Heating & appliances
Propane ranges and cooktops
Nearly any gas range, cooktop or wall oven can cook on propane, either because it was built for propane at the factory or because a qualified technician installed the maker's conversion kit. Run a range hood that vents outdoors whenever you cook, keep carbon monoxide alarms in the house as California law requires, and have the connection leak tested with a shut-off valve within 6 feet.
Updated · American River Gas office, Newcastle
Built for propane, or converted
Gas cooking appliances leave the factory set up for one fuel. Some brands sell a propane version outright. Most others ship for natural gas with a propane kit in the box or sold as a part number. The kit swaps the small burner orifices and resets the pressure regulator for propane, and it covers the oven's bake and broil burners as well as the cooktop.
Never hook an unconverted range to a propane line. It can burn too hot and dirty and make carbon monoxide. If you are moving a range up from a house that had natural gas, check for a kit before you load it on the truck. Our guide to converting appliances walks through the process, and we do conversions for current customers.
Choosing a range for a propane kitchen
- All-gas range: gas cooktop and gas oven. Many cooks like the instant, visible flame for searing and simmering.
- Dual-fuel range: gas cooktop over an electric oven. It needs both a gas connection and a heavier electrical circuit, so read the installation manual before you shop.
- Separate cooktop and wall oven: a propane cooktop in the island with an electric or gas wall oven elsewhere.
- Sealed burners are easier to wipe clean. Look for a low simmer setting if you cook sauces, and check the conversion kit part number while you compare models.
Ventilation and indoor air
Any flame indoors produces combustion byproducts. The California Air Resources Board lists gas stoves among the sources of nitrogen dioxide in homes, warns that improper use of gas stoves and malfunctioning gas appliances are sources of carbon monoxide, and notes that cooking emissions, especially from gas stoves, are associated with increased respiratory disease. Young children and people with asthma or heart and lung disease are the most sensitive.
Cooking itself also puts smoke and grease into the air, whatever the heat source. A study by GTI Energy published by the Propane Education & Research Council found that particles from the food depended more on the pan and the food than on whether the range was gas or electric. The practical answer is the same either way: use a hood that vents to the outdoors, run it every time, favor the back burners under it, and crack a window when you can.
Carbon monoxide alarms are the law in California
California's Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Health and Safety Code sections 13260 to 13263) requires carbon monoxide alarms in every dwelling that has a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, as the Air Resources Board summarizes. A propane range qualifies. Test the alarms and replace them on the maker's schedule.
Never use a range or oven to heat the house. The U.S. Fire Administration lists that among its core heating safety rules, and it is a real carbon monoxide risk during a cold power outage.
Kitchen fire safety
The U.S. Fire Administration calls cooking by far the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries, and unattended equipment was the leading factor in cooking fires that spread beyond the pan. Stay with the pan, turn the burner off if you leave the kitchen, turn handles toward the back, and keep a lid or baking sheet nearby to smother a pan fire.
Cooking when the power is out
Propane stays in your tank during a PG&E shutoff, but a modern range still depends on electricity for ignition, clocks and oven controls. Your owner's manual says what, if anything, you can use during an outage. Many ovens with electronic controls will not run without power. Follow the manual exactly, and if it says no, cook outside on the grill instead.
Before the installer arrives
- Write down the model and serial number from the rating plate, often behind the storage drawer or inside the oven door frame.
- Have the installation manual handy and confirm whether the propane kit is in the box or needs ordering.
- Check that there is a working outlet behind the range for ignition and controls.
- Clear the counters and floor so the old unit can be pulled out, and plan to be home while the gas is off.
Installing or replacing a range
A new range connection gets a leak test, and the range needs its own shut-off valve within 6 feet. Use the anti-tip bracket that comes with a freestanding range so it cannot tip if a child stands on the open door. If you are adding a range where there was none, we can run or extend the gas line. If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call 911 and us from outside.
Questions
Straight answers
Can any gas stove use propane?
Most can, but only after the maker's propane conversion kit is installed by a qualified technician, or if the stove was built for propane at the factory. Never connect an unconverted stove to propane.
Is cooking on propane different from natural gas?
At the burner it feels the same: an instant, adjustable flame. The appliance is simply set up for propane's higher pressure and energy content.
Do I need a range hood with a propane stove?
Use one that vents to the outdoors and run it whenever you cook. It clears combustion byproducts and cooking smoke from the kitchen.
Why is my propane burner flame yellow?
A steady blue flame is normal. A mostly yellow or sooty flame can mean a dirty burner, a poor air adjustment or an incomplete conversion. Stop using that burner and have it checked.
Can I use my propane oven during a power outage?
Check the manual. Many ovens with electronic controls will not work without power. Never use the oven or range to heat the house.
Related
Keep reading
Sources: California Air Resources Board: combustion pollutants and indoor air quality (opens in a new tab) · Propane Education & Research Council: residential cooking IAQ special report (GTI Energy) (opens in a new tab) · U.S. Fire Administration: cooking fire safety (opens in a new tab) · U.S. Fire Administration: heating fire safety (opens in a new tab)
Newcastle yard · since 1966
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