May 2006
Lower the risk of range fires
An estimated 47,000 residential fires a year start on rangetops, injuring more than 2,400 people, killing about 80, and causing
$135 million in property damage, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of those fires start when someone
leaves the kitchen with food still cooking on the stovetop.
For many years, representatives of Underwriters Laboratories, Consumers Union, publisher of this magazine, and appliance makers worked together with the CPSC to find a technological solution such as heat sensors that would turn off burners before the food in a pot or pan ignited. But according to a CPSC spokesperson, the agency has refocused its efforts on other “high-priority flammability projects.” The CPSC did add that it would revisit the issue in the future when it has sufficient resources.
Meanwhile, a small distributor of security products in Saskatchewan, Canada, is making and selling a safety device that serves much the same purpose, at least for owners of electric ranges and cooktops. The Stove Guard, a $299 automatic timer and motion detector, shuts off the elements and the oven if there is no motion near the appliance after a pre-selected time period.
How it works. Stove Guard has three easy-to-program settings. The first, “On/auto,” turns power off to the burners if there is no motion near the range after a specific period of time. You set the time, anywhere from 1 to 39 minutes. The second setting, “On/timer,” turns power off after a preset amount of time, up to 99 minutes, regardless of motion. An adjustable sensing level keeps the device from turning the range back on because of a child’s or a pet’s movement. Pressing the “Off” setting returns the range to its regular use.
In our tests, the Stove Guard worked exactly as advertised. But proper installation and maintenance are crucial. Mount it too close to the stove and steam from boiling liquids in pots can interfere with its use, as it did in our tests. Once mounted, simply unplug the electrical cord to your range and plug it into the Stove Guard. Then plug the electrical cord from the Stove Guard into the wall outlet. It’s also important to periodically clean the sensor to minimize grease buildup, which diminished the Stove Guard’s sensitivity in some of our tests.
Stove Guard is an option for electric range and cooktop owners concerned about safety. But it’s expensive and available only on the Internet through the company Web sites, at stoveguard.ca and save-on-security.com. As of yet, there is no large North American distributor, so product availability is quite limited.
Although this product is not the solution for everyone, it’s an example of the types of technologies that should be explored by the CPSC and the industry to minimize stovetop fires.
Some other ways to protect yourself:
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| WATCHDOG Stove Guard shuts off power to electric elements, minimizing accidental fires. |
For many years, representatives of Underwriters Laboratories, Consumers Union, publisher of this magazine, and appliance makers worked together with the CPSC to find a technological solution such as heat sensors that would turn off burners before the food in a pot or pan ignited. But according to a CPSC spokesperson, the agency has refocused its efforts on other “high-priority flammability projects.” The CPSC did add that it would revisit the issue in the future when it has sufficient resources.
Meanwhile, a small distributor of security products in Saskatchewan, Canada, is making and selling a safety device that serves much the same purpose, at least for owners of electric ranges and cooktops. The Stove Guard, a $299 automatic timer and motion detector, shuts off the elements and the oven if there is no motion near the appliance after a pre-selected time period.
How it works. Stove Guard has three easy-to-program settings. The first, “On/auto,” turns power off to the burners if there is no motion near the range after a specific period of time. You set the time, anywhere from 1 to 39 minutes. The second setting, “On/timer,” turns power off after a preset amount of time, up to 99 minutes, regardless of motion. An adjustable sensing level keeps the device from turning the range back on because of a child’s or a pet’s movement. Pressing the “Off” setting returns the range to its regular use.
In our tests, the Stove Guard worked exactly as advertised. But proper installation and maintenance are crucial. Mount it too close to the stove and steam from boiling liquids in pots can interfere with its use, as it did in our tests. Once mounted, simply unplug the electrical cord to your range and plug it into the Stove Guard. Then plug the electrical cord from the Stove Guard into the wall outlet. It’s also important to periodically clean the sensor to minimize grease buildup, which diminished the Stove Guard’s sensitivity in some of our tests.
Stove Guard is an option for electric range and cooktop owners concerned about safety. But it’s expensive and available only on the Internet through the company Web sites, at stoveguard.ca and save-on-security.com. As of yet, there is no large North American distributor, so product availability is quite limited.
Although this product is not the solution for everyone, it’s an example of the types of technologies that should be explored by the CPSC and the industry to minimize stovetop fires.
Some other ways to protect yourself:
• Keep a UL-listed all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby and know how to use it.
• Never douse a grease fire with water, which makes flames spread. Instead, smother it with a lid or baking soda.
• Stop an oven fire by closing the door and turning off the heat.
• Keep small children away from the stove and out of the kitchen if adults are not present. Also, turn pot and pan handles
inward. Consider installing childproofing guards to keep small hands from reaching burners and cookware.
