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From yours and other's posts here I now know the basic difference between good and bad gas systems. Too bad they don't just pipe in natural gas like in Canada, as it would save a lot of "messing around". By that I'm expressing my great frustration as to how some things are done down here, but of course there are many good things too. The negative: "tomorrow" is a word I'm beginning to greatly dislike. "Go with the flow, amigo, that's how it works down here". I don't think so, as it's just an excuse for ineptitude type thinking. I still haven't got my gas delivered. It's a long story of ineptitude I don't wish to go into, but it's the same theme as all the other long stories involved in getting things done here. Quite disappointing. Could this "tomorrow" attitude be one of the causes of poverty? At the very least I'd say it must be a major contributor to it. Well, that and the seemingly comfortable attitude most here seem to have with deception. But, that's all a different topic. My "good man" landlord, who promised to install a washing machine when I moved in a month ago, but then a few days ago said he had no money and could I "lend" me the money for one, and I'll pay you back next month", (I said no), who now gets free wifi from me, and who seldom seems to fulfill anything he promises when he says he will, if at all, and who often seems to have the phone number of "friends" who don't deliver when they say they will. It's all very disappointing, and confirms to me why there are so many poor people here. Forgive this gringo for being taught to "say what you mean, and mean what you say", and to be a responsible person, instead of a flake that cannot be trusted to deliver. Forgive me if I don't try to take advantage of every little situation for my own benefit -- financial and otherwise. Forgive me if I don't believe in a little deception or "little white lies that hurt nobody". Should a reasonable person just laugh it off and accept all this nonsense? Of course not, as to do so is just giving in to all the nonsensical excuses. I might have to politely put up with it, but I'll never accept it as unchangeable. So, now I have an appointment with a different gas company who actually answered their phone (landlord's friend didn't) and who actually said they'd call me when they get here tomorrow at 3pm (I'm hard of hearing). Will it work out to be true, or will my long rant above be proven to be justified, and not just another gringo who likes to rant negative about everything instead of just "chilling out". Oh, and now I'm only going to put in 700-800 pesos, after I look at the gas gauge tomorrow and confirm that's all I'll need until mid April. If I run out of gas I'll just laugh it off and "chill". At least my landlord won't get any free gas off me like he intended when he told me "2000 pesos should fill it up about half way". 😉 Query: "why do people who've only known you for a day, or who rent a suite to you sincerely think/believe it's not "slimy" behaviour to ask you to lend them money?

Thanks Alan for that chart. From the numbers there I was able to determine that if the tank on my roof (in Chapala town) is 90 kg then it's about 166.65 liters. Or, for those using pounds, of which there are 2.2 lbs per kilogram, a 198 lb tank. In order to figure one's usage we'd have to discard the price, as it is different in different areas. That leaves us with pounds, kilograms, or liters only if we want to compare propane usage. So, if I only pay for a 1000 peso fill I would get about 75 liters, if price is $13.34/l as Ferret said was the cost recently paid. If the cost is only $12.76/l, per the chart Alan posted, then I'd get about 78 liters. Per the prices Alan gave it appears there's about 1.85 liters per kilogram, so 75 liters equals about 40 kilograms, or about 89 pounds. I hope my math is right. The landlord said there was about 5 kilograms left in tank, out of 90 kg capacity. 5 kilograms is about 9.25 liters. If that's true then my 1000 pesos should fill that 166 liter/90kg tank about half full. Considering what I believe is minimal gas usage there should be plenty of gas left when I leave in mid April. I hope. 😉

I've learned a lot about propane usage from everyone's posts. Yes, big 40 gallon water heaters don't seem to make much sense for a single person when using propane. I think my on-demand heater must need replacing, as I never know if I'll get enough hot water for a shower. Today I turned on hot water tap only (as usual). It took a minute for water to get hot, but it only stayed hot for another minute. This problem seems to be remedied by shutting it off for about 10 minutes: then hot water seems plentiful. Gas guy was supposed to be here 1 hour 45 minutes ago (I know -- "tomorrow"!). I've seen two propane trucks drive by in the last 1/2 hour. Since the gas to my suite is supplied by one exclusive tank; gas lines don't appear to leak; and I alone use the gas (with no hot water in the sinks), I believe 1000 pesos should plentifully cover 5 months total usage. So I'll tell landlord to tell gas guys that's all I want, as I don't want to sit around waiting for them. 😉 Now I want to figure out whether landlord meant liters, and not kilograms, when we were having our 'google translate' conversation. Liters makes more sense since propane is a liquid until it's used.

Thanks Mudgirl. Good to know. Now even 1000 pesos for 5 months usage sounds high to me -- unless prices have gone up dramatically recently. Did you ever calculate how much difference it makes to shut off the heater? Also, is this site slow to upload, or is my totalplay too slow? My last download (Total Play) with Speedcheck was 36, and upload was 6. Or is it because I'm using an Android phone (only thing I have)?

Thanks Ferret. This strongly implies to me that I would be overpaying. The water heater is an outside wall-mounted Bosch heater with two dials. The sinks' dial is unmovable, so I get no hot water in the sinks. I therefore assume it must be old. Only the shower hot water works, and it puts out good hot water on medium setting -- as long as I don't turn on the cold water too fast (can take five minutes or longer to get it just right). Landlord seems to talk in kilograms, and says about 5kg, out of 90kg capacity, is left. I've lived here for exactly one month. I don't have access to the tank on the roof, but apparently I'm the only user. I rent the 2 bedroom suite upstairs with landlord below. It seems to be a big house, as I have about 700 square feet. It doesn't have a washing machine. Water heater is on same wall as the shower. I'm tempted to put only 1000 pesos in. If I run out of hot water for a day or so, it's no big deal. Am I being a cheap gringo with this strategy -- anyone?

Landlord phoning gas man to come Tuesday, 14 Dec. What would be the usage for single male using stove for 20 minutes/day, and shower for 5 minutes? Does 2000 pesos for 4 months sound high or low? Thanks