Anyone using a LP Gas stove?

[md8232]

We live up in the hills of Arkansas, so no natural gas for us!  I'm tired of using a single induction burner, but it is superior to our Electric stove.

I'd like to hear from anyone using LP as to what brand of stove you have and the benefits of said stove.  

 

Thanks in advance.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Not sure it will help but I would run far away.  A tank in a home about a quarter mile from here went up some years back and it shook my brick building to the core.  The road was closed off by the fire department half mile on each side.

[gfweb]

Everybody out here uses LP gas. Its great. We use it for cooking, hot water and the generator.

 

I've never heard of a tank exploding.

 

One thing. The stove needs to be configured to burn LP...different regulator.

 

We have a Blue Star. Love it. No electronics, so it works during power failures.

Edited March 22, 2018 by gfweb (log)

[gfweb]

3 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Not sure it will help but I would run far away.  A tank in a home about a quarter mile from here went up some years back and it shook my brick building to the core.  The road was closed off by the fire department half mile on each side.

 

I'd love to learn more about this. Remember when it was?

[gfweb]

Of interest.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-risk-of-a-propane-tank-exploding-particularly-at-a-warehouse-that-deals-with-storing-and-transporting-compressed-propane-tank-cylinders

 

I recall a flood a few years ago that swept away dozens of LP tanks. They bounced and bobbed for a few miles and were recovered battered but intact.

[lindag]

This does not relate to  LP stoves, you may want to ignore. 

LP is quite common here as many folk live on acreage in underdeveloped areas.

Citified areas and larger neighborhoods have natural gas.  I live in one of those.

I have heard of no complaints about LP other than this occurrence:

A group of us went to a small party at a friend's home who has LP.

When we entered thru the garage I smelled gas.  I mentioned it to the homeowner and urged her to report it.

Well, if you have natural gas here and smell a leak reporting it will bring someone from the energy company immediately to check it out.

In her case, to have someone come to check on her gas lines would cost her $80 for the service call which she could ill afford..  She was able to find someone she knew to come and check and fix the leak but it took several days....could have has a bad outcome.

Also, my physical therapist has LP in her home and complains about how expensive it is.  They primarily use a pellet stove for heat.

I wouldn't want to do that in the winters we have here; the outlying rooms could get awfully cold.

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by lindag (log)

[boilsover]

25 minutes ago, lindag said:

Also, my physical therapist has LP in her home and complains about how expensive it is.  They primarily use a pellet stove for heat.

I wouldn't want to do that in the winters we have here; the outlying rooms could get awfully cold.

 

Where I am, propane is cheap--about $1.69/gallon.

 

A good pellet stove will heat a whole home.  You just need to move the heated air where it's needed.  Or, have it connected to a hot water system.

[Anna N]

LP Is often the only option in certain areas. We had it to run our range in northern British Columbia (Fort Nelson). The cottages where my husband and I used to stay on Manitoulin Island have only LP as fuel for cooking and heating water.  If treated with respect I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than natural gas. 

[MelissaH]

My parents have LP. They use it for their stove (GE Monogram) and the boiler that heats their house, as well as to power the emergency generator. For the first year, they rented tanks that were above ground. After that, they bought their own tanks and had them buried. They need enough capacity to get from about November until May, as when it snows, the tanks are not easy to access and the road in can be impassible for trucks. If the avalanche runs, it can be impassible for everyone (hence the generator, as the power lines are not buried).

 

They live in SW Colorado, a couple of miles up the mountain from a town with about 750 year-round residents. But even if they were in town, they'd still need LP, as there are no natural gas lines anywhere in the county. Electricity is more expensive than LP there.

[Doofa]

Many years ago in UK an odd caravan would blow up. LPG is heavier than air it would leak in the caravan sink to the floor and on striking a match would ignite. The manufactures learnt to then store the gas bottle on the outside of the van with a safety valve. They are this way now.

I use LPG for my heating and hot water, supplied in tanks that are outside on a manifold. It also burns hotter than natural gas. My cooking is electric and has to be as LP cookers can't be installed near a window here. You need the ventilation though as LPG is 15% water. If it's not vented damp mould will ensue.

The manifold is tested on every delivery for leaks by pouring a mix of water and detergent over the valve then watch for bubbles.

On this Island many homes run on LPG as they are rural and have access problems for a gas line. It's also expensive as we need to import it. Any burners for LPG need adapting and checking of same. 

Treated with care Iv'e had no problems. D

[gulfporter]

 

All we have in Mexico is LP gas.  Have used since 2008.  I like it.  Every home in our village uses it and have never heard of an explosion.  We have a large stationary tank but many swap out tall gas cylinders.  

 

Here's how we know when a gas truck is nearby for a refill.

Zeta Gas Jingle

Edited March 22, 2018 by gulfporter (log)

[Smithy]

13 hours ago, md8232 said:

We live up in the hills of Arkansas, so no natural gas for us!  I'm tired of using a single induction burner, but it is superior to our Electric stove.

I'd like to hear from anyone using LP as to what brand of stove you have and the benefits of said stove.  

 

Thanks in advance.

 

We spend a significant part of each winter traveling around in a trailer, and our trailer stove uses LP gas.  I wish I could have the same thing at home, but it would have added too much to the cost of our kitchen renovation to run gas lines from the first floor (where gas comes in for heating) up to our second-floor kitchen, so our home stove is electric.

 

What I like about cooking with gas is its immediate response. Want a hotter flame? Crank up the burner, and you have it. Want cooler? Turn the flame down, and the reduction is almost immediate. The stove grate takes some seconds to get to the lower temperature, but it's nothing like the minute+ time lag of an electric heating element. I think the oven chamber temperature is a bit more even with gas than with electric also, but that may be a function of the particular make and model. My home oven's temperature isn't very steady.

 

For what it's worth, our trailer stove is a Wedgewood Vision. It's smaller than most household units, though: only 3 burners, and only 1 oven rack.

[Doofa]

21 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

We spend a significant part of each winter traveling around in a trailer, and our trailer stove uses LP gas.  I wish I could have the same thing at home, but it would have added too much to the cost of our kitchen renovation to run gas lines from the first floor (where gas comes in for heating) up to our second-floor kitchen, so our home stove is electric.

 

What I like about cooking with gas is its immediate response. Want a hotter flame? Crank up the burner, and you have it. Want cooler? Turn the flame down, and the reduction is almost immediate. The stove grate takes some seconds to get to the lower temperature, but it's nothing like the minute+ time lag of an electric heating element. I think the oven chamber temperature is a bit more even with gas than with electric also, but that may be a function of the particular make and model. My home oven's temperature isn't very steady.

 

For what it's worth, our trailer stove is a Wedgewood Vision. It's smaller than most household units, though: only 3 burners, and only 1 oven rack.

Yep. If I want fast high heat I have a small compact camping stove that I can turn to. I had a whole new learning curve when I had to have electric. D

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

I'd love to learn more about this. Remember when it was?

 

Yes, a little after 4:00 am.  The date was 1/25/1999.  There were at least a dozen fire trucks and the news networks were here.  However it may have been propane, not LP.  I tend to lump all gas* together.  The firefighters told me they believed no one was home at the time of the blast.  Google may know more.

 

Twice I've lived where the kitchens had gas stoves.  There once was a gas leak.  The gas company told me I could have been dead.  I do not like gas.  It scares me.  Besides it smells bad.  I'm minded that a woman I knew died when her gas stove blew up one morning.  Thankfully here the stove is electric.  Your mileage may vary.

 

 

*fuel gases, not culinary gases.  Though I have mixed those up too.

 

[AlaMoi]

250 people have died as a result of gas explosions since 2007.  all gas explosions, not only residential.

 

1,000 people get accidentally electrocuted every year.

 

btw, LP stands for "liquid propane"

[Martin Fisher]

5 hours ago, Anna N said:

If treated with respect I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than natural gas

 

I agree!

Natural Gas House Explosions

 

I used a liquid propane kitchen range for ~15 years.

Worked great for me.

 

Edited to add: I've lived with natural gas or LP all my life.

The area where I grew up was rural, but natural gas country.

My great-grandfather landed in the area, a young man, in 1919, due to natural gas development.

I wouldn't exist if it wasn't for natural gas. LOL

 

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[md8232]

9 hours ago, gfweb said:

Everybody out here uses LP gas. Its great. We use it for cooking, hot water and the generator.

 

I've never heard of a tank exploding.

 

One thing. The stove needs to be configured to burn LP...different regulator.

 

We have a Blue Star. Love it. No electronics, so it works during power failures.

 

 

Just to be sure that I understand you, your Blue Star runs on LP?

[md8232]

12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Not sure it will help but I would run far away.  A tank in a home about a quarter mile from here went up some years back and it shook my brick building to the core.  The road was closed off by the fire department half mile on each side.

 

My choices are Electric or LP.  I despise Electric stoves, so only one option.  My issue with a previous LP stove (GE) was changing the orifices from NatGas to LP resulted

in a wildly erratic stove.  Visits from the service men & LP company never resolved the issue.

I don’t want to repeat this experience, hence my original question about anyone’s experience with current stoves.

[md8232]

5 hours ago, MelissaH said:

My parents have LP. They use it for their stove (GE Monogram) and the boiler that heats their house, as well as to power the emergency generator. For the first year, they rented tanks that were above ground. After that, they bought their own tanks and had them buried. They need enough capacity to get from about November until May, as when it snows, the tanks are not easy to access and the road in can be impassible for trucks. If the avalanche runs, it can be impassible for everyone (hence the generator, as the power lines are not buried).

 

They live in SW Colorado, a couple of miles up the mountain from a town with about 750 year-round residents. But even if they were in town, they'd still need LP, as there are no natural gas lines anywhere in the county. Electricity is more expensive than LP there.

 

I’d like to bury any tank we buy, but our good Arkansas dirt is 99% rock, with new rocks popping up every day!

[Porthos]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

However it may have been propane, not LP.  I tend to lump all gas* together.

 

At least here in California, when you see signs saying "Propane tanks filled here." the product is LP, liquefied propane gas.  Propane is in its gas state at room temperatures but liquefies under pressure and the liquid is easier to transport.

 

I have no fear of propane tanks, but there are some common sense safety items to remember like not smoking near the tank.

 

I use kitchen stoves that were originally natural but converted to propane (brands unknown)  as part of my ren faire kitchens and have never had a problem, nor have I had any issues cooking at my brother's house with its propane stove.

 

37 minutes ago, md8232 said:

My issue with a previous LP stove (GE) was changing the orifices from NatGas to LP resulted

in a wildly erratic stove.

 

Just as car manufacturers make the occasional lemon I have to believe the same of stove manufacturers.

 

I know that asking what "a wildly erratic stove" is is outside of your original question but that description intrigues me.

 

Best wishes for a happy experience with your next stove.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, md8232 said:

 

Just to be sure that I understand you, your Blue Star runs on LP?

Yes indeed. Just tell the dealer that's what you want. LP and not natural gas. 

 

Great stove. Really throws out the heat. Makes our old Vulcan look weak. 

[scubadoo97]

My range top is fueled with LP gas.  No natural gas lines in my neighborhood and at the time we did our remodel, induction was not an option 

 

Works fine.  The tank is I think 200 lb or 45 gal.  The gas truck shows up a couple tims a year to keep it filled

[JohnT]

I have grown up with LPG stoves, water heaters, lighting and refrigeration. My present stove is LPG and I have portable emergency lighting units that use LPG. Properly installed and operated, it is a far safer and controllable means of cooking than electricity. I have delivered well over 100 sailing boats over the years and all, except one, had LPG stoves.

 

If the OP wants to go LPG, get the installation done professionally and do not try DIY. Get an installation certificate as, if anything goes wrong, your insurance has no ability to reject your claim.

 

And yes, gas can explode, just like electricity can short! Both can destroy your home. Propper installation is a must and the stove must have built-in sensors to automatically turn the gas supply off if the flame is blown out.

 

AlaMoi, the LP(G) actually stands for Liquid Petroleum Gas. Propane and Butane are byproducts of the petroleum refinening industry and in most countries LPG is a mixture of both gasses - butane needs a thinner walled cylinder (has less pressure) and burns at a much reduced temperature. This is why they normally mix the two gasses to obtain a higher burn temperature for domestic and industrial use. Your BIC cigarette lighter has just butane at low pressure.

[scubadoo97]

Just looked at our tank the other day.  57gal or 200 lb.  Actually holds 46 gal from what I read ?

[tschaefges]

We live in a rural area and have a 6-burner Bluestar on LP. No issues at all.