The difference between natural gas and propane refrigerators

Gas-Fridge explains the difference in natural gas refrigerators and propane refrigerators

When talking about a “gas” gas refrigerator, it is very important to know the difference between natural gas and propane gas because they are very different. Gas-Fridge knows that it is important for the consumer to be informed so that they do not make the wrong choice for their application.

Natural gas  – It’s just what the name implies – natural. If you sink a well in the right spot, natural gas flows out of the ground. It is mostly methane, or CH4. Most of us purchase this through a utility company in our local area and it is available on demand 24/7.

Liquefied petroleum gas (Propane or LPG) – This is a product of crude oil distillation. It contains mostly propane, or C3H8. When you compress propane, it condenses into a liquid. This means that it is much easier to store in a tank than natural gas, which does not easily compress. It is delivered to you via a commercial supplier and pumped into a pressurized tank. It is necessary to keep track of how much is in the tank to make sure that you do not run out of propane.

Many “gas” appliances you purchase will come with two sets of orifices (jets), one for natural gas and one for propane. The orifice is a small screw-in cap with a small hole drilled in it that feeds gas to the burner. The size of the hole is critical and when compared you will see that the jet for natural gas is almost twice as big as the one for propane.

The reason for this difference is because LPG contains much more energy than natural gas. A cubic foot of natural gas contains something like 1,000 BTU (British thermal units) of energy. A cubic foot of propane contains about 2,500 BTU. You can see that if you take a gas appliance set up for natural gas and then run it on LPG, you will get way too much fuel and create a huge flame which can be very dangerous and possible start a fire.

At Gas-Fridge, we are experts in the field of gas refrigerators and are here to help our customers understand the differences so that they make an informed decision. Or if you have a gas refrigerator that is not set up for the type of gas you want to use, we can help make the conversion for you and test to make sure you have the proper flame.

Gas-Fridge is one of the nation’s premiere dealers of gas appliances and we would love to show you the benefits of utilizing gas appliances and help cut the electrical cord! To learn more about our company, please give us a call at 928-636-6674.