After having a good look at the condition of the gas tanks in my humble abode -there are two, one for the hot water, one for the cooking range- and having an instance in which the gas guy left the thinghy on top not too tight -the hissing sound took me a while to trace, why, almost no smell- plus having one of the gas guys bump the tank against my doorframe and cutting it in half… I am starting to question the wisdom of my landlady, who insists tanks are safer -even two.
Her explanation is that in case of an earthquake, there will be leaks/explosions, etc. Back home, gas tanks are very dangerous and the big fire that wiped out our family ancestral home was puntuated by the explosion of the gas tanks, which was seen/heard from more than a kilometer away. Hence, I do not feel very safe around those things.
The cost issue I can live with. 20 thousand for the set up, plus an average of 300 to 700 hundred per monthly bill. Someone in my building already has teh set up, as I see the bill posted on the main gate occasionally.
If anyone has pros/cons I should consider, I am all ears. All suggestions are welcome -anyway, I do not have that kind of money disposable right now, vet bills and stuff.
As always, most appreciative for any assistance/advice.
Tanks are outdated and many of the houses in Taipei have piped-in gas, but how many have exploded during an earthquake?
I know that houses with piped-in gas have been known to explode occassionally back home, though I think it were mostly those where the pipe came in through the basement. Gas collects there, gets ignited when the mix is right and you have an explosion.
In Taiwan the gas pipes run often on the outside, so will a spark might cause a darting flame I think an explosion would be unlikely.
A friend of mine who lived through the Mexico City quake described apartment building fires nearby fueled by ruptured gas lines. So in a big quake, I imagine there would be some problems, yes. But if you don’t feel safe with bottled gas either, you might be a good candidate for all electric. I hate cooking on electric ranges, personally. I prefer the responsiveness and visibility of the gas flame. But if you can live with that inconvenience, it might be worth the peace of mind for you.
The worst thing about tanks is having to turn them off and on. My tank lives on the balcony outside my kitchen - there’s nothing worse than taking a hot shower before bed on a rainy, winters night and then having to go outside to turn the bloody gas off.
Seems to be a non-issue. It makes no sense to pump so much cash into a rented place. Plus, you’d have to get permission and the modifications may become a sticking point for your landlord when you want to leave.
Electricity is the safest. The only problem is that electric hot water heaters are unreliable. To get around it, install a hot water tank. If you don’t have a five-person household where people take a long hot bath one after another, you won’t have the problem of running out of hot water.
Yeah, well, our gas water heater sucks, even after complaints and replacement (I think it’s a low water pressure problem) so there’s no guarantee either way.
It’s rented? Well, if you feel strongly about piped gas, ask the landlord to install it; it will be a selling point (i.e., convenience) the next time she or he rents it out. But no, don’t spend that kind of money on a rented place.
Why do you need to turn it on and off? Used to have tanks back home before piped-in gas became available, and we never turned the tank on/off, only the heater which was used for the shower only and located inside.
Agree with the others regarding the advise if the place is rented.
Well, before I moved to the UK I had never used any kind of gas appliance, we had an electric water heater with a tank and a halogen hob in my dad’s place and most homes in Sweden rely on electric cookers of one or another kind.
I love halogen hobs, so easy to use and clean compared to gas and I wouldn’t say no to an induction cooker, if it wasn’t for the high price of getting one…
Gas freaks me out, but I have to say that I somehow feel safer here than in the UK, not sure why, it just seems like it’s piped in better here.
Don’t like the gas tanks at all though, but that’s just me…
Why do you need to turn it on and off? Used to have tanks back home before piped-in gas became available, and we never turned the tank on/off, only the heater which was used for the shower only and located inside.
Agree with the others regarding the advise if the place is rented.[/quote]
We have signs in our building - in the elevators and at the entrance to the complex - that say something like “Did you remember to turn the gas off”? My turning them off was based on those signs - I’ve always had piped-in gas in the past (in Taiwan and other places) so am a newbie to tanks.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. Definetively, I see an inclination towards the piped in gas.
To give you all a little bit of background info, my landlady and I have this deal. I can make any improvements, then she discounts them from my rent. The place is old, really old, but the landlady accepts us all -me furriner and my cats and recently she approved of doggie- warmly -she invited us to a big New Year’s luncheon this year-, and gives me what I believe is a cheap rate for such a terrific location -on top of the MRT. Hence, I try my best to keep the place decent and make as little fuss as possible.
I was considering electricity for the hot water stuff, as I saw a friend has an electric water heater -which I hadn’t seen in Taiwan before- but the pipes are old and teh presure quite low, so I’ll have to check if it is possible.
An electric range is quite a temptation, but again, I’ll have to look if the electric wiring in my place can take it -you guys are talking about turning off the gas, I have a switch for the electricity in the kitchen, and at my previous apartment, a switch for the whole house, that teh landlady also told me to turn of every day before leaving for work.
Neurotic? No, like CF says, its SOP -plus quite a bit of experience thown in for good measure.
I see though there is probably no difference between piped-in gas and a tank, i.e. a leak could be anywhere so you would also need to turn off piped in gas. Even it were at the connection to the tank it would be not much danger if the tank is located on the balcony. But anyhow, turning it off doesn’t do any harm so why not. Better safe than sorry.
I never liked electric cooker… it just doesn’t do it sometimes except for boiling water. Induction cooker is great but the problem is they’re really picky about the kind of cookware you can use, and they often heat a small ring which is bad for cooking. I have a friend who has a halogen hob at his place and quite honestly, it’s reaction is too slow.
There’s a reason behind the saying “Now you’re cooking with gas!” as it’s a lot better. Also, consider coming home after cold, wet day #126 in February and hopping into an instantly stong stream of hot water that doesn’t run out.
There actually is - amazingly (because this thread is onto page 2)- an unstated reason why there is a huge difference between piped-in gas and a tank.
The intra-apartment difference is the volume. With a tank as the delivery mechanism, the maximum amount delivered is a known quantity.
[color=#FF0000]However, with piped in gas, the maximum is much larger[/color] (I hesitate to say infinite, as you’d either asphixiate or the apartment would blow-up - with you either in it or not; moot point).
Theoretically, there can be lots of debate over which system is better in a perfect world… all things being equal (now there’s a phrase) lines would have less likelihood to leak… yet greater proclivity to rupture in earthquakes.
[quote=“Rascal”]
Even it were at the connection to the tank it would be not much danger if the tank is located on the balcony. But anyhow, turning it off doesn’t do any harm so why not. Better safe than sorry. [/quote]
How much is your monthly bill for the piped in natural gas? We moved into an apartment in December last year and we realized last week that we hadn’t paid a gas bill, so we called the gas company and told them the numbers on the meter. Today, we got a bill for a little over NT$13000 for 6 months I’m convinced that this can’t be right, not for 6 months. It is just me, the wife and a baby. We don’t take long showers and don’t cook very often. My wife is going to call the gas company tomorrow to confirm that billable period is not longer than the 6 months we’ve been living in the apartment. Any other ideas as to what could’ve caused this exorbitant bill?
Wow, that’s insane and way too much. You should be paying way less than NT$1k a month realistically, unless you’re on some kind of business tariff or something. There are set prices per unit, although on top of that there are set fees and tax to be paid, but if you didn’t jot down the meter numbers when you moved in, you might be screwed and will end up paying for a lot more than you’ve used. Maybe time to go talk to the land lord if the gas company doesn’t work it out.
