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Propane for the entire Home

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What comes to mind when you think of propane?

New England is one of the most popular places in the country for oil heated homes, Propane is much more popular in the midwest and the west coast. That leaves many of us to associate propane with one of it's arguably best uses, grilling. 

 Propane can be used for a number of things throughout your home, from heating your entire home, to heating your water, keeping your pool open longer, drying your clothes, cooking your dinner, and much more.  The question for many oil or electric homes that have an interest in converting to propane is, what is involved? To convert any home to propane, first you'll need a tank. Similar to oil, propane heat requires a tank to store the gas that is used by your home's equipment. A difference between oil and propane in terms of the tank is the location. Propane tanks have to be located outside of the home while oil tanks traditionally are found in the basement of the home. Having a tank installed where one wasn't in the case of electric to propane involves running pipe from the outside tank into your home to your heating system or other applications. If your are switching from electric whole house heat to propane heat you'll have to remove your existing heating system and have a new one installed. For converting to propane from oil you'll need to have your oil near or at empty before it is removed. Once the tank reaches this level it will be dismantled and removed from your home. Like electric heat you'll need to get a new heating system to heat your home once you switch to propane.

 What if you don't want to buy a new heating system but you're looking to break away an electric water heat, this is a great way to introduce yourself to the benefits of propane. Propane water heaters come in different variants, tank, hybrid, and tankless. Tank storage water heaters are most common in homes, they either use heat generated from you home main heating source to heat the water or have their own burner and heat independently. A tankless water heater does not have a tank and heats water as it enters your home and send it to the source that is calling for it.  Both of these water heaters have their pros and cons. A tank water heater is better for a family or a home that many have more than one need for water at a time, but will require regular reheating of the water in the tank. A tankless never has to reheat the water, but if you are running the dishwaster, washing machine, or the shower at the same time then you're going to have cold water somewhere.

 Another great way to add propane to your home is with a space heater or a fireplace insert. These can add a little bit of heat during the fall and spring months where you don't want to turn on the heat but you are on the cold side. Space heaters are also great for a three season room or a garage. While fireplace inserts remove the cleaning needed with a traditional fireplace and provide instant light capabilities. 
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