Came home to a cabin filled with propane fumes ...

[mosquitomountainman]

Just a heads-up for the future. We took the camper van up in the mountains for a few of days (seeking cooler temps). When we got home the propane smell was bad. Apparently the cats turned on one of the burners while we were gone. We don't use the pilot light on the top so it was putting propane into the cabin. Fortunately the tank it was on was nearly empty and ran out of propane. However, the pilot light on the oven was on so we are thankful that it didn't blow the house apart.

Our note for the future: Turn off the propane when we leave for a few days. (I'm assuming that after a couple of days by themselves the cats got bored and were doing things they wouldn't be allowed to do if we were home.)

 

[backlash]

My cat turned on the pellet stove. It has a touch screen and she walked on it.
I locked the controls so she can't do that again.
People get complacent and forget how quickly bad things can happen.
Leaking propane isn't something I ever thought about. The only propane appliance we have is the central furnace and it's controlled by a thermostat and there is no pilot light so unless the cat can figure that out we should be OK, baring any malfunction.
Water is probably the biggest worry. I have water sensors in places that could flood like the kitchen, water heater, and the pumphouse.
My cousin had a water line to her dishwasher break while they were on vacation and t caused thousands of dollars in damages. They lost a lot of important paperwork. Their home was unlivable for months.
Good reminder thanks.

 

[Weedygarden]

When I am away from home, I am always concerned about a potential water leak. A water leak can be devastating, but a propane leak could be as well. A spark could cause an explosion.

I had neighbors who were from California. They were going to California for Christmas. He asked me about keeping pipes from freezing, if leaving the water drip would prevent it. Other conditions can make a difference. What he did not tell me was that they were turning the heat off, and they wanted to leave the water drip and they thought that would work. Nope. The home is a three story and they had extensive damage. I got up on a Sunday morning and heard their alarm going off. I decided to call them. They hadn't set the alarm, so why would it be going off? They told me where the hidden key was. I went in to see water pouring out onto their irreplaceable parquet floors. I waded through the water in the basement to turn off the water, went home and called them, then took my shop vac back and vacuumed up the water.

Good to see you here, @mosquitomountainman. Greetings to your wife as well.

 

[Pearl]

I had the house cats turn a burner on (kitchen stove) in the house. Was outside about an hour, opened all the windows. Also had the outside cats turn on one of the outside water faucets. Guess they stood on it chasing a bug or something on the brick wall. Caught that pretty fast too! A friend came home to a flooded house one day after work, the washer line split. You never know, especially if you have cats!

 

[Curmudgeon]

When we leave for extended periods, which isn't often, I turn off the water heater, the well pump and the gas supply outside.