Sunday, 11 May 2014

Interesting Facts About Propane

By Cath Buhr


Millions of people in the United States use propane every day. Often it is used as a source of central heating in a home and for cooking in the home. Propane also is a common source of fuel for camping stoves and your barbecue grill. While you certainly already knew that propane was a source of fuel, here are a few facts that are not as widely known.

Propane is interesting because it can be both a gas and also a liquid. When you see those propane trucks on the road, they are full of propane in its liquid state. Propane is a natural by-product of the processing of natural gas and also the refining of petroleum. The propane that is produced is stored in huge salt mines, the largest of which is in Texas. It can be carried out of the mine in trucks or via a pipeline.

Propane was discovered in 1910 by a chemist named Walter Snelling who was studying the components of gasoline. He managed to separate gasoline into liquid and gas components and discovered both propane and butane in the process. It was quickly discovered that propane was an excellent source of fuel and within just a few years was used as a source of fuel for the home, mainly for cooking.

Propane is not just an excellent fuel for heating your home and cooking, it also can be used to power vehicles. It has several advantages over gasoline. For instance, it is a less expensive fuel and produces far less emissions. While propane-powered vehicles are not commonly seen in the United States, in other countries it is quite common. In fact, in some countries, such as South Korea, roughly half of all vehicles are powered by propane which also is called autogas.

It's not just an efficient and inexpensive fuel source for cars, trucks and buses; it also is a cheaper and cleaner source of fuel in the home. Coal, one of the most common fuel sources in the United States, is more expensive and more damaging to the environment. If it costs $2 to run your dryer using coal-produced electricity, it would only cost about $1 if you use propane. Coal also releases about double the amount of carbon over propane. If you want to live a greener life and also enjoy saving money, than using propane as your fuel source is a great way to go. It also is worth noting that propane has no negative effect on our water or soil, which certainly is not true of other fuel sources.

However, not all propane is equal and you need to make sure that the propane you buy for your home is only HD5 propane. This is the purest and highest quality propane; it is cleaner than other types of propane, so it is healthier for your family. It also burns hotter and longer than other types of propane, which saves your money and heats your home more efficiently. Thrifty Propane, for instance, sells only HD5 propane and for extremely competitive prices. In fact, they even offer a price beat guarantee and if you can find a lower unconditional price, Thrifty Propane will beat that price by 10 cents per gallon.




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