3 Valid Reasons why your Cooking Gas does not Last Long

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  • Author: Muyiwa Ige(LPG Stakeholder and Consultant)

“Hey Gasman, the gas you people filled for me didn’t last at all. You people just filled nonsense for me. It seems you just pumped ordinary air into my cylinder. Gas refilling is a ‘dark’ and shady process that nobody except the gasman knows what’s happening! My 6kg gas refill normally lasts for two months, but the last one I refilled here lasted for just two weeks and three days. This is unacceptable, unimaginable, unpalatable, unbecoming, unbelievable, unsavory, unreasonable, uncomplimentary, unpatriotic…………………”

These kinds of statements and many more, made by dissatisfied LPG users who have automatically heaped the blame of their cooking gas that got exhausted before the expected time on their gasman/woman, have become the norm in the retail segment of the LPG industry in Nigeria.

Undetected Leakage in your Gas System

Since the odorant that makes one to perceive the smell of cooking gas(LPG) is not added to it in every production run, it’s very possible for gas to be escaping gradually from your cylinder’s valve and its perimeter, without you knowing. Leaking can equally occur on the body of your cylinder at any of the welded areas. Your gas regulator itself might have cracked, paving way for gas to escape; the same problem can occur on your gas hose, which might have cracked.

Composition of the LPG

LPG (Cooking Gas) is a mixture of propane and butane, which are ‘honorable’ members of the light hydrocarbon gases. Propane has a major advantage over butane in that it produces more heat and is more efficient in combustion. What this implies is that the LPG of a production volume that has a higher percentage of propane will cook meals faster and last longer than the LPG of a production volume that has a lower percentage of propane.

Short-filling at the Gas Station

Some gas stations have manipulated their LPG dispensers to under-dispense to their unsuspecting customers. For instance, when 1kg is inputed into the dispenser, it actually dispenses 0.85kg. That means if 12.5kg is bought, what you will actually get is 10.65kg. Some LPG retailers and stations using either scales or dispensers are also fond of confusing their unenlightened customers during the process of refilling their cylinders with the intention of short-changing them. Apparently, a cooking gas cylinder that is not accurately filled will not last up to the expectation of the LPG user.