French Gas Supply - Cooker compatability

[Mike1958]

We have a house luckily supplied with town gas by EDF which at the moment is only being used to power our central heating. I am thinking however of bringing across a SS range style cooker from the UK which is both electric and gas (hob only) as I have been unable to find the one that we need locally. (Must be double oven).

Can any member please advise whether there are any differences between the UK and French gas supply and whether or not a UK cooker will work OK.

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Mike

 

[Gyn_Paul]

you could try the manufacturer to see if they do an export version for France, and if so, in what way it differs from the 'domestic' version. (and can they supply 'export' injectors if there is a difference)

Other option is to call in to a EDF/GDF office and ask them, what you need to know is the calorific value of the gas and the pressure it is supplied at (mBars).

Actually; now I think about it, you might find this info on the side of your CH boiler.

Then do the same in the UK and if they are the same then  - yes - it should work.

I suspect that the pressure might be the only real variable, as surely gaz de ville must be the same natural gas that the UK has which is methane isn't it?

paul

p.s. You are SO lucky having access to the cheapest fuel!

paul

[Mike1958]

Many thanks Paul,

I have been trying to get a definitive answer from manufacturers and so far have been told by both Baumatic and Hotpoint that their appliances are compatible, the only down side of course is the any warranty would not be carried over into France.

Re EDF/GDF: I find it difficult enough trying to pay a bill as it seems their office is always closed though I will try and pop in and see them the next time that we are out.

 

[Nick Trollope]

Hello

I suspect that there is little difference between natural gas here or in the UK. (Isn't "town gas" that smelly stuff made from coal?)...

One point; some larger UK cooker ovens use vast amounts of power (up to 9KW with both running, IIRC). Your French electricity supply may not be up to it. It could save a lot of embarassment to check this too!

[Mike1958]

Thanks Nick,

I have already had the electricity looked into and discovered that not only do we have a fairly good (though some new some old) supply, we also have a three phase connection as well. I will still bear this in mind though when making the final selection.

Regards,

 

Mike

 

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote]Hello I suspect that there is little difference between natural gas here or in the UK. (Isn't "town gas" that smelly stuff made from coal?)... One point; some larger UK cooker ovens use vast amounts...[/quote]

Now you're just showing your age, Nick.  Yes, 'town gas' was the stuff made by heating coal to give off hydrogen (and other stuff which made it stink, thank God). Its sovereign advantage was that it was lighter than air: I well remember filling plastic bin-bags with it in the chemistry lab and  launching them out of the window with a burning fuse.... they'd gently float away before bursting into flames with a whooosh !

Boring old natural gas is methane which is heavier than air and no fun at all.

If both UK and French mains gas were pure methane then the cooker jets would be identical as the supply pressure would need to be the same for full combustion, however, I suspect that both contain (in addition to the trace amount of stuff to make it stink) non-combustible components (nitrogen??) in a different ratio. May be completely wrong of course!

paul

[Nick Trollope]

[quote]Thanks Nick, I have already had the electricity looked into and discovered that not only do we have a fairly good (though some new some old) supply, we also have a three phase connection as well. I w...[/quote]

If you have a 3-phase supply, remember that, if you are using a single-phase cooker, you will need to divide your available power by 3. I.e. if you have a 15kW supply (quite large by Fr 3-phase standards) then you will be limited to 5kW (not a large UK cooker) on a single phase.

A UK cooker is more likely to work on a single phase supply. We had to convert from 3 to single phase to run our Stoves double oven (6.7kW).

[Nick Trollope]

[quote]Now you're just showing your age, Nick. Yes, 'town gas' was the stuff made by heating coal to give off hydrogen (and other stuff which made it stink, thank God). Its sovereign advantage was that it w...[/quote]

Now you're just showing your age, Nick.

Sorry, I should have said that I just remember them knocking down the old gasometers in the town where I was broght up, as a very, very young child. I have a long memory, you know. I made explosives and H2S in my chemistry lessons. Or was it ammonium iodide? You know the stuff that was stable as a liquid and unstable in crystalline form. Very good on toilet seats.

PS. I am not mad.

[Jeremy]

Re the comment about warranties,

we bought a new tv from Comet in UK and they are owned by Darty, so the warranty they sell for tvs cookers and so on will apply in France( they say).Haven't had to try it yet, but good to know tv is covered here..Jeremy.