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It’s an age-old debate. Is it “better” to cook on a propane grill or a charcoal grill? The short answer is that—except for a very specific type of barbecue and smoked foods—a propane grill will perform better. In fact, you can achieve a slow cooked, smoked effect with a propane grill with just some simple tricks!
From easier cooking to healthier foods to safety, here are 14 reasons why propane is considered a better choice than that of charcoal.
Of course, you can always keep a charcoal grill for the ultimate smoky, low, and slow barbecue, but the bottom line is that propane makes grilling an easy, healthy option for even a busy weeknight, instead of just the weekend special.
Ready to see the possibilities of an upgraded grilling setup? Come visit our Radford showroom! Whether you’re looking create a deluxe outdoor kitchen and entertaining space, or just need to replace your old propane grill, SWVA Gas Service offers a full range of Broilmaster grills from classic styles to top-of-the-line built-in units.
Whatever you need, our trained, experienced propane service technicians will safely and properly connect your new built-in gas grill to your home’s propane supply.
Prefer to use a propane cylinder? You can take advantage of our convenient cylinder refills, too. Contact the pros at SWVA Gas Service today to learn more.
Do you have a drafty, hard-to-heat room in your home? If you’re trying to heat an addition, an attic, or another uninsulated space, you know that cranking up your thermostat only gets you higher heating bills. Portable electric heaters often blow fuses, or short out, and they can be unsafe if they tip over.
Imagine a solution that would keep that space warm and comfortable all winter and early-spring, without driving up your heating bill. That solution is a propane space heater!
If the words “propane space heater” conjure an image of something you’d plug in to heat a workshop or haul out in an emergency, prepare to be surprised! There’s a whole category of propane space heaters designed to efficiently—and attractively—provide supplemental heat in your home.
Here’s what you need to know:
When it comes to choosing a propane space heater, you have a lot of options. Do you want a wall-mounted or freestanding unit? Do you want radiant or circulating heating? Do you want a vented heater or an unvented (also called a vent-free) heater? What’s the differences between all these different options?
Propane space heaters make it easy to safely and cost-effectively get more use out of any chilly space or room in your home. Here are a few of the benefits that make propane space heaters—and gas log sets—a great option for your home:
Still not sure which propane space heater is right for your space? Don’t worry, the professionals at SVWA Gas Service can help you choose the size and type of heater that will best serve your needs and then install and maintain it for you.
For more than 50 years, SWVA has been the local favorite for reliable propane deliveries and propane products in the New River Valley region of Southwest Virginia. Our customers trust us for good reason! Find out for yourself by contacting us or stopping by our appliance showroom today.
From highly efficient heating to the precision of cooking on a gas range, to the ease and charm of a gas fireplace and the peace of mind of a backup generator, propane helps make your life more comfortable in several ways. And the key to that comfort and convenience starts with your propane tank.
But there’s a chance you may not know much about your propane storage tank. After all, if it came with your home when it was purchased, you might not even know how old it is. Does it need maintenance? When does it need to be replaced?
As a full-service propane provider, SWVA Gas Service is here for you, making sure your propane tank is in good shape, installed safely, and that you always have the propane you need, right when you need it.
Today’s propane tanks are built to be safe and durable. Aboveground propane tanks are designed to withstand the elements for 30 years or more before they need to be replaced. Some aluminum and composite cylinders can last even longer!
On the other hand, underground propane tanks can have a shorter average life expectancy, between 20 to 30 years. This is heavily dependent on the soil type and the quality of the installation.
If your tank has been installed properly, it should require very little maintenance. Just follow a few simple guidelines to keep your tank in good shape:
Because you can’t see it, an underground tank requires “sacrificial anodes,” which help prevent corrosion, to be buried near the tank. An underground tank also needs a special anticorrosion coating, and regular maintenance checks. These additionally help to extend the life of your tank.
We inspect your tank for signs of age every time we deliver fuel, but you should know the telltale signs that there could be a problem with your tank or gas lines:
Need a new propane tank? SWVA Gas Service is here for you! Contact us today for more information about becoming a new customer right here in our Southern Virginia service territory.
Fuel prices across the board are making heating costs challenging for many people. Fortunately, the winter has been mild thus far, but that doesn’t take the sting out of a bill that’s higher even when you aren’t using more propane than usual. We wish we had more control over the cost of propane. It’s important to remember that we don’t profit when prices are higher. In fact, it’s the opposite. Think about when food prices increase. It’s not the local grocery store profiting off those higher prices. If anyone’s profiting, it’s the big corporations and Wall Street investors.
Still, we know paying those bigger heating bills is a worry for many folks. That’s why we encourage everyone to sign up for our monthly budget plan. Even when fuel costs are low, it’s a popular option, because it keeps your bills level and manageable.
We use an average cost based on your past fuel usage to spread your costs evenly over 12 months, cutting winter bills nearly in half and making it easier for you to plan your expenses. As a result, our heating fuel payment plan is a smart way to manage winter propane costs and avoid unexpectedly high invoices, no matter how cold it gets or how much fuel you use.
Even if we have a particularly cold winter or prices continue to rise, we’ll help adjust your payments, so you don’t get hit with a large balance in the summer. Likewise, if it’s a mild winter, we can adjust and reduce your payments. The point is to help you save while avoiding big fluctuations!
If you are struggling with your propane bills, please let us know before you get too far behind: we will work with you to find a solution.
In addition, the Virginia Energy Assistance Program offers help to qualifying low-income households. They can aid with heating costs, as well as help with the cost of equipment repair or replacement. Crisis funding is available through March 15.
Whether you sign up for the monthly budget plan or prefer to pay as you go, you’ll get all the value from being an SWVA Gas Service customer, like always-reliable propane deliveries, and neighborly customer service. No matter what happens with prices in the future, we will work with you to help you keep costs manageable.
Contact us today for more information about our budget plan and all the other ways we can serve you.
When it comes to adding warmth and charm without the mess or hassle of logs and embers, many people are discovering the ease and style of a gas fireplace. One thing that always surprises people is the realistic look and actual warmth of a gas fireplace. After all, this is no plastic log over a lightbulb! The gas logs in a gas fireplace are made from cement, ceramic or ceramic fiber blends that are carefully crafted and painted to look just like real wood logs. You can even specify a species of wood! So how do gas logs work? Those realistic-looking logs are fitted with small pipes that release gas, a lot like the burners on your stove.
Gas logs are made to withstand high heat and should last for five-to-ten years, depending on how much you use your gas fireplace, and if you keep up with maintenance.
But the best part about a gas fireplace is that you don’t need a chimney to use them. The pros at Southwest Virginia Gas Service can make it easy to add a gas fireplace to virtually any room in your Virginia home, all thanks to ventless and direct vent designs.
Direct vent and vent-free gas fireplace technology are two great ways to add a gas fireplace even if you don’t have a chimney or flue. All that’s needed is access to propane gas.
Ventless models have a regulator that produces a fine gas-air mix that allows the gas to burn cleanly, and reduces the fumes associated with traditional gas fireplaces.
With direct venting, a single dual-chambered pipe is installed directly through a wall to the outdoors. The pipe simultaneously draws air for the fire from the outdoors, while it expels the fire’s combustion byproducts to the outside.
With minimal space requirements between the fireplace and wallboard or wood, a gas hearth can be installed almost anywhere. That means you can incorporate cozy charm into just about any room, including living rooms and family rooms, but also kitchens and dining rooms. Create your dream master suite or a spa-like bathroom escape, just by adding a gas fireplace.
You can also convert traditional fireplaces to a maintenance-free propane hearth with a gas log insert.
Propane-fueled fireplaces add ambiance—but they also provide efficient supplemental heat without the mess, smoke, and ash of a wood-burning fireplace. And a gas hearth is much safer, too. No more playing with matches and waiting for tricky kindling to catch—you can turn on and adjust the flame with a wall switch or even a remote control and turn it off when you are done. No waiting for embers to burn out or worrying that they will flare up again.
Nothing beats the cozy charm and ambiance of a fireplace. Let the team at SWVA show you how easy and affordable installing a gas fireplace or stove can be. We service and install everything we sell, and we stand by our work.
Want to see our selection of products? Come by our Radford, VA showroom to see your options and experience how realistic a gas hearth can be. Contact us for more information today, and kick back by your own fireplace before the holidays.
When the weather gets wild and the power lines go down, are you prepared? We get plenty of thunderstorms in the summer, along with the occasional hurricanes plus and ice and snow in winter. And we get our share of tornadoes, too.
Adding a backup propane generator is a power move when it comes to protecting your family and your home. Here are 15 facts about propane generators that you need to know. It can help you decide whether your home would benefit from the option of backup power!
A power outage lasting any longer than an hour or two can quickly shift from inconvenience to crisis—and an expensive one, too. A standby propane generator will keep your home and family safe, while saving you money and adding value to your home.
The pros at SWVA have the experience and training to connect the lines to your propane tank, so it powers up your home without damaging your home’s electronic equipment or appliances. And we can provide you with safe and reliable propane delivery, too.
Contact us today for more information.
How many times have you replaced the portable propane tank on your grill? Truth be told, it’s not too hard to do. Make sure the gas is off, disconnect the empty tank, and connect the new one.
On the other hand, replacing or installing a full-size propane tank that holds a couple of hundred gallons is no DIY project. Of course, when your full-size tank runs low, you don’t need to replace the whole tank—SWVA Gas Service provides reliable propane delivery service to Radford, VA, and the surrounding communities. But sometimes, you need to replace or swap out your existing tank. Whether you need to install a new tank or replace an old one, the pros at SWVA Gas Service have the expertise to handle everything for you, safely and properly.
To start, there are just a couple of upfront decisions you’ll need to make if you are considering a new propane tank.
The easiest way to go if you’re replacing an old tank is to use the same setup as the new one. But if it’s a new propane tank, here’s what to consider:
If you are replacing an existing tank, consider whether your needs have changed. If you’ve added new gas appliances, put an addition on your home, or even have more people living with you than when you first got your tank, you may use more propane. Maybe you’ve noticed you must order propane more often—a sure sign your tank is too small.
Getting a bigger tank means you’ll need fewer refills, reduce the risk of a runout, and even avoid or lessen the sting of price spikes.
But a bigger tank is, well, bigger! You’ll need space to bury it. And if it’s above ground, a huge tank can be less attractive. We can help you determine the best size propane tank for your needs based on the size of your Radford area home as well as how many appliances you’ll be fueling.
Once you’ve made your decisions about size and location, you can sit back and let SWVA take care of everything else. From permits to lighting your pilots after your first fill-up, we’ll make it look as easy as changing out your grill cylinder.
We will perform testing and safety inspections, light pilot lights, check appliances for proper operation and answer any questions you may have about the tank installation, service arrangements, or delivery schedules.
When we’re done, you’ll understand why homeowners and businesses throughout the southwest Virginia area trust SWVA to provide reliable propane service for more than 50 years. Whether you decide on an aboveground or underground propane tank, know that our team can make selecting, installing, and maintaining your tank easy. And we’ll provide reliable propane delivery services, too.
Contact us for more information today.
Switching out a portable propane tank on your grill is easy. Replacing or installing a full-size propane tank that holds a couple hundred gallons is no DIY project. Whether you need to install a new tank or replace an old one, SVWA Gas Service has the expertise to handle everything for you, and we’ll make sure the job is done safely and properly.
While you can trust us to take care of everything, there are a few upfront decisions you’ll need to make if you are considering a new propane tank:
If your propane storage tank is too small, you’ll need to order propane too often—or risk the cost and hassle of runouts. Getting a big tank means you’ll need fewer refills—and you may be able to avoid or lessen the sting of price spikes. But a bigger tank is, well, bigger—so you’ll need space to bury it. And if it’s aboveground, a huge tank can be far less attractive at your residential home. We can help you determine the best size for your needs based on the size of your home as well as how many appliances you’ll be fueling.
If you’re replacing an old tank, it may make the most sense to keep the same set-up. But if it’s a new propane tank outright—or you want to change from what you had before, here’s what to consider:
Once you’ve made your decisions about size and location, we’ll take care of the rest, from permits to lighting your pilots after your first fill-up!
For almost 80 years, SWVA Gas Service has been providing reliable fuel service to homes all over Southwestern Virginia. Whether you decide on an aboveground or underground propane tank, know that the pros at SWVA can make selection, installation, and maintenance of your tank easy. And we’ll provide reliable propane delivery services, too.
Contact us for more information today.
Summertime is well known as the peak grilling season here in Southern Virginia. So, be sure to keep these safety tips in mind before you transport propane, or light up the grill and enjoy great times outside with family, friends, and delicious food.
Are you still using a clunky, old charcoal grill? Make the switch to a propane grill and enjoy instant start-ups, no chemical fumes, and precise temperature control for the perfect summertime meal. We offer convenient tank refills, too! Stop by our Radford showroom or contact us today for more information.
Since 1945, SWVA Gas Service has built a reputation of providing our customers with delivery they can count on for their home or business. We’re locally owned and operated here in Radford, VA, so we understand the needs of our neighbors and will go the extra mile in a way no other propane service provider can!
When it comes to home value, you may not be able to change the location, but you can do a variety of things to add value. Boosting curb appeal with a nice door or a welcoming porch and good landscaping are easy DIY projects. Making sure your heating systems are efficient and upgrading appliances is another good way to increase the value of your home and make it stand out if you’re looking to sell.
While it’s not usually featured on the home makeover shows because it’s not “eye candy,” considering the systems and fuels that run your new home can be undeniably important. If you’ve never lived in a propane-fueled home before, you might be surprised to know all the benefits. Propane is one of the cleanest, most versatile, and most efficient fuels around. It’s a domestically sourced alternative fuel that can provide exceptional performance and efficiency in a wide range of home appliances, as well as heating and water-heating equipment, at a much lower cost than electricity.
Truth be told, propane may not have an overwhelming influence on the price of your home, but it can affect the comfort of the buyer in many ways. Let’s get you familiar with all those benefits it can bring:
Propane generates more Btus than an equivalent amount of electricity, so you need much less propane to produce the same amount of heat or energy. That means propane appliances are very efficient, so they waste very little fuel in the combustion process. On the other hand, about two-thirds of the energy used by a power plant to generate and transmit electricity is wasted.
In other words, propane is a win-win for customers who care about the environment, but also want to keep costs under control.
Because propane is so efficient, it’s a smarter choice than electricity for a wide variety of appliances. For example, propane water heaters generate much more hot water at a cheaper cost per gallon. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, homes that heat water with propane rather than electricity can see average annual savings of $174 or more.
The same technology that makes propane ideal for water heaters makes it a smarter choice than electricity to power all kinds of appliances that use hot water or heat:
…and many more!
What’s another benefit that adds value? When storms knock out power, a propane-fueled backup generator will keep your lights and everything else running until the utility companies can make repairs. Many insurance plans will offer discounts on your homeowner’s insurance plan if you install a standby generator. That’s because, like a security system, a generator helps protect your property. SWVA Gas Service can help run the necessary lines for your new backup system. Give us a call today to learn more!
There’s a reason gas is the choice of professional chefs, hands down. The high degree of control and precise temperatures you get with a gas range can’t be beaten—and propane grills offer the same control, plus are much cleaner and easier to use. Want to really pump up the value of your home: Consider an outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill!
When it comes to environmental impact, propane gas is a good choice. It burns cleanly and produces minimal emissions. Propane also doesn’t harm soil or groundwater – an important factor when it comes to determining whether fuel is “green.”
Propane leaks are easy to detect due to their strong rotten egg odor (thanks to the Ethyl Mercaptan that manufacturers add to the naturally odorless gas). If you detect the odor of propane, know what to do. Additionally, propane will not ignite until the air reaches 940° F. In fact, propane has the lowest flammability range of all alternative fuels. There must be a very specific combination of propane and oxygen for propane to burn.
Whether you are refurbishing your existing home, building your dream house, or just looking for ways to reduce your fuel bills, propane provides great value. The team of Pros at SWVA Gas Service can help make adding propane to your New River, Radford, Roanoke, or Christiansburg area home easy, with great services like automatic delivery, tank monitoring, smart payment plans to help keep costs manageable and so much more.
Contact us today for more information.
