. Adjusting air shutters, burner flame height or the gas pressure regulator is technician work; the owner's part is running the hood, keeping the burners clean and testing the alarm. Written by [RangeRepair.center technical team](https://rangerepair.center/authors/technical-team/). The range technicians who come out for the visits booked on this site. Their articles draw on ranges they have pulled away from the counter to check burners, elements and oven parts, read side by side with the maker's installation and owner's manuals where those exist. Sources: [EPA — Nitrogen Dioxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/nitrogen-dioxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) · [EPA — Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality](https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/carbon-monoxides-impact-indoor-air-quality) · [GE Appliances — Owner's Manual, Single Oven Gas Ranges (49-2000316)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--QvFl5fh9--/049499dddf2b280226be7b9dd09299ce63308b57.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Owner's Manual, Electric Free-Standing Ranges (49-2000951)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--3mbg7X0W--/jpbhjldyidthhl0anlxv.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Installation Instructions, Gas Range (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Propane Conversion Instructions (31-11028)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--UKxL5a1c--/0d3664936948f11038a34cb66f2ed34716216cef.pdf) · [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) · [Whirlpool — Burner Flames Abnormal Colors, LP Gas](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Cooking/Wall_Ovens_and_Ranges/Ranges/Cooktop_Concerns/Gas_Cooktop/Flame_Concerns/LP_Gas_(Converted)/Burner_Flames_Abnormal_Colors_-_LP_Gas) · [Nicor Gas — Emergency information: Carbon monoxide](https://www.nicorgas.com/safety/emergency-information.html) For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Does a gas range need a hood that vents outside? To cut both nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, EPA advises a fan above gas cooking that sends the air outdoors. A recirculating hood still traps grease but leaves combustion gases in the house. ### Is it safe to warm the kitchen with the oven on a cold night? No. GE's manual warns that using the range as a space heater can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and overheat the oven, whatever the reason for the cold. ### Are yellow tips on the flames dangerous? On propane, GE treats some yellow at the tips of the outer cones as normal. On natural gas, or when whole flames are yellow, the burner is short of air and needs adjusting by a technician. ### Does switching to induction settle the air question? It takes combustion out of the kitchen, because an induction range burns no fuel. Cooking smoke and grease remain, so a hood is still worth running. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://rangerepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Uneven Range Burner Flame 6 causes, cheapest first Gas, fire or electrical risk ### Range Burning Smell 6 causes, cheapest first Gas, fire or electrical risk ### Range Gas Smell 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Burner and igniter repair Gas burners that will not light, keep ticking or burn with a weak, yellow or uneven flame, traced to the igniter, the spark switch, the module or the burner itself. ### Oven igniter and gas valve repair A gas range oven that is slow to light, never lights or will not broil, traced to the glowing igniter, the oven safety valve or the burner. ## More in gas, fire and burn safety. What to do when you smell gas, how to smother a pan fire, and how to shut a range down when a burner or element will not turn off. [The whole section](https://rangerepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) When to stop using the range ### Smell Gas Near the Range? Leave First, Call From Outside Why no knob, switch or phone gets touched, what to tell the gas utility, where gas can escape on a range, and why a detector backs up your nose. When to stop using the range ### Anti-Tip Brackets: How a Range Tips Forward and How to Check Yours What CPSC found about range tip-overs, what the bracket looks like, the flashlight and tilt checks, why a fitted bracket stops holding, and recalls. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Cooking With Gas and the Air in Your Kitchen](https://rangerepair.center/guides/gas-range-and-indoor-air/)** **[Book a visit with RangeRepair.center](https://rangerepair.center/schedule/)**