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propane

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 10:15am
5 replies115 views4 members subscribed
adrian

adrian

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Hello,

  Has anyone got a propane cylinder they do not need? My butane cylinder for my water heater is outdoors and does not function so well at low temperatures even though it is lagged.Also, does propane need a different connector?

Thanks.

jimtaylor

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:39pm

jimtaylor

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Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:39pm

I'm sure Pete could answer this one, but I thought that propane and butane cylinders required different connectors.

More importantly, check the specs for the appliance you want to use it with, as butane and propane appliances normally have different jets/burners.

Vfrjohn

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:19pm

Posts: 3

Location: Gran Alacant

Joined: 7 Jan 2016

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:19pm

adrian wrote on Fri Nov 17, 2017 10:15am:

Hello,

  Has anyone got a propane cylinder they do not need? My butane cylinder for my water heater is outdoors and does not function so well at low temperatures even though it is lagged.Also, does propane need a different connector?

Thanks.

Unless the temperature is bellow 5deg it should have no affect on the performance of the boiler especially as you say it is lagged. Could be just that the water temperature coming into the heater is a lot cooler than in the summer months. If the temperature drops to freezing point the gas will as they say freeze and stop working all together. 

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jimtaylor

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:06pm

jimtaylor

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Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:06pm

I hadn't noticed that you'd said your cylinder is lagged, and I agree that will slow the amount it cools overnight. But, and it's a big but:

Liquid butane or any other gas doesn't just need the pressure reducing (by operating an appliance and drawing gas off) in order to turn into gas. It also needs heat to transform into a gaseous state. Do do this, it draws heat in from the outside. Think of a bicycle pump - compress the air in in and it gets hot; vice versa, expand a gas and it cools down. That's the principle that fridges and freezers work on.

If your cylinder is lagged, you're stopping it drawing in heat from outside, so it just gets colder and colder to the point where it will no longer turn into gas. If at that point you've just lathered up your hair in the shower, you've got a problem!

You've got several choices: remove the lagging jacket altogether; remove it before you draw gas; or leave it on but provide some form of heating.

This can be as simple as pouring a kettle of hot water onto the gas cylinder, or having an incandescent light bulb under it (on a timer to save electricity). Be creative.

Incidentally, the fuller the gas cylinder, the slower it will cool down.

adrian

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:42am

adrian

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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:42am

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Classic man

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 8:10pm

Classic man

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Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 8:10pm

Do it the easy way, just get a propane cylinder, it's good down to -43 deg C. Don't mess with jackets and hot water.

The same regulator fits both types of cylinder. In the UK the gasses work a different pressures, hence different regulators, but they don't seem to worry about that here.

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