How long will a 9kg gas bottle last for a cooktop?

Originally Posted by Daren

Anyone using 2 x 9kg gas bottles and just refilling them yourself?

I have to get gas installed (only for cooktop) and Im thinking of going this route. That way you're not paying for rental on the cylinders.

I have a big bottle just for cooktop and it lasts a couple of years. I wouldn't go down that road again as if you run out you are out with no warning.

A mate has the same set up you are contemplating.

I've got the same setup, 2 x 9kg gas bottles which run the cooktop only on a dual fuel stove (electric oven and gas cooktop in the one unit).

I live by myself and am pretty conscious to not waste energy. I wouldn't call myself a green, but I can't see the point in wasting resources especially with the carbon issue etc. So I cook with the lids on pans, don't boil more water than I need etc. But on the other hand I never eat take aways so the cooktop is used most days.

I moved in 6th of January 2008, just over a year ago, and the first bottle is still going fine. So at about $33 to swap that's pretty economical I think.

When I had it installed (as soon as I bought the house - the previous cooker was broken), the gas fitter said it should be about 3 months for an average family. I've got 12 months so far, but there's only one of me and I do try to be economical.

At a previous address I had a gas room heater in an open plan house. 2 x 45kg gas bottles and went through about 10 of them each year and that was despite insulation and not being wasteful. At $114 each last time I checked, I wouldn't recommed that option unless you're in a climate that doesn't need too much heating.

It's a bit too expensive here in Tassie - and electricity works out at the equivalent of a bit under $70 per cylinder so that's certainly a cheaper option. Use a heat pump and it will be the equivalent of $20 - $25 so that's massively cheaper. Wood at $100 per tonne used in a combustion heater (not an open fire) works out about the same as the heat pump. That will vary in different locations - LPG might be cheaper than electricity in some places so check locally if you want to be sure.

Overall I'd say LPG is economical for cooking and it's better than electricity in terms of how it works - temperature adjustability when cooking etc. But it's too expensive for heating if you use the heater a lot.

I'm not sure if the gas supplied here is butane or propane but I'm guessing it's propane given that we get temperatures below zero in Winter.

Natural gas is generally a lot cheaper than LPG. Worthwhile if you're using gas for heating etc but for just a cooktop I'd get the 2 x 9kg cylinders if it's just for normal household use.

Is there any way of measuring how much gas is left in the bottle? I'm dreading mine running out before the snags are done.

Sure, why not. How do I do that?

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

done

My first gas bottle ran out a couple of weeks ago. 12 months of use on one 9kg bottle but that's only for one person.

Originally Posted by WillyInBris

One thing I wanted to ask people are the 9kg bottles put outside as well that some of you are using, I am thinking so because of safety issues probably a stupid question but just though I would ask.

I have two 9kg bottles outside. They are sitting on the ground next to the house quite some distance from the kitchen (they are out of the way where they are located).

They are both connected to the regulator, you just turn the knob on the regulator to select which bottle is used. All the plumbing from the bottles to the regulator and then into the kitchen is in copper.

Just me, but the thread title makes me smile every time I see it as I think of the answer 'depends how much you use!"

Would be having the bottles inside, but have a number of friends who have bush and coast blocks who have found a problem getting any of the gas bottle companies to deliver and so use the 9kg bottles (filled to 8.5kg by Bunnies for some reason!) without problems. A couple have had twin copper pipes run in by their plumber with two-way-off tap so that they can swap over when one runs out without going outside.

If you had to use a bottle inside then a GasFuse http://www.gasfuse.com/index.htm would be a must - but as you need to be able to depress the device while lighting that would need to be adjacent to the stove or other gas device.

G'day,

Originally Posted by dazzler

Hi

we had two swap and go's at our last place and was very surprised how long they lasted.......

you did well, our experience with these bottles has been dismal. They almost always refuse to supply gas when you need it !! We have two bottles, one of theirs and one of our own, ours always goes right to end no problems.

I've got no idea what the problem is, the bottles all look the same except ours is "nicer" and the tap always works properly....

Maybe it's the gas in the swap 'n goes ? does it freeze up and block the outlet ? water in the mix ?

cheers,
Bob

No idea what you could be doing Bob. I have been using swap and go nine kilo gas bottles for the last two and a half years. In the caravan I was getting through one bottle every couple of months as I was using it to heat water, as well as cook, and boiling the kettle for drinks etc. Now I am inside the house I am still using the partly finished bottle I took off the caravan when I moved out over a year ago. Still waiting for that sad little flicker and stinkie death scene. This is after making litres of jam as well as cooking for myself (alone) all that time. I tend to cook up a storm, so no chances of it being underused.

No problems with freezing, leakgin, blocking or similar. All sweet. I would get a gas technician to have a look at the lines if I were you.

Sounds like something is wrong with the lines, regulator etc as I've never had a problem like that with ANY gas bottle (and between home and work I've used quite a bit of LPG over the past 20 or so years). I'd get a plumber or gas fitter to have a look - better safe than sorry when dealing with gas or electricity in my opinion.

G'day,

didn't ignore you, just found the subscription default

Only bottle problems we have are with the swap 'n go [or their mates], our own bottle runs right to empty without any problems - all on the same BBQ.

Damn weird, drives me nuts, and it's gonna get worse cos I reckon that in the future either we won't be allowed to have our own bottles or it will get to the stage that the suppliers will decide that personal bottles are not worth the hassle and will only stock swappers.

cheers,
Bob