Propane VS Electric Dryer

[Badatta2de]

I have to second Jolie's question. My major problem is that its easy to calculate electric cost, not so easy with propane....until you buy the thing and then its too late. UGH. SO many trusted friends are telling me I'm nutty for using an electric dryer, I will probably go buy a damn gas one and see for myself. Thinking if I hook the grill tank to it instead of my big ones it shouldn't take me long to calculate.
MickeyE we need to talk more about your glass work! I'm a jewelry crafter so if you make beads please pm me. =)

[Badatta2de]

Oh and of course if I get the dryer and hook up Ill come back on the thread and tell ya how it worked out!

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by Joliefille

Calico,

How long does 5 gallons of propane last you? I understand that the after market conversions on ranges & stove tops cost about 25% in BTU loss.

That's why I was considering DACOR, as supposedly if you do their in factory conversion, you lose nothing in BTU's. But wondered if it was cost effective v.s. electric?

The BTU loss is not due to the parts used in conversion but due to off-site adjustments of the burners.

All major stock brands make both natural gas and propane models at the factory because they sell everywhere and propane is used all over the US. The more higher end models usually are only natural gas because demand in trailer parks and outlying areas are not that great for their product.

Since the stock brands are available in propane, they are factory adjusted. Even field converted models perform as good because the technician probably has done many and know how to properly adjust them.

The higher end brands will have more btu loss because the technicians may only do a few and have not become use to the adjustments. thats why the higher end brands have greater loss on conversions.

If you bought a natural gas stock model from Sears and had it locally converted to propane it would work just about as good as a factory one. If you bought a higher end unit that is not so common, odds are it will have a greater loss if converted in the field because thye just dont have the adjustment down pat. It is not the brand but how experience the person is on that brand. If your paying the extra money on a brand just because you think it will have less loss, you may have spent money for nothing had you bought something from a local aplaince store that is familiar to them.

[MickeyE]

Originally Posted by PacificFlights

The BTU loss is not due to the parts used in conversion but due to off-site adjustments of the burners.

All major stock brands make both natural gas and propane models at the factory because they sell everywhere and propane is used all over the US. The more higher end models usually are only natural gas because demand in trailer parks and outlying areas are not that great for their product.

Since the stock brands are available in propane, they are factory adjusted. Even field converted models perform as good because the technician probably has done many and know how to properly adjust them.

The higher end brands will have more btu loss because the technicians may only do a few and have not become use to the adjustments. thats why the higher end brands have greater loss on conversions.

If you bought a natural gas stock model from Sears and had it locally converted to propane it would work just about as good as a factory one. If you bought a higher end unit that is not so common, odds are it will have a greater loss if converted in the field because thye just dont have the adjustment down pat. It is not the brand but how experience the person is on that brand. If your paying the extra money on a brand just because you think it will have less loss, you may have spent money for nothing had you bought something from a local aplaince store that is familiar to them.

I googled "propane conversion for stoves" and on a very good site for appliance repair it said most ranges have either a conversion kit on the range, or available from them. It consists of a set of replacement orifices and if you make the conversion, you store the natural gas orifices there.

The basic procedure is to change the orifices in the stove top, oven and broiler burners, convert the regulator (usually take the top off, flip over the insert and re-install the top) then make sure the air flow is set properly for all the burners. The manual (if you keep it ) usually has all the instructions for these adjustments too. It can be a pretty easy thing to do yourself.

Mickey

[OpenD]

Several miscellaneous points...

For gloryhole costs, check with a glassblowing studio called 2900 Fahrenheit, on Highway 11 just north of Volcano.

For pottery, I heard a guy who does high fired functional pottery here tell someone he does about 6 hour burns, using about 17 gallons of propane.

For propane, buying it retail in 5 gal tanks costs more per gallon than using a large tank and having it delivered. And it's a lot more hassle. A lot of people here have 200 gal tanks and just fill them once a year or so.

For instant-on water heaters, the latest technology is solid state ignition, which eliminates the pilot light, which yes, is a small but constant use of gas.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Propane at our local supplier on the south end of the Big Island is currently $4.69/gallon. That's if you haul your own tank to them for filing. If you get a tank from the gas company they come fill it and it costs more.

Actually, it costs less per gallon from the gas company, but there is delivery charge, so small deliveries cost more net.

So the most viable choices are to use small enough tanks that you can wrassle them to a dealer to refill yourself, or get a big enough tank that the delivery charge evens out.