A sure and convenient way to cookout, the gas grill is a sure investment especially for people who savor the taste of outdoor- cooked food. A gas grill will give you that as well as a good experience and bonding activity without the hassles a charcoal grill can bring. Of course, other people prefer a charcoal grill but for people who do not want the inconvenience, a gas grill is the best choice.
However, after you have already decided to get yourself a gas grill, you will be again confronted with the decision to either choose a natural gas barbecue grill or one that uses the traditional propane gas. What? I thought all gas grills come with propane? Well, not anymore my friend. But the real question is, which is the better choice among the two?
Which gas barbecue grill will work best for you? You need not boggle over it, here are the basic descriptions of the propane grill and the natural gas barbecue grill. Decide on which fits your lifestyle and choose according to your own preference, not the others, because in the end, you are the one who will be using that grill. Anyway, here it goes.
Propane gas grill
Propane, which is created from petroleum, contains hydrocarbons (composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms), called aliphatic hydrocarbons. Propane gas barbecue grill is the type of gas grill which is more commonly used by most households and uses propane (also called liquified petroleum gas or LPG) to fuel it. Propane gas is stored in a portable tank and once you run out of propane, you can easily buy another tank nearly everywhere.
Propane can be easily stored inside a tank because when it is compressed at a certain temperature (about -46 degrees Fahrenheit), it condenses into liquid. It stays in its liquid form until it is uncompressed. This makes propane easier to store as compared to the natural gas, which cannot be compressed into liquid.
Natural gas grill
A natural grill contains, yeah you guessed it right, natural gas. Natural type of gas, considered as fossil fuel, is made up primarily of methane. Natural type of gas, while considered an innovation, has always been used domestically. It is supplied to homes for purposes of cooking in natural gas ranges and ovens, central heating of houses and even for clothes dryers. Then, the domestic use also included fueling natural gas grills.
The main difference is that natural gas used for grills is not usually stored in tanks unlike propane. While it may be compressed (compressed natural gas or CNG) and liquefied (liquefied natural gas or LNG), usually it is used through its natural uncompressed, unliquefied form.
Availability
As mentioned before, propane is almost always used in its compressed and liquefied form. The compressed propane, also called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG, is now stored inside the propane tank. This makes it easier to be distributed and can be directly delivered by companies. On the other hand, natural gas which is not usually stored and is not usually compressed, may be harder to distribute. Also, natural type of gas may not be always available in some rural areas.
Energy
In terms of BTU or British thermal units, propane gas contains more energy, more than twice of what gas in natural form contains. One cubic foot of propane contains more than 2,500 BTU while one cubic foot of natural gas contains a little over 1,000 BTU.
To further understand, let's consider this example. If a gas grill uses 100,000 BTU per hour, how many cubic feet of natural gas and propane will be used? For natural form of gas which contains 1,000 BTU, around 100 cubic feet should be used in one hour. On the other hand, only around 40 cubic feet of propane will be used in an hour since it contains 2,500 BTU.
Safety
There are many ways to look at the safety of natural form of gas and propane. Some people insist that natural form of gas is the safer choice because since natural gas is lighter, it only floats up into the air and then dissipates while propane, which is heavier, sinks to the ground.
However, natural type of gas is considered a greenhouse gas when it is discharged into the environment. It means once natural type of gas is released into the atmosphere, it may pose some risks and may harm the environment. Propane is not labeled as a greenhouse gas which means it is not as toxic or as damaging as other gases.
Then again, both fuels propane and natural gas are considered safe and clean, and that their emissions are actually insignificant factors in polluting the environment. Both are safe, yes, but if not handled properly, these friendly gases may also be extremely dangerous.
