Is there any point in buying a butane stove for power outages if you have a gas stove and matches?

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

Another good layer to have. Easy to use, have at least 4 butane stoves & cases of propane

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Fun_Piano_1003@reddit

Can you use the Coleman stove indoors Also where do you store the extra bottles of butane

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

Yes. Also have battery portable & plug-in Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

I store the butane inside a cabinet.

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BoomBaby200@reddit

Natural gas? It will be cut off in SHTF situations to keep the grid safe, so yes.

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Revolutionary-Half-3@reddit

If you do get a butane stove, I'd spring for the dual fuel propane option. If you have a 20# BBQ tank it'll run that single burner for weeks.

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You say gas is that NG or propane? NG has shown it's getting less and less reliable as it's getting phased out. Lots of generators are going in and failing to run as there is not enough NG to go around when they all fire up and the utilities are not interested in upgrading infrastructure for more than average usage.

Most people the propane BBQ with a side burner is plenty to cook on.

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kenny7412@reddit (OP)

NG

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silasmoeckel@reddit

You would want something it's it's own fuel source then. I mean typical is just your backyard gas grill. But nothing stopping ya from picking up a butane burner rated for indoor use.

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BigDaddyKrow@reddit

I work in the natural gas industry. 3 years ago there was an explosion on a large supply line that fed my Utility's system. If something happens to the transmission lines feeding your area you are SOL. Alot of people don't know it but when that line blew, we went into "line pack" no new gas coming in, only existing off of what was there on pressure. We were having meetings about what neighborhoods would be turned off so we dont lose the whole system. It was not a good time. Losing pressure on an entire system would cause customer outages for around 6 months.

Can you imagine the chaos that would cause.

Isobutane backpacking stove, propane 2 burner camp stove, full size propane grill, charcoal grill, propane flat top, wood stove and fuel for all of it.... I have diversified my holdings so i always have a way to cook no matter what.

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kenny7412@reddit (OP)

Sounds like a natural gas generator may not be worth the hype.

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OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

To be fair, these kinds of outages are rare. But we're all prepping for rare events...

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BigDaddyKrow@reddit

Very situationally dependent. In the last 15 years i can only think of a handful of times the gas was out for customers for more than a week. However in the PNW where i live, we are waiting for a cascadia subduction zone event. If that ever happens most of Washington and Oregon will be mideivel for years, no electric, no gas, no water, no sewer.

Personally i will be getting a trifuel soon. But it will be for weather based power outages not longterm society ending catastrophes.

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DwarvenRedshirt@reddit

It depends on the outage you're most likely to have. For example, you work at home with a computer related job, and the power goes out for hours several times a year (unstable power). That generator can keep you working and doing your job vs twiddling your thumbs.

Or, let's say you've got several elderly parents dependent on oxygen concentrators with that unstable power. You can get your home on a list with the fire department/electric company, but having that natural gas generator will keep them going without waiting for others to show up, switching things over, or anything fancy.

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series_hybrid@reddit

Get dual-fuel or even tri-fuel generator you won't regret it.

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BigDaddyKrow@reddit

Absolutely. Gotta diverify. Never put all the eggs in one basket.

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eternalmortal@reddit

Depends on your living situation and lifestyle. A normal propane bbq grill serves the same function as a backup cooking method while also still providing function for regular use. If you go camping often a butane stove is plenty useful as well.

Also consider what might happen if your gas line is damaged/shut off, which does happen sometimes. Extended power outages can affect gas pumping facilities and supply.

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No_Character_5315@reddit

Only problem with propane bbq is you have to use it outside depending where you live in winter may not be the most ideal thing. You can get a butane stove and 3 cannisters of fuel for around 30 bucks I'd go for it.

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OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

You can burn propane inside with little issue. Source: this is how I cook. You do want CO and CO2 detectors because you always do, and you should crack a window to let a little air in, but propane burns quite cleanly.

Your BBQ grill may not be so clean. Use an actual camp stove.

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StrangerGeek@reddit

Any sort of really major outage will definitely take down gas pumping facilities and people here always ignore that. The gas grid isn't that much different from the power grid, except that maybe last mile distribution is less sensitive to localized disruption. I've even seen a few instances where retail gas pressure is reduced/curtailed to maintain supply at electricity generation plants.

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wortcrafter@reddit

Unexpected events, like a fire at a plant can impact supply too. Happened in Victoria, Australia back in the 90s. At the time it impacted many in the area pretty heavily (hot water, home heating, stoves and ovens) and in winter (admittedly its not -40, but the homes aren’t built for cold). I wouldn’t rely on only gas, redundancy is important on that one.

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biobennett@reddit

Happened to us in the Milwaukee area about a year ago

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Ashley_Sophia@reddit

Thanks for the link!

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rosspulliam@reddit

Also happened in Texas during Uri. The folks at the end of the gas line didn’t have enough pressure to overcome safeties and none of the appliances would light. This sparked a lot of outrage when folks down the street were burning natural gas generators to keep their houses running normally and the folks a few houses down therefore couldn’t get any heat during the power window because all of the gas was getting used up before getting to them.

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No_Character_5315@reddit

I think some of the new gas stoves require power to operate some kinda safety feature.

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Cute-Consequence-184@reddit

I have a gas stove inside but I have a propane stove for cooking outside. Many times in the summer I don't want to great up the inside with long cooking or even cooking pasta. So I'll go outside and cook on the carport.

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Blondechineeze@reddit

If you want to bake something in your oven during a power outage you will not be able to unless your stove/oven is older with a pilot light.

There are newer gas stoves available that have piezoelectric ignitors and no pilot light that are perfect for off grid or preppers.

I would get a camp stove for backup in case your gas line becomes damaged. Camp stoves have multiple burners so you can cook more than 1 thing at a time.

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Invalidsuccess@reddit

Buy a wood stove

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OxDriverKuroku@reddit

Yes, absolutely. Our butane stove has saved us multiple times from 2 weeks of eating out before we could either get our tanks refilled or line serviced.

Butane canisters run about $2.50/ea in my area. $20 for the stove on sale, $35-40 normally. Used an average of 2 cans per week, so $10 each time. 1 day of eating out easily costs twice as much (HI). It's been worth every penny, multiple times over

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taphin33@reddit

I just moved apartments away from a gas stove, but I opted for a charcoal/wood burning emergency stove because if there's enough of a problem happening that I need the stove, I doubt I can get to a sporting goods store and I don't have the space to stockpile cans.

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Randomized007@reddit

You assume gas lines keep pumping because...?

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Germainshalhope@reddit

They're so cheap. Why not?

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AdditionalAd9794@reddit

I assume gas lines are like my water. When my power goes out, I have the 300 gallons in the resovour at the pump house.

I assume with gas, you and all your neighbors have access to a nearby shared larger resovour, when thar loses enough pressure, you lose access.

Furthermore, when the Tubbs fire hit near me, we were without power for 10 days, without gas for over two weeks. I'm not sure if gas lines were damaged, or somehow turned off and purged.

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TheLostExpedition@reddit

too many options beats too few.

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DeFiClark@reddit

Depending on the nature of the emergency you may lose gas service.

For example if you live where earthquakes are possible, gas will be shut off after an earthquake.

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DwarvenRedshirt@reddit

Depends on your location, weather, and outage. There's been several situations in recent years where natural gas hasn't been available. If you have charcoal or propane grills, it may be enough of a backup for you. But butane is handy for cooking indoors. Plus you can take it with you if you need to bug out.

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PeacePufferPipe@reddit

It depends. If you are in Florida or the southwest in summer, then you darned sure don't wanna be cooking indoors heating up an already unbearably hot home. You'd best be cooking outside. We've always kept a side firebox grill/smoker and only cook on wood fire, year round, as far as grilling that is.

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11systems11@reddit

Sure, if you want redundancy. I have a gas stove and a small butane camp stove with a dozen canisters for backup, on top of my propane grill which has a side burner.

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Life-Fortune-8262@reddit

Stove $20, 4 cans of butane $5. Cheap insurance! Also portable if you have to move locations.

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ryan112ryan@reddit

For like $20 you can buy redundancy and flexibility. No brainer.

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NohPhD@reddit

Yes, you should have redundancy, one is none, two is one as the preppers chant…

It’s unlikely that a natural gas distribution system would shut down, with the exception of an earthquake. There’s been instances where extreme cold has frozen moisture in the distribution system cause either low or no flow. Finally there are situations, (like Taiwan and many other countries) that import 100% of their natural gas as LPG and are very vulnerable to blockades or sabotage.

For twice the price of a butane stove and cartridges you can buy a propane can stove and a 20 lb tank. Butane is prepping for Tuesday, propane stove with 20 Lb (BBQ) tanks is prepping for next week.

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barrelvoyage410@reddit

Some sort of non-grid attached stove, yes.

Gas lines have gone down a few times in that couple years, I would not rely 100% on them.

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series_hybrid@reddit

I would lean towards a small portable propane barbecue, but...there's nothing wrong with butane cookers

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Nemo_Shadows@reddit

IF supply line get cut it is always nice to have a backup, indoor cooking with open wood fired flames in winter can kill you, in door campfires not a good idea or charcoal.

N. S

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horse1066@reddit

How vulnerable are US natural gas pipelines to electric outages: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040619023000180

"10% of US interstate pipeline compressor stations depend on electricity, with several large pipelines quite vulnerable to electric outages."

So a theoretical vulnerability, but obviously the extent will be greater in the event of intentional sabotage

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YardFudge@reddit

Some gas stoves require electricity to work

To test yours, is it plugged in? Unplug or flip the breaker and try boiling a pot of water

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bassjam1@reddit

Do you have a grill? That's one of my backup options. The other is a hot plate plugged into my generator.

If things got really bad I have a Dutch oven and a lot of camping experience.

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kenny7412@reddit (OP)

Yes, I do have a grill. Good idea.

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b18bturbo@reddit

Propane BBQ is my go-to not only to cook on but to run a small generator to run appliances and charge solar generator when there's no sun or to top it off.

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spoosejuice@reddit

Do you have a place for a propane grill? You could get some use out of it now, then have a backup cooking option if there is ever an issue with your stove

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Granadafan@reddit

Here in earthquake country, there’s a very very good chance the gas would shut off automatically in the event of a strong quake. So, yes, a butane stove, gas or charcoal grill is a must have.

Look at this way, if you went camping, would you not have an alternative fire starting method like a striker just because you have some matches? What if the matches get wet or they don’t ignite?

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iwannaddr2afi@reddit

Eh. Redundancies are good. Just living our lives, we already have a bunch of redundancies for cooking. We've got a camping stove for camping, a grill for grilling, a propane turkey fryer for frying turkeys, a fire pit for fires, and a smoker for smoking. On the list to build is a wood fire bread oven. And I use alcohol stoves for hiking and can make one on the fly out of just about anything ha. The list goes on with diminishing returns, but we do have other options including the whole house generator. If you're not already using one or more of those besides your everyday gas stove, perhaps one backup plan would be good. I wouldn't worry a great deal, though. Stocking ready to eat canned food is easy too for short term emergencies.

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Pontiacsentinel@reddit

Some new gas stoves will not light that way, so check first.

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stephenph@reddit

Portable for just that . If you need to get mobile lots easier to pack a button then a propane grill

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Traditional-Leader54@reddit

I keep propane (20lb and 1 lb) along with a propane stove (and/or grill) and a propane heater as a backup. Obviously also good for camping as well.

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SirReginaldPuffyPant@reddit

I think it's absolutely worth it. I just got through Helene, and have a gas stove so I didn't use my butane burner. But I was able to lend it to neighbors who don't have a gas stove. I was also very lucky that my house wasn't damaged but if I'd had a tree fall through my roof (which happened to so many people, including several of my neighbors) I wouldn't have been able to access my stove. I also don't want to rely on the gas line into my house always being operational in a disaster.

It's true, you may rarely use it. But for something that's relatively inexpensive and easy to store, I don't think I'd regret having it even if I never used it once.

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VisualEyez33@reddit

There has been so much new housing in my area that the local gas authority has had to build pumping sub stations to get natural gas pressure back up so it can reach all the new customers. These sub stations are partially electric powered, so would likely not be functional without electricity. Something to look into.

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