*MUST READ* Propane Prices to Rise to Unbearable Levels

It seems that big government honestly believes that they can engineer all their problems away...push enough paper and the problem will never happen again. Unfortunately, the mom and pop stores and businesses in the world can never pay for the expertise to draw up most of that paperwork, so they just shut down. Kind of a ripple effect, slowly crippling the little people.

 

I had decided to get a propane heater, start stocking propane in the 'on sale' for $8 gas cans from TSC...and look for a heater at the pawn shop as suggested..

So, last night I found a little tent heater on one of the army surplus sites..uses coal and wood..husband is a logger; that's solved!!!:2thumb:

to use in my 2 car garage in an emergency and let the pipe go out the window...I can even cook on it...

Yep---good decision.

Uhhh, scratch that ...not propane...but kerosene..duh..a senior moment...

 

I am versatile using as many different types of fuel and energy sources as possible. Propane is just one. My MSR XGK 2 stove burns seven different types of fuel, now if I could only find it.:scratch Heating can be done with electric, wood, coal, propane or gas. Electric is AC DC with the grid, gennerator and solar. I would like to get a wind gennerator next.

 

Price here jumped a 1.16 a gallon the other day. Gettin ridiculious that be fer sure. The lucky folks have it already contracted, but don't know what it will do fer next year.

We keep our options open so we ain't stuck with just one fuel, but allota folks ain't got that option, yet.

 

President Obama: "under my energy plan, energy cost would nessearily rise (triple)"
Can't say he didn't warn us.

 

We did away with our propane grill as well. We now make our own charcoal and use a chimeny to start the coals. We are also playing with a few wood fired designs for home canning operations.

 

I've been picking up salvage material for a med sized rocket stove. There are a lot of plans out there for all different sizes. I'd like to build it with a 10-12" outer pipe and a 5-6" inner pipe. It should be big enough to replace a burner on our kitchen gas stove. I'd like to boil a pot or rice, beans, pasta etc. I picked up a discarded 36" length of 10" double wall SS chimney pipe. I had to use some of it for a liner in our wvo fired boiler, but I have enough left for 2 rocket stoves. I just need something for the inner pipe. I saved the insulation to reuse in the rocket stove. If I run out I'll use ash instead of spend money for the perilite that most people use.

How are you making charcoal? I read a little about it, but I never had much interest. I figured I could just a wood stove or build a 5-10 gallon sized "hobo" wood stove for cooking/hot water if needed. I think the rocket stove is really the way to go. They are known to be very efficient and run on twigs, pallets, packing strips or any other scraps. Charcoal might not be worth the extra work, unless you can use the heat from making the charcoal.

 

The price of propane here is 2.30 per gallon. Thats less than last years prices. Thank goodness we how wood heaters and a wonderfull pot belly one.

 

Propane is $2.36 here, about .15 cents more than last year. Five cents of that price increase has been in the last six weeks.

 

I just bought 200 gallons propane @$2.65. Last year at this time it was $2.30

This 200 gallons should last me at least 2 to 2 1/2 years.

By then I hope to have a Air Source heat Pump for my heating/cooling.

Southern New Mexico

 

We just filled our tank, Jan 7th, @ 2.19 a gallon.

 

I was able to contract my propane for $1.80 this year. Last year I paid $2.35.

 

GoldenBoys: How did you get such a low price? I'm not familliar with contracting like that. Do you sign that you'll buy so much by a certain date at that price? I don't use propane other than in my grill so I won't be looking to contract it or anything-I'm just curious. When I bought heating oil a thousand gallons at a time I always got a small discount for buying so much.

 

For you grillers, look at the CharGrill Duo. It's basically 2 side by side drums, one propane, one charcoal. Optional side firebox to turn it into a smoker too.

Char Griller - Grills and Smokers

I got one about a year ago with the side fire box. It's worked quite well on either fuel. Propane side gets really hot really fast and on the charcoal side you can do a nice low and slow fire.

 

I had to sign a contract saying that I would buy 1000 gallons in a year time frame, which is no problem for me. I'd like to put in a wood stove, but I don't have a source of wood where I live.

 

Maybe its this way for everyone but, where I live if you heat and cook with propane its about $2 less per gallon than if you only cook with it.

Of course only my cook stove is propane. I get one delivery a year, last time it was $4 a gallon.
Take it easy,
Moose

 

I have not used the gas on my grill in a few years now. I bought it for the gas sidecar to use when the electric goes out. I converted half of the grill to wood. I just cut a piece of sheet metal to fit and punched some holes in it, then placed it onto the lower grill, where the lava rocks would be. I use branches from pencil sized up to maybe 2” diameter and cut them into 6” to 8” pieces. Build a small fire and depending on what I’m cooking usually get away without re-feeding it. I keep a cardboard box in the shed full of fuel for the grill, small on one side, medium size in the middle and larger pieces on the other side. I grab a small handful of each, build a fire, cook and done! I refill the box with any branches that fall or brush I clear in the yard. Remember, a certain people build a small fire and stay close. The other folks build a huge fire and stand far away. The less wood I use the less I have to cut to do the same job.

 

I don't know if this helps, but I bought a small 6" X 5" 'fire logg' and cut in small pieces...got 20 pieces of about 1" X 1 3/4" when finished..put in ziplocks and I burned one piece and it burned for almost 25 minutes..about 3 inches high..
Now, I got them for my car in case I get stuck in freezing weather,,(my nightmare of dying by freezing) but after 10 minutes they smoke, so I'm back to alcohol-drenched cotton balls.

Sometimes a small firestarter is all one needs!!:dunno: