But a strange thing happens to a person who becomes an expert in their field: You tend to assume that everyone you deal with knows the basics of your business. What a teacher may consider basic information that may not be worth mentioning can be valuable information to someone who wants to learn. If you lose that perspective and overlook the simple stuff, you have done a disservice to all.

With that in mind, when I wrote my book Ed Del Grande's House Call, I included a lot of very basic information that all homeowners should know. But you may notice that many of my topics are seldom discussed by home improvement experts. For instance, here's an excerpt from my book on heating fuels and the difference between "Natural" and "Propane" gas. See if you're up to speed on the type of gas that you may have in your own home.

Natural gas: As the name says, it's a gas extracted from the earth and refined for residential or commercial applications. It's used in the form of a light gas, but massive amounts can be transported to storage facilities in the form of a liquid called LNG (liquefied natural gas). It's a very clean-burning, efficient fuel that is basically oderless and colorless, but a strong oderant is added to natural gas so leaks can be identified. Most people don't even realize that the "rotten-egg" smell isn't natural gas's natural smell at all; it's put there by the gas company.

In populated areas natural gas can be connected to individual homes by means of an underground gas-pipeline system. Each home on the pipeline has its own gas meter to record the amount of natural gas used. Because of the direct hook-up to a utility gas pipeline system, no scheduled fuel deliveries are ever needed. Natural gas is always there for you!

Propane gas: Called LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for short, this can be thought of as natural gas's country cousin. Propane gas is produced in part from natural-gas processing along with crude-oil refining. A lot of the same characteristics of natural gas are also found in propane gas. The added odor, clean burnin, and ease of distribution are just a few of the shared advantages of both fuels.

However, propane is used mainly in rural areas that natural gas underground pipelines do not service. Since propane is not supplied to a home through a natural-gas utility pipeline system, a large propane-storage tank is usually set up on location and connected to the home with an individual pipeline. The propane gas or LPG is then delivered by truck. and the tank filled regularly by a propane-gas company.

Ed's Tip: Remember, natural and propane gasses require heating equipment and appliances made for their exact fuel. Gas regulators and burners marked either for LPG propane or natural gas must be used with that gas only. Always consult a licensed pipefitter with questions so you can pass gas safely at your home!