Propane or gas? Looking at rental houses in the area

[Desertrose34]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

DontLookPhoto

We were looking to buy before we moved here, but things fell south with his job.

We moved here and started over again.

Our owner here is selling so we are starting again elsewhere.

[Reziac]

I once worked out what my propane wall furnace cost to run.

It came to something like $3.00 per 10 minutes.

[Desertrose34]

Thanks reziac. That is crazy!

[ElkHunter]

I lived, full time, in an RV while traveling throughout the US, so propane was a very important part of life.

I would like to meet the engineer that designed the propane tank. I can only imagine the math calculations that he/she had to go through to be so exact and precise. It is amazing that propane tanks, used for heating, ALWAYS run out at 4am. Tanks used for cooking ALWAYS run out half way through a steak. They NEVER run out at 8am, or 4pm, or sputter out just as the steak is coming off the grill.

The number one priority is either Natural Gas, or Electric, depending on the local utility companies and what they are charging. I have seen some places that NG is cheaper to run and other places that Electric is cheaper. Either one does a terrific job and once hooked up, are pretty care free. Propane, on the other hand, is darned expensive no matter where you live and is only used as a convienience of the other two not being available, or the house not built with electrical heat as an option. I am currently living in a Cabin that is all electric, being the very first place I have ever lived that was. I don't like it. hahaha Don't get me wrong, it's very inexpensive. My bill averages $80 a month during the coldest part of the winter, as well as just under $80 a month during the harsh heat and my A/C running. But I spent too many years cooking with a stove that when I turned the knob, the heat was instantainious, and when I reversed the knob, it stopped just as quick. With electric stove, it takes a couple minutes. I realize that waiting a couple minutes is nothing, right? Then why do we put something in a microwave and then stand their tapping our foot. hahaha We've become a society of "I want it now".

Natural Gas, Electric, Always there, no worries.
Propane, Always wondering if the tank has enough to last til payday, or will a fill get you through the winter, or ??????? Kind of keeps you on your toes.

I get a kick out of people I have talked to that said, "I have gas heat, so I don't worry about the power going out." Huh??? I have never seen a furnace that would work without electricity, to light the burner, or distribute the heat, so a standard furnace, even being gas, won't work if power is out.

[Threerun]

We habe a propane fireplace that will run if electricity is out. No fan, but it will run.

And that's about the only advantage it has. Other than that it's a money waster.

[Reziac]

That's strange, I've never seen a non-central gas furnace that required electricity. I've had freestanding and wall-type heaters and all they needed was gas and a match.

Central heat, now, that isn't gonna work for long without the fan, haha.

Propane heaters vary a lot in efficiency. Supposedly the ventless "blue flame" type are much better than the conventional furnace (wall or central). And I can attest that the ones that let you adjust the burner are far better than those that only run on FULL BLAST or not at all. If you have an old adjustable type wall furnace and it quits, fer ghu's sake repair it, don't replace it, because the newer ones apparently are all FULL BLAST models. I couldn't find one that wasn't.

The only way I've found to heat efficiently with propane is in fact a sort of ventless blue-flame heater... turn the propane cookstove burner on as low as it will go, and put a large old-type clay flower pot over it, upsidedown. This will put out enough heat to replace an entire wall furnace, at 1/100th of the cost in propane. ALL the heat goes into the room (instead of 90% up the chimney), at no more output of carbon dioxide/monoxide than if you were cooking soup.

I love natural gas for cooking, but I hate propane, as it never seems to get hot enough to really cook anything that needs to sear or boil hard. I don't like the conventional electric stove for the same reason as Elk -- takes too long to change temperature up or down, whereas gas is instant (and even a woodstove is instant, just move the pan over to where it's hotter or cooler). Unless it's one of the new fancy flat-top electric stoves, they come on RIGHT NOW. Tho I suppose they still take as long to cool off.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by Reziac

That's strange, I've never seen a non-central gas furnace that required electricity. I've had freestanding and wall-type heaters and all they needed was gas and a match.

Central heat, now, that isn't gonna work for long without the fan, haha.

- snip -.

Note, I said "Furnace", not heater. Big difference.

[Reziac]

Well, a wall furnace is still called a furnace... says so right on the label!

I've seen one of those with a fan too, tho it wasn't precisely necessary.