Converting to gas cooking from electric
peachiepie
12 years ago
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Fori
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Converting Electric to Gas... Who's Done It?
Comments (19)I echo most of those who found conversion easy. I, too, had a gas line to the house; it had been stubbed in our storeroom just below our electric cooktop on our island. It was a piece of cake to run the line up to a new gas cooktop. That said, here's the down side: We were forced into getting a downdraft gas cooktop, because there's a huge skylight above the island and no possibility of venting out the roof. The original downdraft worked great with an electric cooktop. With a gas cooktop, the downdraft just sucked the flames away from the pots and pans and nothing ever got cooked! I stopped using venting right away and haven't for about 15 years, with the consequent issues of smells and grease in the air. In our remodel, our new rangetop will be positioned on an outside wall, perfect for venting. So, if you're contemplating conversion to gas, also contemplate how you will vent. Downdraft just doesn't work with gas in my experience....See MoreSpa convertion from electric to natural gas
Comments (4)Below are the pump and heater in question. I was thinking of setting up the heater away from the Spa and plumbing to it. I have recently removed my pool heater (it was beyond repair)and could set this heater up in the same location. It is about 35 feet from the spa. Somewhere in the plumbing I would switch from metal to PVC and connect into the existing spa plumbing. Is this a sound plan or am I crazy??? Pump and Motor - A.O. Smith Century Centurion starite duraglass 2 HP 3450 rpm 230 volt 11.5 amps continuous duty Heater - Teledyn Laars Series 2 175,000 btu brass headers (not cast iron) Model#ESC175NB, natural gas...See MoreGas vs Electric Cooking
Comments (31)I also am trying to make this decision, but I have restricted the argument (for myself) to induction versus gas. I have lived with gas and currently use an induction hob (underpowered and featureless). Nevertheless, I have come up with my own list of pros and cons for gas, induction, and radiant electric and would love to hear comments on their validity and on where I am misinformed. (I am leaning towards induction despite my long list of cons--cleanup and quick, even heat are so important to me!) GAS PROS: 1. easily adjustable--continuous control from simmer to boil 2. intuitive to use--small flame versus big flame 3. familiar to most repair services--cheaper and easier to fix (parts not ridicuolously expensive) 4. can use the same pot on all burners (not always true--some ranges have different size burner heads which dictate small or large pots) 5. can span burners with griddle or roasting pan 6. no need to buy special pots 7. cooktop will work in a power outage (may not be true for oven) 8. heats the kitchen in the winter 9. cooktop/range makes a statement unlike a flat piece of glass 10. can char a pepper CONS: 1. difficult and time consuming to keep clean 2. knobs, if too close to burners get hot 3. requires vigilance to avoid burning/melting equipment (plastic pot handles or utensils) that gets too close to flame 4. some burners cannot achieve a true simmer, so sauces can burn since the flame is not evenly distributed across the bottom of the pan (a simmer plate can help with this) and hot spots at higher temps depending on the pot/pan 5. heats the kitchen in the summer 6. depending on btus, may require a high level of ventilation 7. some electric wall ovens cannot be placed under a gas cooktop INDUCTION PROS: 1. easy to clean in seconds 2. spills don't burn onto the cooktop 3. cooktop doesn't pose the same burn hazard as does gas or radiant electric 4. doesn't heat the kitchen 5. easily adjustable with a finger 6. easy to maintain a constant low temp with no hot spots--evenly heats the pan 7. doesn't melt the handles of neighboring pots or equipment 8. ventilation requirements are less due to less residual heat from cooktop 9. efficient in terms of power to the pan versus lost to the surrounding air 10. fast to heat CONS: 1. May require expensive wiring upgrade 2. Won't work in a power outage 3. Requires pans that the cooktop can recognize (i.e., magnetic and flat on the bottom) 4. Size matters when it comes to recognition of pot or pan and the hob--can't switch pots around easily 5. Not intuitive when deciding 'levels of power'--no visual on the differences between the levels 6. Restricted to the levels of power of the cooktop--"some may have various 'steps' and 'halfsteps' to create a broad range, others my not have as many levels, so you don't have as much control--not continuous 7. May have difficulty getting the cooktop to recognize finger presses (learning curve for the 'right' touch 8. Cookware may buzz even if magnetic 9. Cooktop may buzz and click as it cycles off and on--some are louder, longer, and more annoying than others 10. Power sharing can limit when you can use boost on the different hobs 11. Special requirements for install clearances and ventilation in the cabinet 12. May require for warranty purposes that the same brand of wall oven be used under induction cooktop 13. Sliding pans may scratch the cooktop as will salt 14. Controls on the actual cooktop surface reduce the available space for pots 15. Often expensive to repair due to electronics involved 16. Not as much of a statement in a kitchen--just a piece of glass on the counter 17. Cannot span hobs with a roaster or griddle on most induction cooktops (unless cast iron to radiate the heat but may risk damaging the electronics under the cooktop by doing so)--few cooktops have a griddle feature 18. Cannot char a pepper--or light a candle! RADIANT ELECTRIC PROS are similar to induction EXCEPT no special pots required CONS 1. food burns onto the cooktop and is difficult to clean if left 2. surface gets hot and can burn hands or items on cooktop 3. don't have immediate control over cooking temps (i.e., can't reduce temp without lifting the pot due to the residual heat of the cooktop) 4. Slow to heat 5. Sliding pans can scratch cooktop...See MoreChanging a Thermador Cook'n'Vent electric cooktop to gas
Comments (14)The bad news was that it was impractical to bring a gas line to the island (more of a penninsula really) in our kitchen where the cooktop is located. Yes, we tried everything we could think of, but we have a slab foundation (common for Southern California) and our roof design prevented running a line to the roof and down to the wall next to the cooktop. Only option was to knock a 10 foot long hole in the kitchen wall, which we didn't want to do. Thus we had to continue using electric. After a lot of soul searching, we decided to replace the Thermador units with a new Kitchenaid downdraft and black glass cooktop. The age of the existing units (which I've had to repair on my own on occassion) were major factors in the decision. I found the installation to be surprisingly easy, though I did have to do a lot of cutting of the interior of the island to make it fit. The downdraft is superior to the old Thermador (much taller when extended) and while it does have an internal fan I also kept the original Thermador external blower on the roof (I cannibalized the controls and built an auxillary switch under the cabinet). This gives me the option of running the roof blower when I want quieter operation. As for the cooktop, well, I'll probably never get used to a new style black glass type. Far more maintenance that the old Thermador coil radiant unit, and I find it nearly impossible to see where the cookrings are without strong light. Coil units are obvious where the hot places on a cooktop are, glass radiant are not, as my many burnt pot holders will now attest. I'll live, but for you folks deciding to move away from coils, then do whatever you have to do to get a gas line to your new cooktop. Selling your first born child might not be too high of a price.... Cheers, Nick in Palm Springs...See More
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