Thread: Natural gas...

: at least I hope you are
Pete

Originally Posted by Avery

Ihave recently bought a house on the NSW central coast - near Gosford. We will move in soon after a few renovations.

It is connected to the gas mains - a new thing for me.

All of the information that comes from the various suppliers refer to the stuff as "Natural Gas" (capital letters seem to be standard).
None of the information actually tells me what the stuff is.

I assume that, because it is called NATURAL, it must be totally clean, healthy, sustainable, a plus for the environment, koala friendly etc. I can only guess that by using the product I will be vastly better off and the whole planet willl be renewed - the more I use the better things will be.

Save the Bilbys yeah!

I feel so important.

Iam really, really glad that it is not that NASTY , Nasty, Nasty Coal Seam Gas that is on the news every night. I wouldn't use that - it could be dangerous.

I am so glad that the energy suppliers are looking after me and that the media are so adept at explaining right from wrong.




Of course, I could be wrong...

you're older than me so you should remember ...

Town gas was replaced with Natural gas in the late 60s ? in Victoria and the early 70s in Sydney

Town gas is basicaly cooked up coal -- a mix of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide with a few carcagens thrown in for good measure. A gas oven used to be a favourite suicide device

Natural gas is found "naturally" in the ground -- it's mostly methane (methane also comes out of cows so it must be Bilby friendly) with a few higher gas fractions. It's "doped" to give it a smell because methane is oderless (methane from cows smells because it's mixed with "smelly stuff")

Avery the benefits are many as far as heating and cooking go.

Instant heat on the stove, so never walk away from such as oil in pans you can end up with smoke alarms going of so quick or that bacon in the fry pan it will be super crispy otherwise. Chips never use an aluminum pan or walk away from it.
Water heating that too is a ripper the closer the taps to the storage the better.

We have an external socket which has never been used (renting)which can be hooked up to an out door BBQ no more gas bottles, shame the decent BBQ was knocked off before we moved in owner was mad as hell as it was a top notch BBQ, wo ever did it tho was kind enough to swap it with their own crappy one which was rusted out.

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Avery the benefits are many as far as heating and cooking go. . . . .

. . . not forgetting the possibilities of a forge that is clean and cheap to to run

Originally Posted by BobL

. . . not forgetting the possibilities of a forge that is clean and cheap to to run

I like the way you think.............not sure LOML would be with me tho

Originally Posted by wheelinround

I like the way you think.............not sure LOML would be with me tho

I've got SWMBO totally on board with the gas forge as she will be able to use it for her glass bead chewelry stuff.

Originally Posted by Avery

Ihave recently bought a house on the NSW central coast - near Gosford. We will move in soon after a few renovations.

It is connected to the gas mains - a new thing for me.

All of the information that comes from the various suppliers refer to the stuff as "Natural Gas" (capital letters seem to be standard).
None of the information actually tells me what the stuff is.

I assume that, because it is called NATURAL, it must be totally clean, healthy, sustainable, a plus for the environment, koala friendly etc. I can only guess that by using the product I will be vastly better off and the whole planet willl be renewed - the more I use the better things will be.

Save the Bilbys yeah!

I feel so important.

Iam really, really glad that it is not that NASTY , Nasty, Nasty Coal Seam Gas that is on the news every night. I wouldn't use that - it could be dangerous.

I am so glad that the energy suppliers are looking after me and that the media are so adept at explaining right from wrong.




Of course, I could be wrong...

I went looking for a tongue in cheek smilie but couldn't find one. So this is the best I can do .

Regards
Paul

I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. We converted from what you blokes call 'Town Gas' to natural gas during the late 1940s or early 1950s. What I can remember was that the gas company had to send people out to every home to adjust the stove so that the natural gas would burn efficiently. All that was done was to reduce the amount of air that was mixed with the natural gas. When I saw the simplicity of the process I was disappointed.

When I saw how the stove was adjusted, I would re-adjust the stove trying to get the most heat from the gas and catch H*** for it.

IIRC, the 'Town Gas' was made by burning coal with a limited air supply and then watering the burning coal. I could be wrong but the result was a gas that contained both carbon monoxide and hydrogen. And sticking one's head in the oven with the gas on was a popular way of doing away with one's self. I'm told that it didn't take much more than 10 minutes and one was unconscious for most of the time.

Originally Posted by rrich

IIRC, the 'Town Gas' was made by burning coal with a limited air supply and then watering the burning coal. I could be wrong but the result was a gas that contained both carbon monoxide and hydrogen. And sticking one's head in the oven with the gas on was a popular way of doing away with one's self. I'm told that it didn't take much more than 10 minutes and one was unconscious for most of the time.

Yes, I am so happy that cannot happen anymore.
As a kid I had a 10 year old playmate who did just that because his mother involved him in her divorce battle and would not allow him to see his beloved father.
Such a tragedy
I have never forgotten it and refused to have gas in my house for many years.