Propane usage

One factor you have to consider is whether you want
a tank that you can get filled in place and or
something that you have to haul to the propane place.
I have a 20 Gallon propane bottle the one that is
the size of a hot water heater and my butane supplier will not deliver and or fill the tank from
the truck. You probably want to talk to your butane
supplier. I have a friend who lives in the mountains of north Arkansas, they have a couple
of butane heaters that they use occasonally.
The main heat is wood. However she is an excellent
cook. She cooks all the time for friends and family.
She also does a lot of canning.
back to the point.
They have a 500 gallon tank that they fill or
top off once a year, usually in the summer when
prices are cheaper. They own there own tank.
Most butane Co's will rent you a large tank,
and set it up. In Magnolia, Arkansas the yearly
rental for a 250 Gallon tank from Amerigas
is approximately $45.00 Per year.
However you can only buy from them and you can
not price shop for the cheapest price.
If you want to haul one back and forth which
gets to be a pain plus gas to and from where they
fill it, not to mention you have to keep some
sort of emergency supply on hand or you will
run out of gas when you have a house full of people thanksgiving or christmas or some other in
opertune time, usually when everything is closed.
Hope this didn't confuse you.
Pokey

Thanks Pokey, I'd rather not have to haul it back and forth, but one guy I spoke to said he'd come to my house and swap the tanks out, a full one for an empty one. That was the 100 lb guy.

But what I'm trying to figure out is about how much I'd need without having to refill it more than a couple of times a year ... so that I don't have to worry about it running out at Thanksgiving.

100 lbs doesn't seem like much since it's only 5x what a gas grill tank holds, but then I don't know how that translates to cooking on a gas stove.

These guys have also said that you don't want to get too large a tank because they have to charge more on the tank rental if you don't refill it at least once a year.

So, I was wondering if anyone knows about how much propane their stove uses annually.

Thanks,

Jack

Hey guys, I apologize if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find it with a search.

We're far enough out in the hinterlands of east Tennessee that we'll not be getting natural gas around here anytime soon, so we'll have to convert our stove over to propane.

Currently, we use an oil furnace for heating and electricity for the AC and water heater. Hopefully, we'll never have to switch our heating to propane.

So, if we install a propane tank, it'll be for the stove only. Any ideas how much propane a stove uses?

One guy told us that we could get by on a 100lb tank if we filled it up maybe once or maybe twice a year. Another guy told us the same for a 100 gallon tank. There's quite a bit of difference between the two.

The 100 lb tank is only about 5 outdoor grill tank's worth, whereas the 100 gallon tanks that I've seen stand vertically and are fatter than an average water heater.

We're just two people and we probably average cooking about 1 1/2 meals a day.

Thanks,

Jack

You can allways start with the 20# [5 gallon] bottle
use it until it is empty, then extrapolate some
kind of rough average. Bearing in mind that you
will do more cooking on those cold winter days.
You can also watch for tanks for sale. If you
own your own tank you can fill it when you want.
If you could find a good used 150 to 200 gallon
tank you could probably get by for a year.
My friend has the 500 Gallon but he only has to
top it off once a year.
Around here if you will let them deliver when they
are in the area they will usually give you a price break. Usually the rates are the cheapest in the
summer.
Pokey

Pokey, do you know whether your friend is using propane for his stove only or is he also using it for heat and hot water?

Thanks,

Jack

Jack
He is using his for hot water, and some heating.
His main heat source is a wood stove, but he
has a couple of heaters [bathroom] and a large one
he uses to knock the chill off.
I just have no way of guessing how much you would
use. I have a 250 Gallon tank at the lake but
we are not down all the time. When we are we
use it for cooking, occasional heat, and we have
a dryer. I estimate that we used it all of 4 months
last year, weekends and mini vacations etc. I
Used approximately 200 Gallons. Most of that
was the dryer, and the heater. Cooking used very
little, but we were using bottled gas for Grill, and fish fryer.
There was a question earlier about hooking a small
bottle up to the stove. If you have a bottle and
regulator, start with a full bottle and just see
how long it last. Then you will have an idea of
how much you will use.
Pokey

Thanks, Pokey. That's a good idea.

I was hoping, though, that someone might have a rough idea about how much propane a Chambers stove might use in a year, or could maybe suggest a tank size that wouldn't have to be refilled too often.

So far, I'm batting 0 for 2 with my questions. Maybe like other concerns that keep me awake at night, you know, like why do some burners have two peaks and some only one, it's one of those answers that will always remain a mystery.

Jack

Finally, someone sort of near me. Jack, where in TN are you - I am in Asheville, NC

Hey Phoebe, I had noticed that we're neighbors. We're just over the mountains, outside of Knoxville. You're living in one of my favorite towns.

Every August, when it gets too darn hot on our side of the Smokies, we usually end up going through Asheville in search of higher ground.

And actually, I saw my first Chambers stove at an antique/junk store near Weaverville.

Jack

And here I thought I had the only Chambers in the state! It does feel lonely around here - never anything on the Craigslists or eBay for this part of the country. Hard to dream of finding pots at the flea market - you know? I think part of the problem is that there is little natural gas around here - people here just accept that cooking is something that you do on an electric range (I am such a food snob!) Even when offered a choice, most people (at least the folks FROM here) would prefer an electric range!

Let me know if you would like to stop in and see my stoves next time you come through.

Phoebe, sorry, I went fishing for a week. But yep, I feel like I have the only one in Tennessee, too. However, there's at least one more heading this way this weekend after I pick it up in Indianapolis.

You don't need a model 15-B, do you? Or know someone who does? I'd be happy to drive it over the mountains for you.

As for my original question, propane usage, I've spoken to several folks who seem to know what they're talking about and each has said that a 100 lb tank is the way to go if I'm only using it for the stove. So, I guess I'll give that a try.

Jack

What is a 15-B? Photos?

A 15-B is a model B with the high back and chrome stovetop (and a light on each side of the high back).

Phoebe, I'll try to post a link to a photo. Hope it works.

Jack
http://static.flickr.com/60/19172866...d873c0.jpg?v=0

By the way, that's not my stove, that's a copy of a photo that I stole off someone's website (sorry).

Jack

Hi Jack - yes, I guessed that was the model - there is at least one for sale on ebay right now. What kind of shape is it in? How much do you want for it?

I was thinking that if I went out of the C series that it would be for one of those cuties with the salt and pepper shakers (A, I believe). I really do like the c's though and they are not so old that they need really deep work (at least mine don't feel that way - I have the two), they generally seem to come with the universal mixing pins, and they are so beautiful. Oh, I'd like a high back C too (as long as I am wishing).

What are you getting?

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ July 17, 2006 03:33 PM: Message edited by: phoebe9435 ]</font>

Hey Phoebe, we just returned from Indianapolis where we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday and we picked up a Model C (high back) that we had bought off eBay a couple of weeks ago.

Cosmetically, the outside of the C is in great shape. And it even had the much sought after thermo-baker hiding in the thermowell. But it'll take a little elbow grease to remove the food and gunk and rust from the innards.

It almost looks as if I could "plug 'n play" and clean it up as needed, but I probably ought to do some work on it before I toss out the old '82 vintage, harvest gold, electric range (anyone want that?).

As for the 15-B, I'll probably need to get rid of it, since we don't have natural gas around here.

It's in better shape on the inside than the C, like it was better taken care of, but it does have some surface rust on the chrome top and a porcelain chip on the storage door. Otherwise it's in pretty good shape. It has all it's parts and the timer works, too.

It had belonged to my step-mother-in-law's mother (my step-grandmother-in-law?), and my wife heard about it, and we bought it before realizing the difficulties of converting it over to propane. Then I saw the C on eBay for $200 and figured, problem solved.

I like the looks of the B better, but the C will be much easier to get up and running.

Anyway, enough of that. Let me know where to deliver the B (and the electric range).

Jack