Depends how old the gas furnace and water heater are–and how (in)efficient they are. Consider replacing both with “on demand” systems because there could be significant to you savings, depending upon how long you intend to live there.
I get that older gas ranges were built with pilot lights…but your basic spark plug was cheap and in cars for 50+ years in the 1970s. Seems like an obvious safety hazard to not use it and a waste of gas for a pilot light.
A pilot light (with auto shutoff) in a hot water heater is not a complete waste since it is doing a little bit to keep the water warm
Mike
There was, years ago now, on the original TMF, a long running discussion over tankless water heaters, industry claims of efficiency, etc. I put one in way back, maybe in the '80s, it was a more mechanical thing, and that caused its demise. Bought it local, but online connection with AquaStar, it turned out they were the National distributor, they had troubleshooting info, even sent me rear parts until it became too undependable. They sold me a returned/refurbished one, newer version, by Bosch I think, but fewer moving parts for $160. That lasted quite a while, 10 years, maybe… Then it’s main valve began to leak, worn sh*ft, seals.
I looked at replacing it with another tankless, but prices had skyrocketed, and about that time I tired of doing the work, had my plumber replace it with a regular tank type, at the time we weren’t looking for heat pump WH’s so there it is, raised up, drain panned, EQ braced and all… I added a circulator pump later, so we have hot water out at the far end faster, and it’s working well… I’d have looked at heat pump WH’s, but at the time, NG pricing was not a big deal, so I was glad it was done…
Our new A/C is a heat pump unit, but as it’s air, it flips the NG furnace in if it’s below 40°, … So far so good, at least we’ll have some relief from the sumer heat… Winter, we leave it at 68° and wear more layers as needed… Bills are still up as our Utility tries to recover all their fire losses…
Always tradeoffs… I first ran into tankless at rentals up the coast at Sea Ranch, we’d host several folks, so an endless supply of hot water was nice, opened that door…
weco
1 Like
PBS News tonight had segment on geothermal heat pumps. Ground temp is 50 deg all year making them more efficient than air exchange heat pumps (which have trouble extracting heat from outside air on a cold day or pumping heat outside on a hot day).
They have better drilling systems, less destructive than previous digging. But system still costs $40K to install. Vs abt $7K for gas/electric hvac for most homes.
Subsidies probably required.
They are doing abt 10k conversions per day but need to do 200k to have a shot at solving the problem.
1 Like
Made me look… Surprisingly deep, but maybe on some properties old, unused wells might be utilized…
95% furnace and a/c were new in 2018. Estimated hang time in present condo, year or less. Everyone on the condo board wants to quit, and I am not willing to deal with the aftermath of a failed condo.
Steve
Good idea. There was a group of 11 (?) condos in 3-4 adjacent buildings near me. Fun part: 7-9 of them were owned by two men living in one condo. One unit was offered by HUD (foreclosure). The unit had been stripped (copper, sink, and so on–i.e. scrap metal sales) by the previous tenants (owners? no idea). A quick look at their finances showed “no way” was the place financially ready for anything (except to bill residents $$$$$ for whatever happened).
1 Like
Seemingly overnight, the gas stove in nearly one of three homes in the U.S. became an appliance of controversy, bringing comparisons to cigarettes on one side and accusations of government overreach on the other.
The fight started when a commissioner for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, said the agency could soon increase regulations and potentially impose a ban on gas stoves, citing the appliance’s public health risks.
“This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., commissioner for the CPSC, a federal agency responsible for recalling products like baby swings and bicycles to reduce harm to consumers, told Bloomberg in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
Since that interview, the debate has boiled over. Claims of a “federal gas stove ban” circulated while the Wall Street Journal editorial board and numerous conservative lawmakers hopped into the fray, blaming the Biden administration for “forcing all buildings to use electricity for everything.”
1 Like
In my vagabond days in the 70’s I often took short term gigs as a short order cook in classic “diners” and coffee shops. In those days, no question, gas better than electric stoves. My favorite stove of all time was a gas powered “French Rings” stove
that was stunningly versatile and efficient when I was cooking for 50 or more people. My current stove (came with the house) here in Mexico is a deluxe gas thing with great reviews. Hate it.
Nothing using gas compares with high quality magnetic induction stovetops. NOTHING. But you need to get a good one. The hysteria over this issue shows people are looking for something else to worry about than things that really matter.
david fb
6 Likes
Totally agree there. DW and I renovated our 30 year old kitchen 5 years ago. We had an electric cooktop/oven and when looking at new appliances we were leaning towards converting to gas. When we spoke with the salesperson at the appliance store, she explained that the costs to convert to gas would be pretty high (piping to the kitchen from the other side of the house) and suggested that we instead look at an induction cooktop seeing we already had 220 going to that area of the kitchen. After doing our research, and also realizing that we would also need to get all new magnetic cookware, we decided to take the leap.
We’ve never looked back. We can boil a huge pot of water in about 3 minutes to a rolling boil. We have the ability to control the heat on each burner very precisely and the cooktop is a total breeze to clean. It is also very efficient.
'38Packard
==> we’ll probably never go back to gas or electric at this point!
2 Likes
We paid our dues years ago, adding gas for the kitchen stove, later a NG fireplace insert, but that turned into a farce as when it was used, it blew the thermostat’s mind, so the rest of the house got cold! And we live more in the other rooms, so the fireplace is ignored. So no changes as far as the kitchen stove. Cousin here in town just remodeled their kitchen, a very nice Wolf with a large griddle… But I could see where Induction could work out, but I think I used that set of breakers for the new A/C… So not for now… I think there’s a second 220vac outlet there for a double oven, now long gone… So it’s possible…
1 Like
I have been reading this thread and there seems to be a lot of interest in induction cooking. If you want to see what it is like, you can for about $60. That is what a single induction burner costs at Amazon.
Good point!!! I’d add PLUS the cost of a magnetic pan. Many pans today are metal, but not magnetic.
'38Packard
1 Like
Even though we have a gas stovetop, we saw the the writing on the wall years ago and now all our stovetop cookware is induction capable.
1 Like
I understand those are popular for food trucks. High heat and no need for additional venting.
3 Likes
Come on. Everybody has a cast iron skillet around somewhere. That’s what I’m using with the induction hot plate I bought to try out.
-IGU-
Actually, we didn’t. Wife had pans from when we got married 25 years before and if memory serves me correctly, skillets were deemed “old tech” around then so we never owned any magnetic pots or pans! We do now, and we love cooking with our skillets!
'38Packard
1 Like
Not always. My grandmother used Guardian Service cookware—“waterless cooking”. Made from late 1940s to mid-1950s. Sold similarly to Tupperware at the time (not in stores). Expensive. Closed when their factory (CA) burned down. It was all cast aluminum. For the past few decades (?), it was all aluminum or aluminum with a copper disc inside the bottom (to spread heat more quickly and more evenly). The latest thing is the newest non-stick interior technology.
Well, then, if you can’t pick one up at a thrift store for $1 or two you haven’t tried very hard.
-IGU-
1 Like
I always carried one after watching 3 stooges movies. Never know when you might need a good Iron skillet.
Andy
4 Likes