Calor Gas and Cooker

Pincher

This is the failure scenario I am afraid of:

Electricity down in freezing winter.
Gas mains supply intact, but it means the central heating cannot function! The zone valves will not open, the digital thermostat will not work, the condensing boiler's electronic ignition will not fire,
and pumping to circulate the heat.

Currently I only have a portable Calor gas heater for backup.

As I live in London, I did not think a generator is called for, and I am not keen on storing petrol/diesel in the house, but the recent cold spell means I am now thinking about a backup electricity capability.

As I have a separate consumer unit for the kitchen area, it is possible to have a battery/inverter setup for it. The idea is to keep the freezer and gas central heating going. Cook with gas, so no heating drain on the battery, but I'm guessing 24 hours is the I can expect.

This brings CHP (Combined Heat and Power) into the picture.
I assume it can work without mains electricity, and have a MANUAL ignition option. If so, it seems an ideal option for the next boiler when the current (just put in 2010) condensing boiler expires.

As an interim solution, I would like a Bloombox type electricity generator. I want it to be connected to the electricity mains, so it detects main failure and kicks in. It just has to generate enough to power the GCH and fridge/freezer. I can mount it next to the condensing boiler, with easy access to the wiring centre, gas supply and condensate run.

suki1964

choille wrote: »

Sounds like you like your toys & are a bit scared of doing without anything if I dare say so. Must cost you a fortune - all those phones & things.

Not at all

Im a woman who drives in a country that has diabolical mobile phone signal black spots.

I use one network mainly but theres areas it wont work so I have a back up for those areas

Some people here have up to three phones - they have a separate one for ROI calls

Costs - same as anyone one contract phone and one payg - which would be about a tenner a year - hardly a fortune

And when caring for two elderly parents - I need to be in contact at all times

And yes I do need BB. For example just this past week did you not read in the papers where you are about the severe water shortages here? Guess where the information on when our water was being turned off and on was found? Guess where the lists of where the tankers and bottle water handouts were found? Yep - you guessed it the NI water website - or the local paper - if you really wanted to make the 10 mile round trip on un-gritted roads to get one

choille

We were without water for rather longer than 4 weeks but that wasn't unusual. Yes I did hear the water shortage & how Scotland were sending bottled water across.

The not gritting of roads has occured in many places.

I just thought that all the phones & stuff seemed rather a lot but then I don't have a mobile phone as the reception here is not good but I don't feel th eneed for one. I didn't realise they only cost a tenner a year - that sounds really much cheaper than the landline.

REC141

I'm just having an LPG boiler installed and I want to compare the cost of bottled gas with bulk storage. Can anyone tell me how many litres of gas is in a 47kg bottle?

brickie58

i too live in an area where we have regular power cuts and changed from electric to gas cooker(lpg) and get about 9months or more from a bottle of propane, just installed a wood burner/ multi fuel stove so now i dont care oh and always keep a store of candles

LittleVermin

REC141 wrote: »

I'm just having an LPG boiler installed and I want to compare the cost of bottled gas with bulk storage. Can anyone tell me how many litres of gas is in a 47kg bottle?

2 litres per kg

If you are thinking of bulk storage you might want to read the Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route? thread. It might put you off being tied into a supplier for 2 years! (One example - last Autumn one poster was paying Flogas 30ppl, another paying Flogas .. 68ppl!)

And you might want to support LPG users by adding your thanks to this post

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=39205254&postcount=477

- and we hope Martin Lewis will take up the cudgels on our behalf to get a more transparent market. We've tried writing to MPs, etc. ML has written that he'll take up best supported ideas as part of his 'moneyfesto' with top politicians (who've already agreed to listen!) and regulators.

Useful price comparisons (you'll need to update figues as examples from November used) at: http://www.nottenergy.com/energy-costs-comparison3

suki1964

choille wrote: »

We were without water for rather longer than 4 weeks but that wasn't unusual. Yes I did hear the water shortage & how Scotland were sending bottled water across.

The not gritting of roads has occured in many places.

I just thought that all the phones & stuff seemed rather a lot but then I don't have a mobile phone as the reception here is not good but I don't feel th eneed for one. I didn't realise they only cost a tenner a year - that sounds really much cheaper than the landline.

Phone only cost what is used. I will top up £10 and I might not use it for months. The point is I need to be contactable at all times, being sole carer of elderly sick ( one alzheimers and one cancer) parents. Also they are the reason why I do my utmost to prepare for every eventuality. Where as I can cope quite well with no electric or heating or being snowed in for a week or so - they can't.

So yes in your world it may seem excessive but then you aren't walking in my shoes

choille

Friends had one of those electric oven with gas hob cookers & it always seemed to be going wrong. I think it was rather expensive to buy.
If I was you I would be tempted to get a camping type hob with grill that works off a little butane gas bottle if it is mainly in case of power cuts, but then again that's me & I am a cheap skate.

suki1964

choille wrote: »

Friends had one of those electric oven with gas hob cookers & it always seemed to be going wrong. I think it was rather expensive to buy.
If I was you I would be tempted to get a camping type hob with grill that works off a little butane gas bottle if it is mainly in case of power cuts, but then again that's me & I am a cheap skate.

We have one already thankyou. As well as a gas cooker in the
caravan.

This thread was started because as my all electric cooker in the house had croaked I was looking at taking the oppertunity of getting a cooker fitted that worked on the calor gas as it would take care if one less headache when the power fails - which it does often

choille

choille wrote: »

We have a calor gas cooker - uses one smaller bottle every 9 - 12 weeks. Bottle costs £39.89 which seems to go up everytime I buy one.

You do know when they are nearly empty coz you get a whiff of gas the day before & also you go & give the bottle a tip about outside - can tell by the weight.

We also have a woodburner so cook on that & boil kettles on it etc. Sounds like you like your toys & are a bit scared of doing without anything if I dare say so. Must cost you a fortune - all those phones & things.

That's why I replied with the above!