Learning How to Use Propane

Since moving to Costa Rica in 2011, all our rental houses have had electrical appliances. I’ve used propane cooktops when housesitting but never had to figure out how to order a new tank, turn a new tank on, light a propane oven or use a propane clothes dryer.

In our new rental home here in San Roque de Grecia, our washing machine is electric but the dryer is propane. Our stove is fully propane - oven and six burners. I recently wanted to use the clothes dryer but couldn’t get any heat so I figured maybe the tank was empty.

The propane tank for our stove ran out a couple of days ago. Our landlord, Luis, had given me the name and phone number of the guy that replaces the propane tanks. Costa Rica runs on WhatsApp and I contacted Engardo this way. He arrived this afternoon in his big propane tank carrying truck.

He BACKED DOWN our somewhat steep laneway, at the same time negotiating a sharp turn. I haven’t even yet attempted backing out of our garage, not hitting the fence, making a sharp left maneouver and then gunning the car up the hill and turning right without running into the semi-ditch in front of Serví-Frio, the taller that repairs AC systems just up our laneway. Lance has it down to a science and has no problems.

Engardo installed the new stove propane tank and showed me how to turn on the dryer tank. He assured me that I would not blow up the house.

The big stove:

The new stove propane tank:

The propane tank for the dryer:

Click on images to enlarge.