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We are setting up a house for our daughter and grandaughter to live in, and it has no appliances. She is bringing a gas dryer. So, since we will be using that, we are thinking of getting a gas stove/range. I understand these will come set up for natural gas, and will need to be converted. We haven't talked to a plumber yet, but hopefully, we'll be able to have him tee off the line and just use one propane tank for both appliances.
We are trying to decide if we should just get two of the smaller tanks. Hook one up, and set at spare nearby for when the first tank runs out. Anyone have any idea how long a small tank might last before running out? As I said, one adult and a 3 year old will be living there. They will be about 6-7 miles from our house, so I will easily be able to run up there to swap tanks and do other work for them.
Do modern gas appliances have a pilot light? Or do they have some other electronic ignition?
I don't know much about gas appliances, so this will be a learning experience for us.
Thanks for any comments.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
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I have a gas range and no other gas appliances. My wife cooks a lot and bakes breads. We use about 5 gallons a month or 1 small tank. I have 2 tanks set up on an automatic switch valve that automatically switches from one tank to the other when one runs out. It has an indicator that changes color from green to red when the first tank is empty. That way you will never run out of gas when cooking. You can get the valve at Pahoa propane. Also, the 5 gallon tanks are easy to handle when full. New ranges have electronics and electronic ignition.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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I believe they all have electronic ignition, no pilots. You can have multiple appliances on one line. You can also get a thingie (plumbing term, right?) that lets you hook up two tanks at once. It will use up one tank, then switch automatically, or you can keep tank 2 shut off and switch manually so you know when it's time to refill tank 1.
Two adults here using a tankless gas water heater and gas dryer (just for finishing; first we line dry) go through a small tank of propane in about 3 weeks. If they're cooking a lot and drying out of the washer, the tanks will go a lot faster. The big tanks last a lot longer, but do take more strength to handle.
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Home Depot and many others sell propane stoves that don't require conversion from gas. Dryer will have to be converted if it isn't set up for propane. One tank with a tee to fuel both and a second tank to swap out when the first is empty is pretty standard. One little (20 gal) tank lasts about a month at my house (two adults, propane stove and hot water).
life is short. enjoy it
life is short. enjoy it
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Agree with previous posters on this - but there is, I think, a third option on the propane - which is to go with a couple of the intermediate size tanks - about 10 gallons - that are much easier to handle than the bigger ones but give you a bit more life.
Another tip I would offer that isn't completely obvious, is to get one of the high-efficiency washing machines. They are more expensive, but remove much more of the residual moisture from the clothes than a conventional washing machine. We also line dry, but have much less need for dryer time (during the monsoon season) with the high-spin washers than we ever did with a conventional washing machine. The better washing machines also reduce the hot water demand - although that is pretty irrelevant to us since we only wash in cold water - but with a toddler, your daughter may feel the need to go with some hot loads.
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there is also the question of cost in propane vs electric. in some states where electricity is cheap, it's cheaper to use electricity. Hawaii is not cheap for electricity, thus the benefit of using propane wherever possible.
propane tanks are labeled by their volume or weight. a 5 gallon tank is the same thing as a 20 pound tank (i think). 5 and 10 (and even 15) gallon tanks are pretty manageable. i have two 25 gallon tanks and they are really hard to move around when full. luckily i only have to deal with them twice a year.
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Thank you everyone for this! I knew I could count some great tips from members here. Very helpful, since I know about nothing when it comes to propane.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
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Before you buy anything, check out which items you can get an energy rebate for:
http://www.hawaiienergy.com/rebates
We also bought a house without appliances and got about $400 in rebates. That coupled with the energy savings we have enjoyed have essentially paid for the appliances. We bought a ceiling fan that was the same price as the rebate, so it was 100% free. The types of rebates that are available change but the website seems to be updated.
Agree with what was said above, get a HE washer and you can line dry your clothes.
One appliance our house did come with was an electric stove. We wanted to go gas but couldn't afford one, so we got one of these for our lanai and we do all our baking in it
http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Camping-...14?ie=UTF8&qid=1400885447&sr=8-14&keywords=camp+stove
I was a gas dryer lover on the mainland and brought one. I found it went through a 5 gallon tank more quickly than I liked, and it was annoying when it ran out unexpectedly. I wasn't using it for cooking, drying only (family of 2-4).
I wouldn't go back. I like my electric dryer much better, which has great features including very precise gradations in heat -- but then, I am fussy about taking care of clothes. The old electric dryers were awful, but in the last decade or so where electric has gone electronic, that has changed.
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quote:
Originally posted by KathyH
I was a gas dryer lover on the mainland and brought one. I found it went through a 5 gallon tank more quickly than I liked, and it was annoying when it ran out unexpectedly. I wasn't using it for cooking, drying only (family of 2-4).
I wouldn't go back. I like my electric dryer much better, which has great features including very precise gradations in heat -- but then, I am fussy about taking care of clothes. The old electric dryers were awful, but in the last decade or so where electric has gone electronic, that has changed.
I crunched the numbers on gas versus electric two years ago in operating costs. I don't have the numbers anymore, but I determined that the financial savings didn't add up to get a gas model. You need to factor in unexpectedly running out and burning gas in your car to go fetch more propane into the cost analysis even if it happens very rarely. Sometimes we use the electric dryer but its pretty rarely. You do need a covered/sheltered area to hang clothes to line dry them though.
The only reason I would get a gas model is if I was off grid.
