# Gas



## Guest (Mar 29, 2014)

We are in the process of looking at houses and are getting conflicting information on the relative merits of bottled v mains gas. We are told that the price of small bottles of gas is capped by the state and will remain so. Does anyone have any thoughts/info on this? Also, what is the price differential? And, to add to the confusion, what about large gas bottles? Tks.


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

Prices available on this page with info:

Repsol Corporate Information and general contents: cars, motor, the weather and more - repsol.com


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

meetloaf said:


> We are in the process of looking at houses and are getting conflicting information on the relative merits of bottled v mains gas. We are told that the price of small bottles of gas is capped by the state and will remain so. Does anyone have any thoughts/info on this? Also, what is the price differential? And, to add to the confusion, what about large gas bottles? Tks.


The small gas bottles (bombonas) are at a state fixed price - currently €17.50. The large bottles are available in many (but not all) locations, but be aware, that they do take some manhandling. Unless you have central heating, the small bombonas are quite adequate and not too difficult to manhandle. Usually Repsol deliver to the door three times a week although they do have depots and other places that stock them (e.g. Repsol garages, etc.) but, of course, you do have to hump them about into and out of your car.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

meetloaf said:


> We are in the process of looking at houses and are getting conflicting information on the relative merits of bottled v mains gas. We are told that the price of small bottles of gas is capped by the state and will remain so. Does anyone have any thoughts/info on this? Also, what is the price differential? And, to add to the confusion, what about large gas bottles? Tks.


If you have access to mains gas it would be crazy to use bombonas. You never know quite when they are going to run out, and there are few things more irritating than the water going cold on you halfway through a shower.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Repsol also sell the smaller 5 or 6kg bottles though not good value for money. We have on as a spare should any of the main bottles run out and we don't have a spare large bottle (14kg)


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> If you have access to mains gas it would be crazy to use bombonas. You never know quite when they are going to run out, and there are few things more irritating than the water going cold on you halfway through a shower.


Agreed. We're happy using bombonas for cooking and heating, but changed the gas boiler for water heating that was in our house when we bought it for an electric water heater for that very reason (plus it was outside so the pilot light had a habit of going out). 

I'd love to have mains gas, but have read reports that it's very expensive to use. The bombonas are very economical in our experience, one lasts for almost six months on the cooker and for heating, on average 17 days.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> Agreed. We're happy using bombonas for cooking and heating, but changed the gas boiler for water heating that was in our house when we bought it for an electric water heater for that very reason (plus it was outside so the pilot light had a habit of going out).
> 
> I'd love to have mains gas, but have read reports that it's very expensive to use. The bombonas are very economical in our experience, one lasts for almost six months on the cooker and for heating, on average 17 days.


Our water heater doesn't have a pilot so no problems on that score - it uses 2x U2 size batteries and the last pair lasted for five years.. Like many places there is no mains-gas option.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Our boiler uses a battery which ran out last week!! The boiler is nearly two years old but the batteries came with the boiler. The new batteries should last much longer..


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2014)

Aha, that's the info I needed. Some urbs round here, in fact most as it's a country area, have bottled gas, but this is a new one to us and of course those who use them - and are trying hard to sell their villas - are swearing it's the best thing since sliced bread. There's one urb which we don't like as much which has mains gas. As always when buying a house you compromise and this may be one area where we need to learn to love bombonas. Incidentally, round here they are delivered to your front door, you just put out the old one and it's taken away. The manhandling is a problem but I suppose we'll have to try one to see if we can do it. You don't know about these things until you're in situ. The more we delve the more we realise how much we still have to learn and tbh those posts from people who come once and buy scare the sh*t out of me on their behalf. Our next problem concerns septic tanks…… But we have found our "place" in Spain, now it's finding the right property. Thank you, everyone. I will no doubt bore you with more questions within the next few days but I hope the "Why Do We Bother" thread also remembers those who they have helped and who actually arrive and settle in Spain thanks to their advice.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

PS re manhandling - or rather womanhandling - bombonas: I put it on a little round trolley with wheels so I can roll it from the garage to the kitchen. Available at any ferretería!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> PS re manhandling - or rather womanhandling - bombonas: I put it on a little round trolley with wheels so I can roll it from the garage to the kitchen. Available at any ferretería!


but no help if you have any small steps along the way, as we have.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

A dolly should handle steps just fine. Get a strap to hold the cargo. Pull the dolly up to the step then pull it up the side of the step.










There are even heavy duty models with built in motors but for a 15KG tank you shouldn't need anything that fancy. A good dolly can handle appliances.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

A note re. transporting bombonas, I have been led to believe that it's illegal to carry them in your car unless quite strict rules are followed - although I haven't checked this.

The lady at the local depot doesn't seem to mind though.

I carry mine on the back seat in an old suitcase (the floppy kind) with a seatbelt around it and through the handles.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

NickZ said:


> A dolly should handle steps just fine. Get a strap to hold the cargo. Pull the dolly up to the step then pull it up the side of the step.
> 
> There are even heavy duty models with built in motors but for a 15KG tank you shouldn't need anything that fancy. A good dolly can handle appliances.


That isn't a dolly, that is a trolley which is a whole different ball-game 

I think that this is the sort of thing being referred to:

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Gardman-Extra-Heavy-Duty-Round-Plant-Caddy-40CM-16-/00/s/MjcxWDM2MQ==/z/CjAAAOxy0NtTCzgZ/$_12.JPG


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> That isn't a dolly, that is a trolley which is a whole different ball-game


I think I would call it a sack-truck and it would certainly handle stairs OK.:nod:


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Agreed. We're happy using bombonas for cooking and heating, but changed the gas boiler for water heating that was in our house when we bought it for an electric water heater for that very reason (plus it was outside so the pilot light had a habit of going out).
> 
> I'd love to have mains gas, but have read reports that it's very expensive to use. The bombonas are very economical in our experience, one lasts for almost six months on the cooker and for heating, on average 17 days.


Repsol have a delivery once a week in our area. When I need a new bombona, he stops, takes the bottle off the lorry onto his shoulder and will carry it to wherever you want it put. They started this service about 6 months ago and since then I have no need to go to the garage with the car for a new one.


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Lynn R said:


> Agreed. We're happy using bombonas for cooking and heating, but changed the gas boiler for water heating that was in our house when we bought it for an electric water heater for that very reason (plus it was outside so the pilot light had a habit of going out).
> 
> I'd love to have mains gas, but have read reports that it's very expensive to use. The bombonas are very economical in our experience, one lasts for almost six months on the cooker and for heating, on average 17 days.


Lynn girl,that's absolutely amazing.Nearly six months on one bottle for the cooker.Lived here now in our twentieth year permanently and never got anywhere near as much as that.You will have to enlighten us on what cooker you are using.God think of all the money I could have saved.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

soulboy said:


> Lynn girl,that's absolutely amazing.Nearly six months on one bottle for the cooker.Lived here now in our twentieth year permanently and never got anywhere near as much as that.You will have to enlighten us on what cooker you are using.God think of all the money I could have saved.


And us, we use gas for water heating only.1 bottle lasts about 6 weeks


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

soulboy said:


> Lynn girl,that's absolutely amazing.Nearly six months on one bottle for the cooker.Lived here now in our twentieth year permanently and never got anywhere near as much as that.You will have to enlighten us on what cooker you are using.God think of all the money I could have saved.


Nothing miraculous, I assure you! I always jot down on the calendar when we've put a new bombona on the cooker, so we've some idea when it might be due to run out. The last one was on 30/12/13 so we should have some way to go with this one yet.

Suppose it's just the same as electricity or water, some people will use more than others. It's rare for us to have more than one cooked meal a day, lunch is almost always just a sandwich and fruit. We cook two separate evening meals most days, one after the other, as my OH is vegetarian and I'm not. However, cooking isn't my favourite pastime (although eating is one of them) and I don't go in for making stuff that takes hours to cook, like roast dinners, nor baking. I tend to batch cook quite a lot of stuff for myself like soups, curries, chili con carne, sauces for pasta, etc. so after the first portion the rest goes in the freezer then just gets thawed and microwaved, so the cooker only gets used once for 4 or 5 meals.

I don't do it that way to save money, it's just what's most convenient for me.

Even at €17.50 a bombona as they are now, you're unlikely to have wasted a fortune.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> Nothing miraculous, I assure you! I always jot down on the calendar when we've put a new bombona on the cooker, so we've some idea when it might be due to run out. The last one was on 30/12/13 so we should have some way to go with this one yet.
> 
> Suppose it's just the same as electricity or water, some people will use more than others. It's rare for us to have more than one cooked meal a day, lunch is almost always just a sandwich and fruit. We cook two separate evening meals most days, one after the other, as my OH is vegetarian and I'm not. However, cooking isn't my favourite pastime (although eating is one of them) and I don't go in for making stuff that takes hours to cook, like roast dinners, nor baking. I tend to batch cook quite a lot of stuff for myself like soups, curries, chili con carne, sauces for pasta, etc. so after the first portion the rest goes in the freezer then just gets thawed and microwaved, so the cooker only gets used once for 4 or 5 meals.
> 
> ...


We use bombonas for cooking and for water heating. Normally during the winter a bombona lasts about three weeks - that's for three adults. During the summer it may last four or five weeks. We now have a solar panel for hot water so we hope to see a reduction in that.

Saturday, I usually cook using the slow cooker which will give us a meal for three plus left-overs for another meal for one for the consumption of about one unit of electricity. Roasts (including roast potatoes, carrots, onions, etc ) we do in a Halogen oven and again for three of us (plus often the meat component for a shepherd's pie) excluding the green veg, this gets cooked on more or less 1.3 units of electricity. The rest of the week it is the gas stove.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

meetloaf said:


> Aha, that's the info I needed. Some urbs round here, in fact most as it's a country area, have bottled gas, but this is a new one to us and of course those who use them - and are trying hard to sell their villas - are swearing it's the best thing since sliced bread. There's one urb which we don't like as much which has mains gas. As always when buying a house you compromise and this may be one area where we need to learn to love bombonas. Incidentally, round here they are delivered to your front door, you just put out the old one and it's taken away. The manhandling is a problem but I suppose we'll have to try one to see if we can do it. You don't know about these things until you're in situ. The more we delve the more we realise how much we still have to learn and tbh those posts from people who come once and buy scare the sh*t out of me on their behalf. Our next problem concerns septic tanks…… But we have found our "place" in Spain, now it's finding the right property. Thank you, everyone. I will no doubt bore you with more questions within the next few days but I hope the "Why Do We Bother" thread also remembers those who they have helped and who actually arrive and settle in Spain thanks to their advice.


If you have difficulties they will (usually) help you.
How often they come round, if at all will depend on the area AND the season, so check it out before.
Mains (Gas natural) is expensive.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

baldilocks said:


> We use bombonas for cooking and for water heating. Normally during the winter a bombona lasts about three weeks - that's for three adults. During the summer it may last four or five weeks. We now have a solar panel for hot water so we hope to see a reduction in that.
> 
> Saturday, I usually cook using the slow cooker which will give us a meal for three plus left-overs for another meal for one for the consumption of about one unit of electricity. Roasts (including roast potatoes, carrots, onions, etc ) we do in a Halogen oven and again for three of us (plus often the meat component for a shepherd's pie) excluding the green veg, this gets cooked on more or less 1.3 units of electricity. The rest of the week it is the gas stove.


We've got an electric water heater which we use with a timer, it doesn't seem to use a lot of electricity. Aside from the ones for the cooker, I've bought a total of 8 gas bottles for heating over this winter, from the beginning of November to now. Apart from Saturday evening when it had suddenly turned very cold, we stopped using our gas heater around 23 March, so 8 x €17.50 is not so bad for a whole winter's heating. We do live pretty close to the coast though, and not up in the mountains, or I'm sure we'd have to use a great deal more.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Make sure that if you are going to be using bombonas, you have a contract with the supplier (usually Repsol or Cepsa). They will make sure that your installation is safe and will recheck every five years and do any renewals that are thought necessary. The inspection costs about €80 plus any parts that maybe necessary (e.g. flexibles, regulators, etc.) Both Repsol and Cepsa pre-arrange an appointment to do this, so if anybody turns up on your doorstep unannounced claiming to be there to do an inspection. do not let them in -= they are bogus gasmen and it will cost you lots for nothing as a couple of our members found out recently €350 was the bill cash on the nail


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Lynn R said:


> Nothing miraculous, I assure you! I always jot down on the calendar when we've put a new bombona on the cooker, so we've some idea when it might be due to run out. The last one was on 30/12/13 so we should have some way to go with this one yet. Suppose it's just the same as electricity or water, some people will use more than others. It's rare for us to have more than one cooked meal a day, lunch is almost always just a sandwich and fruit. We cook two separate evening meals most days, one after the other, as my OH is vegetarian and I'm not. However, cooking isn't my favourite pastime (although eating is one of them) and I don't go in for making stuff that takes hours to cook, like roast dinners, nor baking. I tend to batch cook quite a lot of stuff for myself like soups, curries, chili con carne, sauces for pasta, etc. so after the first portion the rest goes in the freezer then just gets thawed and microwaved, so the cooker only gets used once for 4 or 5 meals. I don't do it that way to save money, it's just what's most convenient for me. Even at &#128;17.50 a bombona as they are now, you're unlikely to have wasted a fortune.


 Going to have to get a gas fitter in as we only use a bottle for our gas hob.seeing as you are getting nearly six months out of a bottle I have come to the conclusion that we must have a leak somewhere as we have never got anything like that. Sent from my iPad.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Aron said:


> Repsol have a delivery once a week in our area. When I need a new bombona, he stops, takes the bottle off the lorry onto his shoulder and will carry it to wherever you want it put. They started this service about 6 months ago and since then I have no need to go to the garage with the car for a new one.


We get deliveries 3 times a week here (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). We need to order the bombona the day before from the Repsol agent's shop, either by phone or in person, no just leaving the bombona outside and getting a new one dropped off here!

Considering we live in a street where cars and vans can't go, and the deliverymen have to carry the bottles about 70m uphill from the nearest place they can park, it's a very good service I think. I always think I wouldn't like to have their job, especially in the summer, and most of them aren't youngsters either.


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## missbusybusy (May 11, 2013)

hi
why don't you use bulk storage refillable LPG tanks ?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

missbusybusy said:


> hi
> why don't you use bulk storage refillable LPG tanks ?


1. You have to have somewhere on your property to locate the bulk tank
2. You have to have permits, etc.
3. They have to have access to be able to fill it.
etc.


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## missbusybusy (May 11, 2013)

I see would the permits out way the possible cost saving ?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

missbusybusy said:


> I see would the permits out way the possible cost saving ?


Have never weighed up the pros and cons since we have neither the space for one nor suitable access for delivery of LPG supplies.


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## missbusybusy (May 11, 2013)

That's a shame as it seems it would help considerably with the handling issue


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

missbusybusy said:


> hi
> why don't you use bulk storage refillable LPG tanks ?


Living in the casco historico, as I do, with streets which date back to the 15th century, and with no vehicle access except by moto to most of the streets, doesn't exactly lend itself to the idea.

For the same reason we will probably never have access to mains gas here, although the newest parts of the town already do.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

We have a contract with Repsol and if you phone before 10 am they will deliver the same day.

We use propane rather than butane, which is cheaper - currently €15.40 for a bottle. The reason (according to the OH) is that they chuck out 25% less condensation, which can be important if you use it for a gas heater. But I'd be interested to hear if anyone knows of any other differences?

Our heater lasts about 10 days in cold weather when it's on for several hours a day. We have another bombona for cooking and hot water and that lasts 6-8 weeks (longer in summer).


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> Living in the casco historico, as I do, with streets which date back to the 15th century, and with no vehicle access except by moto to most of the streets, doesn't exactly lend itself to the idea.
> 
> For the same reason we will probably never have access to mains gas here, although the newest parts of the town already do.


Completely off-topic but I've often about the etymology of 'casco' used in that way (sometimes also 'casco antiguo'). Anyone know?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jimenato said:


> Completely off-topic but I've often about the etymology of 'casco' used in that way (sometimes also 'casco antiguo'). Anyone know?


casco is shell - so maybe there was a wall around it at one time?


I know they uncovered some old city walls here during works a few years ago


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

missbusybusy said:


> hi
> why don't you use bulk storage refillable LPG tanks ?


We looked into it when we first came down here 14 years ago. The costs are prohibitive and the gas works out far more expensive even than the biggest 32 kg cylinders; only in Spain eh?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

xabiachica said:


> casco is shell - so maybe there was a wall around it at one time?
> 
> 
> I know they uncovered some old city walls here during works a few years ago


We still do have a wall around at least part of our barrio - we have to walk up through a narrow archway in it to get to where we live.


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Lynn R said:


> We still do have a wall around at least part of our barrio - we have to walk up through a narrow archway in it to get to where we live.


Thats nice


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> casco is shell - so maybe there was a wall around it at one time?
> 
> 
> I know they uncovered some old city walls here during works a few years ago


I had casco as helmet - shell makes more sense.


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## missbusybusy (May 11, 2013)

> We looked into it when we first came down here 14 years ago. The costs are prohibitive and the gas works out far more expensive even than the biggest 32 kg cylinders; only in Spain eh?


I wonder what the cost is now to rent the cylinder and for the gas truck to fill it up !


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

We used to have an unsightly propane tank in the garden. One had to call Repsol for a refill once it got below a certain level then wait for four working days on the offchance that the tanker driver would come. If you popped to the shops and missed the delivery, you had to order and wait again - *infuriating*. We now have natural gas, although we had to pay for the copper pipe and installation from the pipeline in the street to the boiler. The benefits include much lower bills and convenience.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2014)

country boy said:


> We looked into it when we first came down here 14 years ago. The costs are prohibitive and the gas works out far more expensive even than the biggest 32 kg cylinders; only in Spain eh?


Interesting. On the surface, LPG is a good idea. We have it in our van instead of cylinders and it works out fantastically cheaply. I don't like the sound of the word "prohibitively", though.


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