Amish Homes: Aren't Propane & Kerosene Dangerous?

Amish use both propane & kerosene - for lighting, heating and cooking. How safe is that?

Ben Riehl belongs to an Old Order Amish church and lives with his family in Lancaster County, PA.

[elmercoblentz]

From Amish community here. Glad they got rid of that trash ( this area had naphtha, rubber solvent) extremely dangerous. They’re now using rechargeable cordless, Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc, with led bulbs.

[margaretporkolab]

I am not Amish or Mennonite but grew up with wood stoves and propane cook stove plus kerosene lamps. It was respect of these sources. They were not toys. We learnt how to use them and what happens when we did not do use them correctly.
Personally I would go back to those days.

[willaimhiggins]

Around me many, many homes (not Amish) heat with propane, very common.

[donhuber]

HELP ERIC!!! Please ask Ben what to do. Our favorite Amish store here in rural Missouri( I won't give the name or location publicly) has a problem. The owner is being shunned. His Amish help has quit. Local suppliers will not do business with him. He is banned from the local produce auction, and is no longer welcome at gatherings. We are afraid that he may close his wonderful store due to the stress, although he does do a lot of business with English customers such my wife and I. I imagine that if he moves out of the community, someone else may take over the store, but this is still devastating to see. Maybe you can do a video about shunning; so painful to see. (Sorry for going off topic, but you are our go to expert. We learn so much about our Amish neighbors thru your channel!)

[sweetsuccesstrading]

We have propane for Heat (along with Firewood), Hot water, clothes dryer, Cooking, and for the Generator. Never had a Problem.

[KathyKinnaird]

Greetings to our host and guest host. Thank you.

[MCI]

No more dangerous than electric or wood, etc. it all requires common sense and your fine!!

[susanschuck]

Always enjoy your videos Erik. Thank you

[stantonmagid]

I'm glad you addressed this. Glad to see it's not a major problem. Thanks Erik

[kimfleury]

I think the bigger danger is CO - carbon monoxide poisoning. But that's a danger with any form of gas fuel, even with central heating. In the old days, people would leave a window open a crack when the gas was in use. There was one elderly woman who had been born around 1910, and at the end of her life, as she became homebound, the window she sat next to was always open about an inch, because she had known people who died of CO poisoning. When the family was selling her house after her death, the people who were buying it had the home inspector check the furnace because they knew about the woman always keeping the window open, and thought maybe something was wrong with her furnace. But the home inspector said it's always a good habit even in the newest homes with new furnaces, because furnaces need fresh air to operate efficiently, and with young people you're in and out all day, but a homebound person's exterior doors are rarely opened. So now I always think of ventilation as being the more common worry in regards to gas fuels.

[infinitelimitlesslightx]

It's been great watching these videos. Awesome idea and great job!

[Reziac]

I'll tell you what's really explosive... a very small propane leak adjacent to a leaking ammonia fridge. Fellow down the road from me had that happen with a travel trailer. I could tell what happened because all that was left of the trailer was the frame, with a dent where the fridge used to be. The explosion had flattened a row of big mature pines to one side, and the garage to the other (that had saved the house). Propane plus ammonia approximates TNT.

[carguy]

My brother has the same type of exterior propane tank at his house for both cooking and heat. I agree with him when it comes to safety. Truthfully, you can injure yourself with child approved safety scissors if you try hard enough.

[RockinRavenVA]

Haven't seen a home or business with the old school gaslights in Lancaster Co. for some time. Most everyone has moved to LEDs w/ rechargeable batteries. Expensive but much safer.

[SantaFe]

I have always wondered these things myself.

[ajits]

I only know this -- I live in LanCo and a lot of people use these fuels at home, not just the Amish.
Personally, I can't stand the smell. And second, I have never seen so many fires until I moved here. I dont know the causes of these fires but it seems like home, barns, and businesses are burning down all the time... do not like(!) 🤬

[chrislee]

If you live in the country propane is common

[terrysargent]

My Amish friends were told by fire dept if they had one of those lights in their house and it caught on fire, they would not put it out. Becsuse that tank would be like a bomb.

[debbimeyersbrant]

You have use common sense with anything

[clintonedgerton]

Hi there great video propane gas tank ❤❤❤