Propane oven with wood stove? Safe?w just

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brider

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Jun 13, 2008
121
New Haven, CT
Hello-

My father-in-law just bought us a Gas oven (without consulting me first), and we've gotten a propane tank installed, but have not yet had the oven hooked up to it.

It occurred to me as I was reading the instructions on converting the oven from natural gas to propane: How much of a risk is it of an instant explosion and fiery death if the oven connection somehow leaks, and the low-lying propane gets sucked into the cold-air stream feeding my wood stove, which is burning 24/7?

Anybody out there have a propane/natural gas oven on the same floor as their wood stove?
 
No more dangerous than having any other gas appliance, Make sure you have a qualified person to the hook up and be familiar with how to shut the main tank off in the event of a gas leak.
 
Propane stove top and propane wall heater all on same floor as stove. No problems. Just keep a check on pressure of propane lines and carbon monoxide detectors so that any leaks can be detected quickly.
 
I had a propane cooktop/woodburner combo stove in my hunting camp for a while. Unless there are leaks you should be fine. If there are leaks I imagine a woodstove is probably less dangerous than an electrical spark.
 
I have a propane kitchen stove maybe 20 feet from my wood stove. I plugged in an explosive gas / CO alarm right next to it to make the wife happy. You'll like it; cooking on gas is SO much nicer than electric coils.
I guess my question should have been: "How reliable is a professional propane hook-up?". The Pro installers are coming next week, so I feel a bit better now. Didn't know the gas alarms were available, I'll definitely get one to make MYSELF happy.

Thanks!
 
We don't see too many issues with propane appliances in our "business" ... typically this is a non issue. As mentioned if you are truly concerned about a gas leak you can buy an explosive gas alarm ... although the oderant they put in with the propane alerts most folks pretty well. A carbon monoxide detector is always a good idea for gas appliances .... heck they're good to have if you're burning wood as well ...
 
Propane stove top and propane wall heater all on same floor as stove. No problems. Just keep a check on pressure of propane lines and carbon monoxide detectors so that any leaks can be detected quickly.
Same setup here, have 3 propane wall heaters and propane range. Just make sure to have carbon monoxide detectors.
 
When I hooked up the gas appliances in my home I left the last connection for the pro to do. They have the testers to check for leaks and ability I hope to fine tune burners. I could do it myself but for insurance reasons let the pro do the final connection so insurance co can't try and push blame to me somehow.
When I was fire marshal seemed the biggest offender of home gas leaks and problems was the clothes dryers. Inside use of propane tanks a no no was up there too. Had one cheap idiot not wanting to turn on the NG, swapping(stealing) tanks from work and using sunflower heaters until a to full tank popped off while they went Christmas shopping.
 
When I hooked up the gas appliances in my home I left the last connection for the pro to do. They have the testers to check for leaks and ability I hope to fine tune burners. I could do it myself but for insurance reasons let the pro do the final connection so insurance co can't try and push blame to me somehow.

I had my gas range hooked up by my propane company for the same reason. They cut and flared the old copper tubing, installed a gas ball valve (so far so good, right?), and then flared another piece of copper tubing and went straight to the appliance. I don't know what the code is, but that seems unsafe to me. Homeowner shifts the stove for whatever reason, shifts it back, and hey look a gas leak. I was going to replace the last leg with a piece of appliance flex, but it occurred to me that it would be easier and cheaper to tell the wife that if she moved the stove the house might explode, so I did that instead. ;)

His high tech gas detection kit was the same as mine (spray bottle of soapy water). :)

Related tip: If your icemaker is hooked up with copper tubing, cleaning under the refrigerator can lead directly to a very nasty water leak. Not so bad if it puddles up and you see it; much worse if it drains down under the rear moulding and you don't see it.
 
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My mother had the local gas delivery company hook up the Dovre freestanding gas fireplace stove. No flex line and got a call that they could not keep the stove going. She told them I would fix it. They did not know to adjust the damper.(can't read the manual?) I also replaced the final line with stainless flex. At least they never charged for time but just the copper and regulator.
She's very happy but I wouldn't want to be the on the other end of the phone about why they were unable to get a simple stove to work. She's very vocal and has a sharp pen too.
 
I had my Waterford wood stove in the kitchen, along with a propane stove. Ran the wood stove all the time, except on Thanksgiving day.
I had it rigged up like that for 15 years and never had a problem.
 
Not a lot of difference in NG vs LPG. A they have to do is change the orifice in the appliance if it's already plumbed in the house. LPG operates at a higher PSI than NG. usually with a new install the system will be pressurized and left to sit over night to check for leaks. But for existing plumbing I've never seen it done. Both gases have smell additives added so that if there is any leak you would be able to tell. There should never be a solid line connection directly to appliance. Always a flex line installed from termination to the appliance to allow for movement.
 
The on appliance regulator usually needs to be changed in propane to NG etc.and jets. Some are very simple with a part swap. Some you can't period. Have done several stoves and a couple furnaces. I get stoves etc from the cities where NG is normal and bring home to where propane is the norm.
 
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Soapy water. No bubbles no troubles!
 
The on appliance regulator usually needs to be changed in propane to NG etc.and jets. Some are very simple with a part swap. Some you can't period. Have done several stoves and a couple furnaces. I get stoves etc from the cities where NG is normal and bring home to where propane is the norm.

Some range manufacturers ship all their gas units with propane orifices. Look for a plastic baggie with a piece of paper and some brass in it ziptied to the frame somewhere near the gas line.
 
Some range manufacturers ship all their gas units with propane orifices. Look for a plastic baggie with a piece of paper and some brass in it ziptied to the frame somewhere near the gas line.
In thirty plus years of playing with stoves I have only once not had to buy the gas conversion kit. Seems installers like to take them home after install?
 
Because that damn turkey is cooking all day and the kitchen would get too hot.
 
Same setup here, have 3 propane wall heaters and propane range. Just make sure to have carbon monoxide detectors.
Propane detectors required here. CO detectors are different. They need to be mounted low to detect the heavier than air gas. Camping and RV stores have them. Safe-T-Alert is a popular brand.
http://www.campingworld.com/category/propane-detectors/152

That said, if the propane appliance is safely and correctly installed the risk of a leak is very small.
 
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