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How bad is my gas stove?

carbonswitch.co

491–500 of 541 posts

Re: How bad is my gas stove?

#491
post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Cast iron" and "high carbon steel" are the same thing by different names, so I'm a little confused by your comment.

They’re not quite the same, cast iron generally has a higher carbon composition range and a different phase distribution. Cast iron has a much lower thermal conductivity

>Cast iron has a much lower thermal conductivity

I thought this was true (it makes some sense), but the data seems to show the opposite. This source has cast iron at 52 W/m-K, and 1% carbon steel at 43 W/m-K (0.5% carbon steel is at 54 W/m-K). Now, this obviously depends a lot on the processing and heat treatment of each material. But at the very least, the difference is not massive.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-meta...

Re: How bad is my gas stove?

#492
post #469
post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any cheap sensor (electrochemical? single electrode or even dual) sold for amateur use is unlikely to provide any useful measurement, especially if you want to draw any conclusion about concentrations exceeding safety limits like the author is doing. They are a pain to calibrate, the absolute values you get cannot be trusted, the most you can use them for is to say something about trends and spikes. "Look the gas sto…

Hm, so you'd dispute uHoo's claim of "±20 ppb or ±10% of actual value" for their NO2 sensor?

Where do they claim that? Do they say which kind of sensor they're using? Electrochemical? Metal-oxide? These sensors usually require advanced periodic calibrations, you need to correct for temperature and humidity zero and sensitivity dependence, model sensitivity drift as the sensor ages, take into account cross sensitivities to other gases.

I'm not disputing anything, I'm sure they do all that. I'd love to read some detail about it or a third party review that did a comparison with a reference device. It would also be cool to place some of their detectors side by side and see how much they agree on the measurements.

Re: How bad is my gas stove?

#496
post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was resoundingly in the 'induction hobs are crap' camp until this NYE when we found ourselves staying away in the countryside in a place with a basic plug-in induction hob. I sighed and presumed my Absolutely Necessary morning tea would take until the heat death of the universe to boil, but nup, it was done in significantly less time than it takes me at home, when using gas. If a crappy plug-in hob can boil water t…

> there's a part of me that still wonders at the future benefit/end to end efficiency The future is in completely abandoning residential gas infrastructure, which will have immense benefits in allowing us to stop maintaining and expanding millions and millions of miles of leaky underground pipes. No amount of tweaking the mixture will change the fact that electricity is broadly useful for everything, and that gas is…

> The future is in completely abandoning residential gas infrastructure...

Gas tankless water heaters are still sometimes a cost-efficient per-therm choice if you are already plumbed for gas [1] [2].

I've yet to find a calculator that figures the TCO (including costs that are externalized today, like pipe losses to the environment) between tankless water heaters using natural gas, propane, resistive electric, induction electric, and heat pump versions of those types, though. There are many different situations, so what is overall systemically efficient in one situation will not be suitable for another.

It would come as little surprise to most HN readers that I have a number of very expensive resistive air heaters that we call computers laying around for my work, so in my particular situation, a heat pump water heater works extremely well. However, I'm still unsure of the TCO after all the maintenance and repair is accounted for over the decades I will own the heat pump as it is undeniably more complex than more common water heaters. So I will give a nod to resistive water heaters as a likely good TCO choice in most situations after all costs are said and done [3].

[1] https://www.ruud.com/products/water-heaters/tankless-water-h...

[2] https://www.waterheaterleakinginfo.com/gas-vs-electric/

[3] https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/is-induction-heating-m...

Re: How bad is my gas stove?

#497
post #442

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"To anybody concerned about anecdotal evidence, here's my anecdotal evidence." Snideness aside, the fact that you have to concern yourself with what pans you buy for an induction stove is enough reason for many to not buy one. You can no longer buy any pan at a store, you must do your research first. Throw out my current pans and buy even more expensive ones? You're not exactly selling me the induction here.

FWIW - cast iron is incredibly cheap.

Even cheaper if you buy from a thrift store and put in some elbow grease. If you're an especially tool- and skill-rich hacker, then arc/stick welding with cast iron welding sticks can repair even lost causes. Of course, it isn't "cheap" by then, but any excuse to scratch that hacker/maker itch is fine by me.

Re: How bad is my gas stove?

#499
post #446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you have a glass top electric coil stove, not induction. Induction has a very stable fast heat, cooks like gas. Glass top electric are the one that turn on for 10 seconds off for 30, never the right temp. I replaced a glass top stove with an induction one last year, couldn't be happier. I can actually fry eggs now.

It is a tabletop induction burner, not a glass top electric coil. Its cycle frequency is about 60Hz, I can time it by the coil whine.

Low quality ones generally have that problem due to using PWM to control the temperature. I've used cheaper and more expensive ones, and the more expensive ones have much more fine control of temperature, and not just a toggle between on and off.

Re: How bad is my gas stove?

#500
Stuff like this is why I love this site.

In our last remodel we put in a damn expensive Wolf range and a tankless water heater, both propane fueled. Both work great. That being said, all the press on NO2 have made us always turn on the vent when cooking, something we did not do before.

My previous dealing with induction was crap. Yes I understand the pan makeup part. That was years ago. The technology has progressed since then and next kit will be induction and electrical powered water heater, driven by a solar backed power wall type system.

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