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I live in a rental apartment and I have a gas stove in the kitchen. It is pretty old but works fine, and I am unable to replace it because I am renting the place.

My problem is I have a roommate who always leaves the gas on when he's done cooking. Either the gas burner is on, or just the gas without the flames is on and the apartment fills with gas. This has happened too many times to count.

I'm looking for a device that will monitor if the gas is being used, and preferably give me an alert on my phone, so I can check on it if it seems not right. I'm thinking this would be pleased between the stove and the wall gas feed.

Does this sort of a device exists and if so what is it called?

FreeMan
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user175487
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    It would be better if you could buy a monitor for your roommate. :) – jay613 Oct 14 '23 at 14:15
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    I'd get a new roommate. Search for some news report footage of gas explosions and show him what happens if he continues to be an idiot. No, really, kick him out before he kills you. Or, you should move out if you value your life. If either of you returns to an apartment filled with gas during the winter, there could be enough static discharge from the door opening against carpet or just your pant legs rubbing together to create a spark, ignite the gas and level the entire block. – FreeMan Oct 14 '23 at 14:20
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    If this apartment is in the US, more than likely you're not allowed to make any changes without consent from the owner and I highly doubt they'd approve of you fiddling with the gas lines. – matt. Oct 14 '23 at 15:24
  • You need to move far away, like well outside the blast radius of the inevitable gas explosion. – nobody Oct 15 '23 at 17:02

2 Answers2

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Search the internet for "natural gas leak detector". Choose one with a very loud alarm when it detects gas.

Leave it turned on, sitting on a cabinet directly above the stove (because natural gas rises). You want it far enough away that it won't alarm with the tiny bit of gas that could escape before the burner ignites (you say it's an old stove, it might not be 100% perfect any more), but close enough that it will alarm if the flame goes out but the gas continues to run.

You'll want to check the batteries daily at first until you know how long a fresh set will last, then weekly or so to make sure that it's always got working batteries in it.

With your roommate there, turn the burner on, but don't ignite it. Wait for the alarm to go off. Tell him "this is the sound that indicates you're trying to kill the whole neighborhood", so he knows what it is.

This will not help with the "leave the burner on and walk away", but frankly, as the old saying goes, "you can't fix stupid".

I will reiterate my recommendation to get a new roommate. I believe this will be a far better choice for your long term (mental and physical) health.

FreeMan
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There are "smart" gas valves. Your furnace has one, for example, operated by the thermostat. But they are very expensive and not suitable to solve your problem.

There are smart water valve actuators that do not plumb into the line, but instead they turn the handle, from outside. These could be used on a gas valve. But the gas valve feeding your range is probably not designed for routine operation by end users, and so might fail if you do that. Even if you could, you would have to replace the knob with a lever handle for use with an electric actuator.

You could replace the gas valve with one that is meant to be operated routinely, and locate that in an accessible location. But none of this is practical for a rental.

You could try buying a natural gas detector, they are cheap. Put it in your kitchen according to its instructions. You'll get some false alarms but you might find a way to get used to it and for it to be effective in detecting the gas being left on unattended and unlit.

jay613
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    [natural gas rises](https://blog.midwestind.com/natural-gas-rise/) by the time the detector on the floor sniffs it, it's too late. Otherwise, +1. (Your comment made me go look that up - I wasn't sure one way or the other.) – FreeMan Oct 14 '23 at 14:29
  • @FreeMan oh ya. gasoline vapors sink. Rest assured I would read the manual before installing any such detecor! And corrected the answer. – jay613 Oct 14 '23 at 14:32
  • I rest assured that _you_ would read the manual, jay, but can't vouch for others... ;) – FreeMan Oct 16 '23 at 12:33