I would also love to hear some input/information on this. We have an electric coil top range at our beach place and I hate cooking on it! My husband has offered to install a propane tank and plumb it to the kitchen so that we can install a gas range. I am looking at GE's new dual-fuel Cafe range and was planning on ordering one as soon as they are available. Now I am wondering if the converter will lessen the btu/power capabilities of the new range to the point where the upgrade is not worth doing. Anyone out there knowledgeable about this?

I just had the brilliant idea to call my propane supplier and pick his brain. He said that open burners are adjustable. They make it easier when you use converter kits to have a good high btu and not lose the btus when you conver a reg ng to propane. i don't know if it is true or not, but I am going to check.

Yes, but the only problem with this is that I think only Viking, Wolf, Bluestar have open burners. I have a Wolf AG at home but don't want to spend that much for the vacation stove. Still, I think you could order a lesser Bluestar model (RCS or RPB) in LP for somewhere in the 2K price range, thus avoiding the conversion issue altogether. I want that GE Cafe model because I get great prices on GE but I'm worried about losing the power on conversion. Maybe Cpovey or someone with knowledge on this will respond. If not, I'll start another thread to see if we get more responses.

I have a DCS propane stove, factory-built for propane. No propane will give what NG does in the way of output. My manual gives the output for my range, and it is less than their NG models. But I have no complaints with my range; I've had it 4 years.

For anyone interested in using a GE cafe range and converting it to propane: According to GE, the btu loss is significant. You lose approx. 1/3 of your btus with the conversion. You go from 18000 to 11000 and the btu loss is just a s bad for the smaller burners. I realize there is usually some loss, but 1/3 or more is really a lot!

I recently had a discussion with an appliance repair person and asked about the conversion of Natural to Propane. When he actually looked up several different companies even he was surprised that GE had the largest percent of loss of BTU's than several he looked up.

I agree that the RCS Bluestar converted to propane would be the best for the $$. It also has a great InfraRed broiler. No convection fan and cost is about $2,500, maybe less .

Generally, I understand that you lose about 10% of BTU's on conversions, but 1/3! Wow!

Yeah, if you can get a RCS for $2.5 K that would be great-you still get an 18K burner.

If you budget will not stretch that far, try the web site linked below. They are the propane industry, and they should be able to point you to ranges that work well on propane.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propane Industry web site

cpovey, I have been searching for an all gas 30 inch since I have given up on the wolf with the present problems they are having. THere is no BS or Amer avail in our area so I am leaning toward DCS. I thought the Cafe sounded like a good deal but with 1/3 loss on BTU's with propane conversion it would render the 5000 and 6000 pretty wimpy.

Sorry to hear about your problems, but DCS is a fine product, and you should be very happy with one.

cpovey, thanks for response. The only problem I have is having to give up my dream of the wolf range. I am not one of the ones that bought one and is having problems. (I just love the looks of the wolf and the reputation it did have but I would also like to use the burners and oven at the same time.

We just received our GE Cafe Dual Fuel Range yesterday, and the right front, dual stacked burner does not work properly at all. We had the LP Gas conversion kit installed, and the other burners seem to work fairly well, though the flame in the center burner stays pretty small. The right front burner, which is one of the high output burners, and is dual stacked (dual flame), only lights with a tiny flame, barely low level, and does not adjust AT ALL. It does not go on high, or medium, or anything but just 'very tiny'!
Its sad that there seem to be so many quality problems so far, on this highly promoted, highly touted new GE Line. You call GE and they are like clerks in a hardware store...no idea what is wrong, and no one to refer you to. Huge GE Corp. has no technical assistance??? They WILL send a GE technician to look at the problem....in TWO weeks. So I spend tons of money on three major new GE Cafe appliances, take a big chance on this brand new line...and they could care less if you have big problems. We have not tested the ovens yet, and I am a little bit afraid to do so. I do not need more problems, and am angry enough already. Also the control knobs (cheap and lightweight) squeal like stuck pigs when you twist them. Very nice for a 'high end' appliance. Also our front left burner rocks slightly from side to side, and does not seat completely flat...and our installer is a pro, and tried every which way to keep it from rocking! YIKES!!!

I really do not feel like having another range carted in and assembled, so they better had be able to fix these problems! Any other issues similar out there???? Anyone using the dual fuel on LP Gas? Does anybody else have issues with these burners??? Thanks for any follow up!
Tom

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My folks have a Viking range that runs off propane at their beach place, it wooks great. The broiler will sear steaks like a dream. The burners don't boil water as fast as our NG DCS at home, but they do perform well.

I have a Duel Fuel DSC that runs on propane. It works just as fast as any of my friends who have a Wolf or Viking on NG. Propane burns different and when they convert the BTU's it really isn't as different as they make it look on paper. It kind of like comparing an apple to an orange, they are both fruit, but really different. Propane is liquid and NG is gas. It really is more the efficiency of the stove than it is the fuel you are burning. But get a stove that is built for propane at the factory or at least one that is factory installed converter, don't have it installed by the store service people.

Our 36" BS range runs on propane - we ordered as a propane unit from the factory, so it is not a converted model (the process of converting, rather than using LP parts, is what I understand to be a partial cause of lower btu's).

This is not scientific; however, dh went to a local showroom and neither the wolf nor the viking had flames anywhere near as hot as our BS is. He used the highest heat, he even stuck his hand over the flames to see just how low he could go on each; said there was no comparison at all - he couldn't get his hand anywhere near that low on our 22k burner, without the smell of scorching flesh, lol. I always wondered what I'd given up, by not getting the Wolf (original first choice), and by living out here in the propane boondocks, appears to be nothing.

We have another house, and I am thinking about putting in the smaller propane BS cooktop there as well. I think it would be a good choice.

It heats incredibly fast, so I am not sure it loses much at all even being a propane unit.