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I came home the other night to find the house filled with gas. Mother had turned on the stove and did not notice that the pilot light did not catch. She is 87 and could not smell the gas (I found several articles that noted that loss of smell is common). I was babysitting my grandchild and almost ended up staying overnight at my daughter's. If I had, mother and the dogs would have been dead by morning.
I have found a couple of alarms (First Alert and Kidde brands) that are specific for natural gas, but found mixed reviews on both. Does anybody have any experience with either? Or any suggestions of another brand?
Thanks.

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Search the Internet for stove top alarms and you will get answers such Cook stop, burner alert, and Innohome to name several. I can’t personally vouch for any of them, but the last one won an award at the CES electronic show. I think it turns the stove off if it does not detect motion after a particular amount of time. I saw several online that will turn the stove off if unattended. I believe they do require some installation. Some easier than others. But if you find one from a reputable company with great reviews and good safety ratings in regards to what the law requires, they may be the way to go.
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The solution to this dilemma may not be a gas alarm. My Mom had similar problems with the stove when we first began to notice her dementia. We took the knobs off the stove and hid them so she couldn't turn it on by herself anymore. Then we made sure someone was at home to cook her meals and finally that led to hiring a private caregiver part-time.

At first, Mom was not happy about being banned from the stove. She didn't seem to understand how dangerous it was. We went through the phase of her looking and sometimes finding the knobs. It took a little for her to get used to someone else cooking in the kitchen but it's an adjustment that had to be made for safety's sake.
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We have a natural gas alarm. It has never gone off, but when we test it, it is a very shrill, loud noise. We know what it is, but would your mother? It might just frighten her so badly that she would have a stroke. If she is so out of it that she didn't notice the smell, maybe she shouldn't have a gas stove, but an electric range/stove. I am saying this with love. I worry about my mother and her electric stove. One time my dad left the burner on melted the pan when it dried up. It had water in it before it went dry. but an electric stove seems better.
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It's called a CO alarm. We have one for our propane heater on our enclosed porch.
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I turned on my gas burner this morning and it made a loud noise like my
house alarm would make.
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Is there an alarm if a gas burner is left on after cooking?
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Natural Gas is lighter than air, so the alarm belongs on the ceiling.
Carbon Monoxide or CO is heavier than air; alarm should be near the floor.
Neither one will help with active burners left on.
The safest thing to do is turn the gas off when you are not home. Pull the knobs off the burners and take them with you, or if the gas line is accessible, turn off the stopcock on the flex line.
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