Reply With QuoteThanks for this! I've skimmed it, but I'll sit down and have a proper read tonight. Thats an interesting article!Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift
Moderator
Go the gas mate, as the other fella's have said, it's a boon when the power goes down and we're pretty used to having blackouts around here.
The main thing is control, I much prefer gas, and the bottles last for a long time, but they are relatively exxy. We're paying around $100/bottle these days.
We have an Allenzi which is gas/gas (I stipulated this when SWMBO went to pick it up ) but it has an electric grill
As fo the gas HWS using a bit, I disagree.
We used to use a gas HWS on the farm and I found it very economical, and we use gas for the stables HWS (Dux) but it isn't being hammered eveyday, but when the weather gets cooler two to three horses a day are getting hot showers and the bottles last a fair while, at a guess six months at least.
<edit> What are you doing for water ?
Is town water available ?
If not, and you have a hill I'd seriously consider gravity feeding the house and using 3/4" pipe for the internal plumbing.
The bulk of our water here is river water which I pump up into a tank then gravity feed the house with. It's only about a 4m fall, but it's enough to ensure a reasonable shower, etc.
The beauty is that when the powers down we still have water.
Our soft water (rain water) is a small Grundfoss pressure pump to the kitchen and bathroom sink (cold only)
Having copped too many blackouts where we couldn't bathea gravity feed system was the top of my list when we bought this place. I haven't entirely finished the plumbing yet, but it will be able to be switched between both systems at any time, eg. if we are having floods and we can't pump out of the river. (although the 5,000 gallon tank generally lasts three to four weeks, and that's including watering a lot of trees and shrubs )
Swaggie
Thanks for this! I've skimmed it, but I'll sit down and have a proper read tonight. Thats an interesting article!
Cheers
Slunnie
~ Discovery II Td5 ~ Discovery 3dr V8 ~ Series IIa 6cyl ute ~ Series II V8 ute ~
Swaggie
Hi Rick thats really interesting with the gas HWS, and I was expecting it to be a lot dearer than that. I've just pulled a current bill and checked the meter box to see what its currently costing me for electric HW and I'm at about $45 per 1/4. For the 6 months, how many bottles would you be using? As you've said (?) if the power goes down then there is no HWS even if it is currently spec'd in as a solar setup, but I think it may also need to pump up to the panels. Pumping is a whole issue in itself as that also runs on electric. The house is on tank (no town water), but its also near the top of a hill. The tank I think has to be down of the house so the gutters fill it, but the bore tank (10k gal) is as high as I can get it. The bore tank will be connected to the house if the rainwater tank goes dry, and that may be a blackout option too which I hadn't thought about, but the water is scaley.
Sounds like I should be arranging for an emergency generator.
Cheers
Slunnie
~ Discovery II Td5 ~ Discovery 3dr V8 ~ Series IIa 6cyl ute ~ Series II V8 ute ~
Moderator
I run a LPG/electric stove in the warehouse. One electric element that plugs into the wall, four burners that run off a 9kg bbq bottle.
I change the bottle over about three or four times a year. I don't use the gas oven - the other stove has an electric oven.
Interesting thread. In the new house there's two electric stoves - two kitchens - and an oil burning thing like an Aga, although apparently of much lesser quality, that also heats water.
Simon
YarnMaster
The new range of AGAs can be ordered to run on coke, wood, electricity, LPG, natural, diesel and kerosene. I "inherited" one from my grandparents for when I build, but there have been quite a few very tempting offers to take it off my hands.
YarnMaster
Mine is coke at this stage, but it has the water boiler as well.
Very nice NM!
Moderator
The stables HWS only uses one bottle/season.
I honestly can't remember how quickly we went through gas in the old cottage on the farm, but it must've been Ok as I don't remember having a whinge about itSWMBO is over your way this weekend giving a clinic, I'll ask her tomorrow if she can rememeber how much we used. I actually used to comment on how long the bottles lasted when we were living there.
That house had a cheapy gas range and a Rheem HWS.
The next house had a Westinghouse electric range and I hated it, slow, hard to regulate temps, just nasty to use IMO.
Both houses had big old combustion stoves that'd been wrecked by overstoking the firebox. Pitty.
This place has a big old Rheem electric off peak HWS that all I had to do was flush out (full of limestone/calcium from the river) and change the element so to save money we didn't go solar or gas. (money had to be spent elsewhere, if saw the house you'd understand why
Interestingly a mate was head of R&D at Dux a few years back and he advised me not to go solar here as he reckoned the booster would be on too often negating the savings.
Moderator
A friend had a instantaneous gas heater (Bosch) on their tank system, with the water pressure igniter - solar power only - and had irritating problems starting it because of low water pressure from the tank. I'm sure it could've been fixed simply, but distance, etc. made it a problem.
They ran a gas stove, gas fridge, and HWS off tanks and bitched and moaned about how much gas they used, and that's with English showers.
Simon
Moderator
I contemplated that, but was worried about ignition too. Our pressure gets pretty low when the tanks empty
Probably depends on family size too, there are only two of us.They ran a gas stove, gas fridge, and HWS off tanks and bitched and moaned about how much gas they used, and that's with English showers.
Simon
Moderator
Our old HWS never used anything like thatOur new place in the country has gas hot water
When I opened an account with the gas suppliers they advised me to expect a new cylinder every 8 weeks minimum
Hot water system will be one of the first new items to go in when we move I thinkNot sure yet which way we will go
Current gas cost for us in NSW & Qld is about $120 per bottle plus yearly rental in Qld only
A near new room heater in the last place used more though
I shivered a lot instead.
After installing a new air conditioner in the FIL's place he donated his old slow combustion heater to our cause. I had to buy a new chainsaw, and it dings my green credentials a lot, but it is brilliant.
It'll probably stay on continually from late March through October.
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