Anyone else love gas range (asbestos, floor, vs)

[Rollingon]

Gas range for greater control over heat. Electric does not work for us.

[Johnhw2]

Not sure what was driving the electric range domination a few decades ago. Remember some push by electric companies about safe, clean etc. Maybe the science trend was burning gas indoors and making CO2 was bad but not at all sure. I can see some marketing gimmick driving it but not sure.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by cordata

Yes. I would not buy a house without a gas range. A big mystery to me is when a house has gas service but an electric range.

My house has an electric stove but I do have gas service. Nobody's been able to find a gas line where the electric stove is, so we'll have to run a new line when we finally pull the trigger on a gas range. The house is 60 years old.

[WorldKlas]

I prefer all electric houses for my rental properties just because I have less concern about leaks and blowups or CO2 poisoning.

[pharpe]

To most people a stove is a stove and they don't really care. Especially first time homebuyers. The flat top electric ranges are much easier to clean to. Since it's cheaper to put in electric most budget builders just slap in electric.

[Aceraceae]

We had a flat top in an apartment. Worst stove I've ever used.

[rok8man]

When we were having our house built, we had a choice of either gas or electric and we chose gas. That was a no brainer. But a few of my friends chose electric. So it all depends on the person. Personally cooking with gas is a lot better I think.

[T2015]

Thanks for all the responses!!! I'm glad I am not the only one who loves gas ranges.
When you cook often as I do, having a gas range is a necessity. It's easier to control the heat settings, use less oil, makes food cook more evenly and faster, and some people say it even makes good taste better.

Thanks for all the tips and pointers about looking for a house that is plumbed for gas, even if it has an electric stove. I wonder why my realtor didn't mention that to me. I've heard of installing a gas line but didn't think of a home owner actually bypassing an already installed gas line and setting up an electric stove. I'll have to do some research and pay closer to the details in home listings next time. Under the 'detailed information' of a house listing if the AC or hot water says 'GAS' but the stove is electric, does mean the kitchen is plumbed for gas? I will have to look into that.

Thanks so much!

[pharpe]

Originally Posted by T2015

Under the 'detailed information' of a house listing if the AC or hot water says 'GAS' but the stove is electric, does mean the kitchen is plumbed for gas?

You will have to check. Definitely don't assume that.

If a gas line is already plumbed then you are good to go. Easy swap. If not it's starts to get more expensive. If it's a pier and beam house then its a lot easier(cheaper). If not you need to either go through the attic and down the wall (not easy in a finished kitchen) or you will need to go around the exterior with a buried gas line and come in behind the stove. If the stove is in an island then the floor will need to be busted up. It will also need to be vented.

[T2015]

THANKZ Pharpe! That was very helpful. I did some quick research and learned the difference between just having gas service (like for heat) and actually bring plumbed for gas or having a gas line. It can get very expensive getting a gas line installed vs installing a gas stove & activating a gas line that's already set up. The details you provided helped me to see the picture even more. That's definitely NOT something I want to deal with.