1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: where smart happens. Hie a Marshal Brain with today's question, 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: when you're buying gas appliances, why do you always have 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: to specify whether you're using LPG or natural gas? If 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: you've ever shopped for a gas grill, gas fireplace, logs, 6 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: a gas stove, or a gas dryer, you know that 7 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: you're always asked to specify whether you plan to use 8 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: it with natural gas or LPG, also known as liquefied 9 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 1: petroleum gas. The reason you have to get it right 10 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: is because LPG and natural gas have very different properties. 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: Natural gas is just that it's natural. If you sink 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: a well in the right spot, natural gas flows out 13 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: of the ground. It's mostly methane or H four. Liquefied 14 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: petroleum gas, on the other hand, is a product of 15 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: crude oil distillation. It contains mostly propane or C three 16 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 1: H eight. Propane has a very nice property that when 17 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: you can press it, it easily condenses into a liquid. 18 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: This means that it's much easier to store in a 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: tank than natural gas, which doesn't compress easily. You can 20 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: see the difference between natural gas and LPG. Most easily. 21 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 1: When you buy a gas stove, normally you're supplied with 22 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: two sets of jets, one set for natural gas and 23 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: one set for LPG. You install one jet in each burner. 24 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: The jet is simply a little screwing cap with a 25 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: whole drilled in it. The difference is that the hole 26 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: in the jet for natural gas is bigger, about twice 27 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: as big as the whole in the jet for LPG. 28 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: The reason for this difference is because LPG contains much 29 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: more energy than natural gas does. A cubic foot of 30 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: natural gas contains something like a thousand btu of energy. 31 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: A cubic foot of propane contains maybe two thousand five btu. 32 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: You can see that if you take a gas appliance 33 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: set up for natural gas and you run it on LPG, 34 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: the apply this is going to run hot. In some appliances, 35 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: that extra heat is a fire hazard. In others, like 36 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: a gas grill, it means that the grill is either 37 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: going to be way too hot or way too cold 38 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: if you use the wrong jets. Do you have any 39 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: ideas or suggestions for this podcast? If so, please send 40 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: me an email at podcast at how stuff works dot 41 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: com For more on this and thousands of other topics. 42 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: Go to how stuff works dot com.