CADmn Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 There are way too many variables to say for sure. Is the hot water heater the old fashioned tank kind that is constantly on? Is it new or old construction where you will be staying ? Are the gas pipes under the dwelling or over the roof? I just put 100 litres of gas in my two year old 180 litre tank. That's the first gas delivery since I installed the tank and put 1,000 pesos in it to start. My pipes run over my roof, I have an on demand heater and I cook every day using my gas stove. That 100 litres (1350 pesos) will probably last me another two years. If it doesn't, I'll be looking for the leak(s). Imho, you should check the gauge on arrival with the Landlord and when you leave and pay for what you used. Or just pay the 2,000 pesos for the four months since that is certainly what I've paid in the past with leaky pipes, an old tank and a gas sucking holding tank heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CADmn Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 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? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 Comparing to what I use as a single person, and I use the cook stove more than you do, but turn off the water heater entirely when not in use- I don't even leave the pilot on, just light it 15 minutes before I want to shower, it sounds high. I have 2 propane cylinders- one for the stove and one for the hot water. Each one lasts at least 9 months. So at the current cost of gas, lets say approx. 700 pesos a cylinder, I spend about 155 pesos on gas per month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CADmn Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 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)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibarra Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 2 people, cook 2 meals every day 7 days a week, normal amount of showers per week, on demand water heater with 2 pilot lights, pipes along outside of house, medium size tank - 1000 pesos every 5 to 6 weeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 That's a lot of gas you're using ibarra. And my on demand water heater has a piezo ignition that automatically lights the pilot when hot water is called for. When the hot water is turned off at the tap, the pilot light goes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubilacion Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 11 hours ago, CADmn said: 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 That amount sounds right to me based on current high prices for propane. It might be a little more than you need but you don't want the tank to run low...below 15-20%. Ask them for $1000 pesos and check the tank gauge to see the volume, they'll always be glad to add more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natasha Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 7 hours ago, CADmn said: Did you ever calculate how much difference it makes to shut off the heater? When our old hot water tank failed (rented house) landlord put in solar water heater. I had always assumed using (especially) the oven was a big consumer. NOT!!! Gas use went down by over 85% and I cook daily with everything from scratch. We started adding to 50 when tank gauge got down to 20. But gas guy made "mistake" Nov 26 2018 and filled to 80. Last time we checked (Aug 20 this year) is was at 52......... so will be quite a long time before we need gas again. Yes.... turning off the tank will help a lot. Better yet, convince landlord to put in solar heater. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 It would also be interesting to ask the Landlord how many gas tanks he has and how many hot water heaters... i.e. is there a seperate tank and hot water heater exclusively for the apartment. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 12 hours ago, CADmn said: Did you ever calculate how much difference it makes to shut off the heater? Yes. I used to just leave the pilot on and turn the dial up 15 min. before I needed to shower. A cylinder lasted about 2-3 months. Shutting it off completely and relighting it each time resulted in a cylinder lasting at least 8 months. Most people seem to want the convenience of leaving the tank on all the time so they always have hot water. I don't find it any big deal to relight it each time if it saves me 1400 pesos. And it seems a ridiculous waste of resources to me to have a full tank of hot water constantly reheating itself 24/7 for 1 person when the hot water only is needed for a total of maybe 20 minutes a day between showering and washing dishes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CADmn Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 the propane is listed per liter on my bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanMexicali Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 You consume quite a bit more gas in the cold months because the water in the tinaco is much colder than in the warm/hot months. Also gas almost doubled in price and with this federal government it will continue to rise in price possibly. IMO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby brown Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 55 minutes ago, AlanMexicali said: You consume quite a bit more gas in the cold months because the water in the tinaco is much colder than in the warm/hot months. Also gas almost doubled in price and with this federal government it will continue to rise in price possibly. IMO Can we say inflation ? Only the aged can hope they don't live longer than their money-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 I got gas on Dec. 10th, 2021 and it was 13.34 pesos per litre. The previous fill in the brand new 180 litre tank was on December 17th, 2017 and it was 9.99 pesos per litre. Not double in that time frame. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby brown Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 17 minutes ago, Ferret said: I got gas on Dec. 10th, 2021 and it was 13.34 pesos per litre. The previous fill in the brand new 180 litre tank was on December 17th, 2017 and it was 9.99 pesos per litre. Not double in that time frame. And your point is?- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 That the price of propane has not doubled. Duh! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 1 hour ago, AlanMexicali said: You consume quite a bit more gas in the cold months because the water in the tinaco is much colder than in the warm/hot months I don't even use my hot water tank from May through mid-Oct. The water is way warm enough for a shower out of the tinako here on the coast where I live. Only occasionally, maybe once or twice during those months have I had to light the water heater, after it's rained all night or half the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanMexicali Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 47 minutes ago, Ferret said: I got gas on Dec. 10th, 2021 and it was 13.34 pesos per litre. The previous fill in the brand new 180 litre tank was on December 17th, 2017 and it was 9.99 pesos per litre. Not double in that time frame. There were different per liter prices depending in the area of the country. For many years I paid around $6.50 per liter when I lived in Mexicali. I sold that house in early 2014. 2021 average price of LP Gas: Precio Gas LP por litro y Kg Estado Precio por kilogramo Precio por litro Aguascalientes $21.69 $11.71 Baja California $21.47 $11.59 Baja California Sur $24.03 $12.98 Campeche $22.73 $12.28 Chiapas $22.19 $11.98 Chihuahua $22.74 $12.28 Ciudad de México $21.65 $11.69 Coahuila $22.59 $12.20 Colima $24.16 $13.05 Durango $23.96 $12.94 Guanajuato $22.29 $12.04 Guerrero $23.32 $12.60 Hidalgo $21.86 $11.81 Jalisco $23.62 $12.76 México $21.30 $11.50 Michoacán $22.55 $12.18 Morelos $21.97 $11.86 Nayarit $22.74 $12.28 Nuevo León $23.33 $12.60 Oaxaca $22.02 $11.89 Puebla $21.92 $11.84 Querétaro $21.42 $11.57 Quintana Roo $21.96 $11.86 San Luis Potosí $22.61 $12.21 Sinaloa $23.58 $12.74 Sonora $22.29 $12.04 Tabasco $21.37 $11.53 Tamaulipas $22.71 $12.26 Tlaxcala $21.96 $11.86 Veracruz $22.04 $11.90 Yucatán $22.04 $11.90 Zacatecas $23.52 $12.70 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 The point being that, if you go back far enough, it has doubled but you have to state a time frame to put it into perspective. Everybody was upset about the price of gasoline going up a few years ago when the government subsidies were removed. Was propane ever subsidized? Is it still? Is that the price difference we're now seeing? Just curious. And electricity too? Same questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CADmn Posted December 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 2 hours ago, AlanMexicali said: Jalisco $23.62 $12.76 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. 😉 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby brown Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 On 12/14/2021 at 1:10 AM, mudgirl said: Comparing to what I use as a single person, and I use the cook stove more than you do, but turn off the water heater entirely when not in use- I don't even leave the pilot on, just light it 15 minutes before I want to shower, it sounds high. I have 2 propane cylinders- one for the stove and one for the hot water. Each one lasts at least 9 months. So at the current cost of gas, lets say approx. 700 pesos a cylinder, I spend about 155 pesos on gas per month. Leave your pilot on--it cost nothing--we don't want any explosions-your pilot will burn off any gas leakage--- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 1 hour ago, bobby brown said: Leave your pilot on--it cost nothing--we don't want any explosions-your pilot will burn off any gas leakage--- I don't need ignorant bad advice from the likes of you. It doesn't "cost nothing" and I don't have any gas leaks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby brown Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 8 hours ago, mudgirl said: I don't need ignorant bad advice from the likes of you. It doesn't "cost nothing" and I don't have any gas leaks. Glad to hear you don't have any gas leaks from your water heater--now we have to work on the gas leak that spews out of your potty mouth--HA-oh by the way-work on your double negatives--maybe you would be a better person-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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