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Fanman
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# Posted: 22 Oct 2018 01:05pm
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We have two 100# tanks for our cabin, for stove, hot water, and clothes dryer (not heat, for that we have a wood stove and a coal stove); we use several each year. I bring them in on a hand truck from the nearest place I can park the truck, about 100 yards away. And yes, we haul them in the truck laying down, but it's only a quarter mile or so from where the full tanks are filled by the gas company and stored.
I kill the pilots when I leave for more than a couple of days, but I just shut off the valve right at the stove, not the tank, that way I don't have to purge the air all the way back to the tank.
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deercula
Member
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# Posted: 22 Oct 2018 02:18pm
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Quoting: Borrego Galvanized pipe around here, much sturdier than copper. Will last 50 yrs or so.......
My furnace manufacture recommends black pipe, NOT galvanized. They claim that over time galvinize flakes off inside the pipe, and plugs the orifice.
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 22 Oct 2018 04:38pm
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I started out with 30's but moved on to 100's real quick but they were tough to hall around,especially in the winter time with snow piling up.One day the guy at the filling station said to me,why don't you just have us put in a tank at your cabin and bring you the propane,it's a lot cheaper and you don't have to lift a finger?It was a no brainer pluss I needed back surgery soon anyways.
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justins7
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2018 11:37am
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RE: Regulator freezing
I have not had this problem on a 20lb tank. Last winter I used it to feed a Mr. Heater in my cabin, and the temps dropped down to -15 degrees F outside. The heater kept working fine, with the pipe going out a window into the regulator and tank outside, near the snow.
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deercula
Member
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2018 01:16pm
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Justin, this happens on larger BTU units. A 30,000 BTU direct vent draws a lot more than a Mr. Heater, more than a 20 can provide.
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2018 10:22am
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Point of interest maybe...
I just filled 2, 20# tanks, cost me .77 cent a litre.
Just had my big bob at the cabin filled (370L tank) for 0.64 cents a litre. Current "Lock-in" price till spring is 0.68c a litre. Tank Rental for the big guy is $105 per year, they delivered it and are responsible for it.
Because I have 2 On-Demand & Cookstove hooked up, it had to be done by an installer & certified before the propane company would fill up. Such is the regulations here but well worth it.
SAFETY NOTE: Unless a propane tank is designed to go on it's side, they should not be transported on their sides. The mechanisms are NOT the same internally.
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Borrego
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2018 12:13pm
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Quoting: deercula They claim that over time galvinize flakes off inside the pipe, and plugs the orifice.
possible I suppose....but new code calls for a sediment trap installed just prior to the appliance anyway.....
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deercula
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2018 01:21pm
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Quoting: Borrego code calls for a sediment trap installed just prior to the appliance anyway.....
Correct. My installation instructions call this a "drip leg". I thought it was for moisture, or liquid, but I suppose debris would fall out as well.
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KinAlberta
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# Posted: 10 Nov 2018 10:05pm - Edited by: KinAlberta
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We had a 100lb tank but because we didn’t have a pickup truck to haul it upright, we ended up not getting it refilled before it expired. (The last 100lb fill had lasted a number of years.) The delivery guys apparently won’t deliver propane just to fill a 100lb tank.
So last year I stopped at an equipment rental business and asked them about large used tanks and found out that I could probably get a used 500 gal tank for nearly 75% less than the new price. ($600 vs $2200)
My thinking was that I could get a used one cheap and since we’d barely use it, we’d fill it and then that first fill would last for many, many years, long past the tank’s expiry. Maybe not a smart thing but if it’s not going to be used much at all then I could save a lot of money upfront on a tank. (On the other hand if I bought something new, bigger but not huge, that new tank might still face a need to recertify when the first fill finally runs out. )
There’s still lots I don’t know or understand:
Issues?
Old tanks? Old propane? Large tank to small wall heater issues? How to recertify a 500 gal tank? How long does certification last? Permits or anything on large tanks vs small? Propane theft and tank theft...
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darz5150
Member
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# Posted: 10 Nov 2018 10:43pm - Edited by: darz5150
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@ KinAlberta. Does your propane delivery company rent or lease tanks? Our company will set up a tank and rent/lease it from them. As long as you sign a contract for them to fill it up.
Sounds like you could get by with a 100 gallon tank. If you end up buying a new one. I doubt it would need to be recertified any time soon.
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KinAlberta
Member
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2018 08:38pm
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Unless/until we do something plumbing wise, we may not need much propane. (Though, I don’t want to use the smoke leaking old stoves we have. I enjoy clean country air.)
On renting. I’m not keen to replicate our electricity situation where we literally use only a couple dollars of electricity a year but pay about $400/yr for the privilege. So renting a tank would hand a lot of money to the rental company for very few fills.
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slatecreek
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2018 08:44pm
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The certification or expiring date on tanks must be a Canadian thing. I have three 500 gallon tanks on my home dated from 1958 to 1985 and never had an issue on fills. I switch suppliers every few years based on best price and never had a problem. I inquired about this with my driver and he showed me the data plate on each one and explained the older ones are thicker and as long as they stay painted and nice (not all rusty) they will fill them. He was right, the steel thickness is stamped on thr data plate.
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deercula
Member
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2018 08:54pm
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Quoting: slatecreek painted and nice (not all rusty) they will fill them
I was told that propane tanks rust from the inside out due to moisture in the gas. Not sure if this is true, or Tractor Supply guys are just trying to sell new tanks.
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neckless
Member
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2018 08:56pm
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in .ca its mandatory to change the valve every ten years and can not have a gouge more than .035 of and inch deep. they do re stamp it with the valve info when changed
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 11 Nov 2018 09:19pm
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There are 2 valves on a portable propane tank. The valve that has to be replaced, in Canada, every 10 years when the tank is re-certified, is the pressure relief valve, not the OPD valve. I got caught with an old, out of date 20 pounder, a couple years agoon a trip to western Canada, from the US.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2018 11:28am - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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It's snowing and cold here. Getting down to 23F at night. Running a 40,000 BTU propane heat stove turned to med. With a thermostat set to go on at 58F and shut off at 62F.
Ran the heat stove, the oven for 1 1/2 hours at 325F and four propane lights last night on a 30 pounder. No freeze up on the regulator.
However at the end of the night the carbon monoxide alarm went off. The oven had been off for a few minutes. We shut off the propane lights and used our headlamps. Put the alarm outside for one hour. Brought it back inside. By than all was clear.
So note to self. Cannot have four unvented propane lights( Falks) and a oven going at the same time.
Also, we did not feel any side effects of the carbon monoxide. It was probably low but one can understand how dangerous not having a alarm can be.
I'm not recommending throwing the alarm outside. But we knew why it went off and were not going to bed anytime soon.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2018 04:23pm
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You should go see my friends at Burnt Island and get some smoked fish , best around . No need to cook with propane and make more carbon monoxide .
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paulz
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2018 10:20am
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Just went through my first 20 pounder with the new wall heater. Didn't take long, maybe 3-4 days/nights, but admittedly I ran it a lot, partly because I was testing and partly because I wasn't burning wood due to the bad air from the recent Paradise Ca. fire. Went from 37F outside to 68F inside a few times.
Just had two tanks filled, 9.4 gallons, $34. Cheaper than exchange tanks I think.
I was given two 30 pound tanks just past expiration, in perfect condition. $15 each to re certify. Not sure it's worth it.
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cspot
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2018 05:58pm - Edited by: cspot
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Paulz,
I would think that the $15 would probably be worth it to re-certify. You would get about 50% longer use out of a tank. Only reason I wouldn't is if you were wanting to get larger tanks. If you check out new tank prices they are pretty expensive.
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Wilbour
Member
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2018 09:56pm
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Quoting: paulz Not sure it's worth it
Yup. Worth it!
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darz5150
Member
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2018 10:18pm
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Here's a chart that might be helpful.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2018 07:28pm - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Hi Just. I love the fish from the Purvis’s.
We just buy fish from the Dock for $5 each in the summer. Lake trout or whitefish.
Learned how to filet them this summer.
So. It got down to 17F with a north wind for days and the regulator did not freeze. But the cost of propane is outrageous even though we are well insulated. It also snowed one foot on top of about six inches but we got out of our bush road with no mishaps.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2018 09:42pm
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Gramma Purvis is a friend of my wife . we had a good visit this summer.
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2018 09:51pm
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My Hubands Dad lived on Burnt Island and worked on the Purvis boat in the 1930’s.
He caught a 40 pound lake trout by net.
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jsn
Member
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# Posted: 21 Nov 2018 05:03pm
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Quoting: Borrego Galvanized pipe around here,
I have been told to use black pipe with gas.
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Dragonflame
Member
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# Posted: 22 Nov 2018 10:25pm
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Propane tanks work perfectly fine as air tanks. No issues structurally. The Amish around here use 500 gallon tanks for air. Their wells, washing machines,fans,and many tools are air powered. Many have a windmill running a compressor to maintain incidental uses but nearly all have a small Diesel engine (normally a lister) running a jackshaft. Off of the jackshaft they run their milk chillers until the truck picks it up and when the chiller unloads after a cycle the air pump engages getting use from the engine while not under load.
I personally if wanting to save money would use a propane tank but would find a good used 125 gallon vertical pig and set it outside the shop. These can be found cheap although maybe not at this time of year. Mount the pump/motor on a plate and set it on a stand or heavy shelf to save floor space. I do question if any money would be saved by three new 100 lbs tanks and the stand/fittings let alone the floor space.
The mercaptan smell is mostly solved buy removing the valve and running water and soap through the tank for a day or two. Won't eliminate it but will greatly reduce it. After some time the smell will dissipate entirely.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2018 05:35pm
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More propane tank hodge podge. Earlier this week I scored this 40 pounder, dated 7/17, for $25. Earlier than that, a friend had told me he gets his propane at the cheapo Beacon gas station down by Home Depot, and they never check the dates.
I had to get some 2x4s, so I took 3 tanks with me. The pump jockey filled the empty 20 pounder, 4.5 on the meter. Hooked up the 40 pounder, without resetting the meter. Stopped at 10 gallons, so only 5.5 went in. Then he hooked up one of the expired, empty 30 pounders I had brought, nothing would go in. He unhooked it and banged it on the ground 2 or 3 times, still nothing. So I paid for the 10 gallons, $35, and headed off to Home Depot.
Got home and weighed the 40 pounder. I had weight it empty, 30 pounds like it's stamped. Now it weighs 50, so it does only have about 5 gallons in it.
I'm just wondering if the pump stops at 10 gallons and has to be reset? Anyone come across this?
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2018 08:02pm
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If the pump guy did not check dates he is probably a doofus and has not got a clue as to how the equipment works. I sometimes buy propane at a place in a small town in the middle of nowhere, UT where his brother works.
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darz5150
Member
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2018 08:16pm
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Quoting: ICC he is probably a doofus and has not got a clue as to how the equipment works
Quoting: paulz He unhooked it and banged it on the ground 2 or 3 times, still nothing.
At least he wasn't smoking a cigarette!!! LOL 😲🚬 💥🔥
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paulz
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2018 09:05pm
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He no hablod ingles but he looked like he'd done it before. I called my friend, the one who told me about the place, he's bought more that 10 gallons at a time so it's not that. He asked me if the guy opened the valve with a screwdriver to let the gas out? Well he didn't do that, was he supposed to? I don't remember the other place doing that.
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