Why were some older gas ranges direct vented?

[fan-of-fans]

I was wondering why some older gas ranges and wall ovens have direct vents to outside? Did they put off more combustion fumes or was it for odors? I know my aunt had a double Thermador oven with exhaust fans but this was mainly for odors, I think, as they were electric units.

 

[sudsmaster]

As I understand it, originally natural gas piped to home had more impurities - or was "city gas" which was heavy with carbon monoxide. To help protect the home residents things like ovens were vented. After gas piped to homes was cleaned up, the need for such venting was deemed unnecessary, especially if the range was not used for home heating.

 

However the venting can make baking or roasting on a hot day less of a home heating problem.

 

Some older gas ranges also had wood burning chambers off to the side one could use instead of gas. Those definitely required venting.

 

 

[tomturbomatic]

And, many older gas stoves replaced wood or coal burning stoves that were vented to a chimney. From the looks of the ones I have seen, it was the oven that was vented, not the surface burners so I guess some of the poisons got out anyway. That is why electric range ads in the early part of the last century used to talk about electric ranges not killing plants in the kitchen. Of course, you have to wonder about the effects of breathing air that would kill plants.

 

[wayupnorth]

I would say most of all the ovens in gas stoves seen as a kid were not vented outside. But most had a kerosene or wood side heater that did go in an outside brick vent.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Not only for wood & coal...

Many older homes were designed to have a wood cooking stove which required venting as Sudsmaster stated. That the wood stove would have a fire burning whenever the house was occupied was a given. This was taken into account when the central heating system was designed and installed. My grandparents' house was built around 1915 with central steam heat (except for the 3rd floor ... weird) and had no radiator in the kitchen or in the hallway/pantry/laundry room leading off the kitchen.

In time the wood stoves were replaced by gas, but this led to kitchens being cold and drafty. In what I assume was a response to this, stove manufacturers made stoves with vented gas space heaters built into them. My grandmother purchased her last in the mid-1980's and I have no memory of her saying that finding such a stove was difficult. sorry, I don't remember the name of it.

Jim

 

[tomturbomatic]

One of the most evocative names for ranges and space heaters and combinations of the two was "Warm Morning."

 

[lamont]

In most locales, a gas on gas heater stove are not code anymore. If they break/die, the homeowner is SOL for a replacement.

Ask me how I know.