Cooking on gas - without a gas supply

Not sure what the law is regarding using gas bottles for your hob. In France, my g/f's folks use a 20kg Calor bottle under the hob because there's no mains gas there. I *think* the jetting is different to mains gas.

As RobRX-7 mentioned, I also think you have to store butane (blue bottle) indoors and propane (orange bottle) outdoors. Different boiling points and hence more suited to being in or out.
 
Energize said:
Shocking, god knows how much electric heating must cost them.
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:confused: You seem genuinely surprised that not everywhere is covered by the gas network.

It is very, very common to have a kerosene fired boiler. About 50% of our houses are not on mains gas, gas covers only relatively densely populated areas. I am actually looking to buy another place at the moment, none of the houses i have looked at can get mains gas, or mains sewerage for that matter.

Electric heating is not the only alternative :p
 
no mains sewerage??? eewww

i can understand not wanting to live in densily populated areas as there's many benefits not having nosey ****s always pry into your business... but to have no sewerage mains.... surely you have some form to carry your **** away
 
zebedeee said:
no mains sewerage??? eewww

i can understand not wanting to live in densily populated areas as there's many benefits not having nosey ****s always pry into your business... but to have no sewerage mains.... surely you have some form to carry your **** away
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Nope, everybody (of which there are millions, as mains sewerage only covers large villages and towns, probably even less coverage than gas) just has to go into a bucket in the bathroom. You can then take this out and use it on the crops which all country folk obviously grow too.

OP: re getting gas to your kitchen, you need external canisters, unclebob123 is right on the money.
 
Energize said:
Shocking, god knows how much electric heating must cost them.
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A huge amount.

You have two choices in these "posh" "apartments" when it's cold.

Heat the place for a few hours a day and in a fairly large one expect your electricity bill to be around £160 a month or put on more layers until you really can't stand it and then spot heat the room you're in (upside of electric heaters is that they are very quick to heat a space) and probably keep your bills closer to £100...

It isn't ideal...

I get why they don't put gas in thee large towers, cost of plumbing aside, imagine if there was a leak or an explosion, doesn't bear thinking about. I really think there needs to be better regulations on insulation etc. though...
 
Butane needs to be indoors (it'll stop working around zero c), if your insurance won't allow gas indoors it'll need to be propane really.

Indoors I'd recommend a 3-4kg butane under the counter, small and it'll last you for months running a hob. Butane is lower pressure so easier to install (finger tight) especially when having to work in a small cupboard!

just google hobs with lpg jets, common enough.
 
Jonny69 said:
Not sure what the law is regarding using gas bottles for your hob. In France, my g/f's folks use a 20kg Calor bottle under the hob because there's no mains gas there. I *think* the jetting is different to mains gas.

As RobRX-7 mentioned, I also think you have to store butane (blue bottle) indoors and propane (orange bottle) outdoors. Different boiling points and hence more suited to being in or out.
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My mums house has a butane bottle to fuel it, you can change them yourself and I'm pretty sure it's on a flexi hose. It's had the jets changed as you say to adapt it for the pressure difference.
 
Energize said:
I've never been to a house where there wasn't a mains gas supply. Given that every house has electricity and water, I expected them to have gas as well.
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Not every house has mains water either, the last house i lived in didnt for example.

You cant have been to many houses outside of towns is all i can think :p Having mains gas, sewerage, and to a lesser extent water is a bonus, not a given.
 
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manic_man said:
I get why they don't put gas in thee large towers, cost of plumbing aside, imagine if there was a leak or an explosion, doesn't bear thinking about. I really think there needs to be better regulations on insulation etc. though...
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I think levels of insulation on new buildings are actually pretty good.

I'm in a new build block of flats, despite having big windows it's rare that I feel cold. Infact when the temp dipped below 0 in December was the first time I really felt I needed the heaters on to feel comfortable.
 
Telescopi said:
Butane needs to be indoors (it'll stop working around zero c), if your insurance won't allow gas indoors it'll need to be propane really.

Indoors I'd recommend a 3-4kg butane under the counter, small and it'll last you for months running a hob. Butane is lower pressure so easier to install (finger tight) especially when having to work in a small cupboard!

just google hobs with lpg jets, common enough.
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Looks like I'll be doing that. Since last posting, I've managed to convince my parents to lend me their old camping stove and a butane canister. Apparently, the stove is big enough to stick a full size wok on. Result. :D

In the long term though, I think I'll be investing in a proper propane gas system, with boiler, gas central heating, etc as well as a gas stove. Expensive, but I reckon it'll be worth it in the long run.
 
Jez said:
Nope, everybody (of which there are millions, as mains sewerage only covers large villages and towns, probably even less coverage than gas) just has to go into a bucket in the bathroom. You can then take this out and use it on the crops which all country folk obviously grow too.
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:eek: What!!! I have never heard of anyone in UK who has to use a bucket in their bathroom. Almost every house my parents had that I lived in was not connected to the national sewerage system. Instead they had a septic tank in the garden. Normal toilets in the bathrooms, proper sewage pipes leading to the septic tank.
 
Energize said:
Shocking, god knows how much electric heating must cost them.
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:confused: Have never been out of a town?

Oil is probably the best option for central heating, or just have a coal fire like we did at our last place, was a bit chilly in the mornings but then again we're not some pansy townys. :p
 
AlfCheesey said:
:eek: What!!! I have never heard of anyone in UK who has to use a bucket in their bathroom. Almost every house my parents had that I lived in was not connected to the national sewerage system. Instead they had a septic tank in the garden. Normal toilets in the bathrooms, proper sewage pipes leading to the septic tank.
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You know, I think he might have been joking.
 
yeah, me too now :o Just where I live out here in China, less than 5 miles from the city it's exactly like this.

I'm looking to buy some land to build a small house on, and I still haven't found anywhere selling any kind of septic tank system.
 
AlfCheesey said:
yeah, me too now :o Just where I live out here in China, less than 5 miles from the city it's exactly like this.

I'm looking to buy some land to build a small house on, and I still haven't found anywhere selling any kind of septic tank system.
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Haha, yes i was joking. The sewerage acts as though you are on a mains system, filling a septic tank burried elsewhere. The fittings inside the house are no different to usual :p

Ditto off mains water, you'll have a "well", but in reality it is a water collection/filtration system pumped to the house at mains pressure - you cant tell the difference.
 
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