Check it out! It's not a "kitchen magic weapon" but a "time bomb"

"Gather the flame, save gas", "Enamel technology, rust-resistant and corrosion-resistant"... Seeing these advertising slogans, many people placed orders to buy this "kitchen magic tool" - the gas energy ring. Opening the e-commerce platform, the price is low and the sales are hot. The effect and price are indeed attractive. But this is actually a "time bomb". Not only does it not have an energy-saving effect, but it also has major safety hazards.

Poisoning incidents occur frequently

In recent years, incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the use of energy-gathering rings have occurred repeatedly in many parts of the country:

In early July this year, the Hangtiancheng Community Committee of Xibeiwang Town, Haidian District, Beijing, issued a safety reminder on its official WeChat account, saying that an accident occurred in the town in which two people died due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the use of a gas stove energy-gathering ring (wind shield), and residents were required to immediately stop using the energy-gathering ring.

In 2022, there were many incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by residents installing energy-gathering rings on their own in Yongle East District, Yanbaojingyuan Homeland, and other communities in Shijingshan District, Beijing;

In 2021, a resident of Tangshan Street, Rixin Street, Xigang District, Dalian City suffered carbon monoxide poisoning due to the use of an energy-gathering ring;

In 2021, four incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the use of energy rings occurred in Kunlun District, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia.

Many departments in various places issued safety tips

Dalian China Resources and other gas companies have issued announcements stating that the use of energy-gathering rings does not save energy - the gas will not burn fully due to the obstruction of the energy-gathering rings, and the heat generated by incomplete combustion is only 60% of that of complete combustion, so a large amount of gas will be wasted during use. If used improperly, incomplete combustion of the gas can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Some local market supervision departments and emergency management departments have issued safety tips many times. In 2022, the Beijing Municipal Market Supervision Bureau issued the "Safety Tips on Fire Gathering and Windproof Devices for Gas Stoves", which clearly reminded consumers that "they should not privately install devices or accessories other than factory products that may affect the performance of the gas appliance."

Beijing's Tongzhou District Emergency Management Bureau, Shijingshan District Emergency Management Bureau, Haidian District Property Management Association and other institutions also reminded citizens that "privately installing fire-gathering and wind-proof devices on gas stoves will create great safety hazards."

Yulin in Shaanxi, Urumqi in Xinjiang, Jiamusi in Heilongjiang and other places have explicitly banned the use of energy rings.

Online sales are booming, but product quality is worrying

The reporter found that although the relevant departments have long publicized the dangers of this product, most of the community residents interviewed said that they rarely pay attention to such safety accident reports, and they do not see safety warnings in community bulletin boards and other places, so they do not know much about its dangers. On the contrary, because some businesses have long promoted the energy ring's ability to improve cooking efficiency and save gas, the product is favored by many consumers.

The reporter searched on many domestic e-commerce platforms and found that there are quite a few stores selling energy rings online.

For example, searching for the keyword "gas stove wind shield energy-saving ring" on a well-known domestic e-commerce platform shows that there are more than 5,000 products, with the most expensive being around 200 yuan and the cheapest being only 3 to 4 yuan. Sales data show that sales of many stores have exceeded 100,000 units.

What is the product quality like?

When the reporter asked the merchants about product quality and certification, they were told that "the product quality inspection report cannot be provided."

An energy-gathering ring purchased by a reporter online. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Wenxu

The reporter placed an order for a 13.9 yuan energy ring. The "Precautions" in the product manual only mentioned "It is strictly forbidden to use it directly on the glass stove surface". Not only did it not mention the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by incomplete combustion of gas, but it claimed that "this product can make the gas burn fully and reduce the emission of toxic carbon monoxide by 50%-80%."

Tianyancha shows that the manufacturer is located in Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, and is registered as an individual business operator; when checking the product certificate information on the official website of the National Standards Management Committee, it was found that not only was the product not registered, but it was also suspected of stealing other companies' information.

Users are advised not to

Installing energy-gathering ring on original gas cooker

Article 28 of the "Regulations on Urban Gas Management" promulgated by the State Council stipulates that gas users shall not install, modify or remove indoor gas facilities and gas metering devices without authorization. The "Gas Engineering Project Specification" (GB 55009-2021) requires that household users should not privately install devices or accessories other than factory products on gas appliances that may affect the performance of the gas appliances.

A relevant person in charge of the Certification and Supervision Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation said that the energy-gathering ring does not fall within the scope of mandatory product certification. According to expert feedback, the energy-gathering ring may affect the air flow around the flame of the gas stove burner, have an adverse effect on normal combustion conditions, and thus cause problems such as excessive carbon monoxide. Users are advised not to install energy-gathering rings on original gas stoves without authorization.

Planning and production

Source: Shanghai Internet rumor refutation, Xinhua Viewpoint (reporters: Wu Wenxu, Zhao Wenjun), News Square, etc.

Editor: Wang Mengru