Propane parts material

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HT1
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Propane parts material

Post by HT1 »

I'm having problems with tanks freezing up, so I considered buying a tank manifold Image but I'm having trouble justifying the cost. the real question here, does propane need to be piped through brass/copper, black iron pipe would be much cheaper, and all it would be was a tee, two couplings, and a couple of nipples, all the brass compression fitting s for tanks, I already have
dallen
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by dallen »

use propane rated hose with 1/4 inch female fittings, that way your are not bending the copper tubing inbetween the cylinders and instead of that high dollar tee fitting I see, you can use a regular 1/4 steel high pressure (IE hydrulic tee), move the tank nipple thats in the regulator to the end of the hose and use a Three inch nipple to install the tee onto the regulator. Actually you can get it all at Home Depot if you use a Brass Tee from the Plumbing department and the hose from the Lawn an Garden.

Also set bottles out if the sun a couple hours before you will fire, all the thermal mass they can suck up will help with the freezing. I don't have any problems with a 30 or 40 pound bottle freezing, but them little 20's when they are half empty will no matter how hot it is.

If your going to have to also buy the tank, just get a bigger tank. if you are in the business I would get me a 100 gallon horizonal tank and get the truck to come by, keep it about half full, you don't need it completely full, I tried the manifold idea because of using 20 lb bottles, but I was after the ability to run one out and switching but it was a real hassel.

Look on Craiglist for a 100 Lb cylinder, I got mine for 25 dollars off of a guy, lot of turist get them then find out that its a pretty good hassle if they are in the older crowd.

With a 50 or 100 lb cylinder when you see frost its time to refill unless you have a spare on hand.
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Rocco
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by Rocco »

I've had similar problem with freezing, I just put the tank into a large tub of warm water, not an ideal solution of course but it works.
HT1
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by HT1 »

dallen wrote:use propane rated hose with 1/4 inch female fittings, .

That would put a hose before the regulator, what is the pressure of propane coming out of a cylinder? the last thing I want is a propane hose whipping about with a flame blowing off the end like a torch.


I dont know if I could get a truck refill in a residential neighborhood, or if it would be too pricy,

I have considered renting another 100 tanks just for the furnace, I use propane for cooking, and they just come and deliver full tanks and take the enpties. which BTW is a great deal for them, unless you run the tanks dry, and leave yourself with no gas, you pay for a full cylinder, and give them a partially full one.

I really think a pair of 20s on a manifold is the way to go for me, I just dont want to plumb it, and then find out I have messed it up, possibly by and explosion or fire
dallen
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by dallen »

pressure in a propane tank is around 100 to 125 psi on a hot day, all of your propane hose will be rated around 300 psi, or instead of using rubber hose if you have a high pressure braded hose laying around that would work also.

That sucks about having to give them back part of a bottle, they have those upright 100 gallon tanks that you see hot roofers using a lot any more, My gas guy will drop one for around 450.00 with it full of gas if I would take a year lease, I had one found in Nebraska last time I was up there on a job, bu tgot kinda skitiest about hauling it back across kansas, what with the HAZ MAT laws what they are now.

probably the easiest way is to go with the manifold from your gas guy, be sure and have both bottles open when you are using them. Heck if you was closer I would make you a deal on a couple 30s they take up the same amound of floor space and give you a third more gas.

you can get one of them big feet tubs you see got two rope handles on them, fill it full of water set the bottle it it.
David and Charlie aka the shop monster

If life seems normal your not going fast enough" Mario Andrette
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Harry
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by Harry »

I would get a spare tank for the cooking that way you will only give back the empty and always have a full on hand to switch over to when you run out.

I have a couple of the 100 lb tanks and take them into town if I need them filled between my propane deliveries for my 250 gallon tank the house runs off of. They will fill all of my smaller tanks when they come to fill the big one. The 100 lb tanks are the tall ones, about the same diameter as the small tanks but about 4' tall. They have a little heft and you need a pickup to load them into to take them to be filled but I can handle them myself, they also charge more for the gas as the filling stations than the home delivery but not a huge difference.

As far as plumbing them, Dont see any reason why you could not use black iron pipe to make a manifold, galvanized is not used because the coating can flake and plug orifices on appliances.
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dallen
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by dallen »

HT1 wrote:I have considered renting another 100 tanks just for the furnace, I use propane for cooking, and they just come and deliver full tanks and take the enpties. which BTW is a great deal for them, unless you run the tanks dry, and leave yourself with no gas, you pay for a full cylinder, and give them a partially full one.

I really think a pair of 20s on a manifold is the way to go for me, I just dont want to plumb it, and then find out I have messed it up, possibly by and explosion or fire
run the bottle empty and if you need to cook before they come swap it out hook up one of the 20's same valve, same pressure in the bottle, then you get a full bottle and they get an empty.

When I was a kid an we cooked with bottled gas we had two, one open one closed, when the one ran empty we swapped em. when the gas truck came by he would swap the empty out with a full one, man thats like over half a century ago. But with the price of gas what it is today everyone is looking for any break they can get, you imiagine how much money they gas company makes by filling bottles that still have some gas in them, thats gas they don't have to buy that they charge you for.
David and Charlie aka the shop monster

If life seems normal your not going fast enough" Mario Andrette
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Nudge
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by Nudge »

Rocco wrote:I've had similar problem with freezing, I just put the tank into a large tub of warm water, not an ideal solution of course but it works.
I do the same thing on my little furnace. The other way is, turn the gas down a little bit!
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Rocco
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by Rocco »

I've been thinking about this some more, a two tank set-up like this would be pretty easy to put together using scavenged and/or low cost parts. POL fittings like the one below can be scavenged from discarded barbeques, you need two, one of them can come from your regulator you're currently using, everything else needed you should be able to get for any good hardware store, a 12" long piece of 1/4" pipe, brass is preferred but black iron will do, a brass 1/4" tee, a 1/4" brass coupling and a 1/4" brass nipple.

Image
Rocco
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Re: Propane parts material

Post by Rocco »

Here's another twin tank set up, I like it a little better than the one in the first pic because it's got a flexible connection between the two tanks. If you don a lot of melting, a pretty reasonable deal at $28.

Image
Click on the pic
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