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#1
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On Thursday, January 10, 2002 at 3:10:59 PM UTC-5, Keith Adams wrote:
We're building a house with a direct vent gas fireplace. We live in a mild climate and use the fireplace only occasionally - maybe six times a year - just for show, not for heat. Our builder is suggesting we install a propane unit and fuel it with a 20 lb. BBQ-style cylinder - the kind you can exchange at the supermarket or hardware store. Fireplace dealers differ on whether that's a good idea. One said that he does it all the time for demo units and it works fine. He says each cylinder lasts about 18 hours in a 20,000 BTU fireplace. But a couple of other dealers have said the 20 lb. tank is too small and won't provide adequate pressure to fuel the fireplace. They recommend a minimum of 100 gallon tank (426 lbs.). Has anybody tried this? Thanks. Yes, I just did and the 20# BBQ tank works fine. I don't yet know how long the tank will last. |
#2
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
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#4
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
"Frank" "frank wrote in message news I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. LPG tanks are filled to 80% of capacity. |
#5
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
"dadiOH" wrote in message news "Frank" "frank wrote in message news I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. LPG tanks are filled to 80% of capacity. Well I am kind confused the Propane is not actually Propane it is mixture of Butane and Propane depend what part of country your in however is been long time sense I dealt with, so I can only say that you seems to be very close. Tanks I dealt with at time was 12.5 lb. 5 Gl. jug, now is ???? |
#6
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 11:11:36 -0700, "Tony944"
wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in message news "Frank" "frank wrote in message news I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. LPG tanks are filled to 80% of capacity. Well I am kind confused the Propane is not actually Propane it is mixture of Butane and Propane depend what part of country your in however is been long time sense I dealt with, so I can only say that you seems to be very close. Tanks I dealt with at time was 12.5 lb. 5 Gl. jug, now is ???? Common BBQ tanks can hold 20 pounds, but are usually only filled to 15 or 16 pounds depending on the supplier. I have read that it is safer that way and is required by regulations. I don't fully understand the safety issue, but it has been that way for many years. |
#7
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On 4/14/2017 2:11 PM, Tony944 wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in message news "Frank" "frank wrote in message news I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. LPG tanks are filled to 80% of capacity. Well I am kind confused the Propane is not actually Propane it is mixture of Butane and Propane depend what part of country your in however is been long time sense I dealt with, so I can only say that you seems to be very close. Tanks I dealt with at time was 12.5 lb. 5 Gl. jug, now is ???? There are different specs for the blends in different areas but they are not pure propane. If tank capacity is only 5 gal, it would not be safe to fill to the brim but 80% appears far short. When I had tanks refilled I paid for weight of gas put in tank and it was cheaper than prefilled. I buy prefilled for convenience as a tank lasts all year for the grill and I keep a spare and they get corroded looking on the deck even under grill cover. |
#8
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On 04/14/2017 01:26 PM, Pat wrote:
[snip] Common BBQ tanks can hold 20 pounds, but are usually only filled to 15 or 16 pounds depending on the supplier. I have read that it is safer that way and is required by regulations. I don't fully understand the safety issue, but it has been that way for many years. I have had 20 pound tanks filled by 2 different suppliers. They were always filled to 19 or 20 pounds. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "Is it okay to yell 'MOVIE' in a crowded firehouse?" |
#9
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On 4/14/2017 3:40 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 04/14/2017 01:26 PM, Pat wrote: [snip] Common BBQ tanks can hold 20 pounds, but are usually only filled to 15 or 16 pounds depending on the supplier. I have read that it is safer that way and is required by regulations. I don't fully understand the safety issue, but it has been that way for many years. I have had 20 pound tanks filled by 2 different suppliers. They were always filled to 19 or 20 pounds. How long ago? Newer tanks with an OPD will not work very well filled that much. |
#10
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 12:47:13 -0400, Frank "frank wrote:
On 4/14/2017 12:24 PM, wrote: On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 08:31:48 -0700 (PDT), wrote: On Thursday, January 10, 2002 at 3:10:59 PM UTC-5, Keith Adams wrote: We're building a house with a direct vent gas fireplace. We live in a mild climate and use the fireplace only occasionally - maybe six times a year - just for show, not for heat. Our builder is suggesting we install a propane unit and fuel it with a 20 lb. BBQ-style cylinder - the kind you can exchange at the supermarket or hardware store. Fireplace dealers differ on whether that's a good idea. One said that he does it all the time for demo units and it works fine. He says each cylinder lasts about 18 hours in a 20,000 BTU fireplace. But a couple of other dealers have said the 20 lb. tank is too small and won't provide adequate pressure to fuel the fireplace. They recommend a minimum of 100 gallon tank (426 lbs.). Has anybody tried this? Thanks. Yes, I just did and the 20# BBQ tank works fine. I don't yet know how long the tank will last. I'd go for a 30 lb or perhaps 2 20 or 30 lb tanks on a manifold to reduce the probability of the tank freezing up and to provide adequate flow (twin tanks). That's how I run mt 7500 watt generator. I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. Tanks are to be refilled BY WEIGHT. They are also to be filled to only 80 % of their total capacity. The weight you are referring to stamped on the tank is the "tare weight" Tatre weight is the EMPTY weight of the tank. It varied between different tanks from about 13 to 17 lbs. If the tare weight stamped on the tank is 15 lbs, a propane seller is supposed to fill a '20 LB" tant to a total weight of 35 lbs. At that weight you get 5 Yankee gallons, or 4 big "full sized" gallons. It would be good if people knew what they were talking about before coming to the conclusion they are being routinely cheated. |
#11
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:24:41 -0400, "dadiOH" wrote:
"Frank" "frank wrote in message news I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. LPG tanks are filled to 80% of capacity. And 80% of capacity on a "20 lb" tank is 20 lbs of propane - roughly 5 Yankee gallons. |
#12
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 14:26:43 -0400, Pat wrote:
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 11:11:36 -0700, "Tony944" wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in message news "Frank" "frank wrote in message news I just looked at one of my barbecue tanks and it says 15.0 lbs. Propane weighs about 4 lb/gal so obviously my tank is short over a gallon. Some places refill by the gallon but prefilled run short. Never got a reply on this deception from state AG but rules may be different in different states. Bet most consumers think they are getting 5 gal of propane in the filled 5 gal tanks. LPG tanks are filled to 80% of capacity. Well I am kind confused the Propane is not actually Propane it is mixture of Butane and Propane depend what part of country your in however is been long time sense I dealt with, so I can only say that you seems to be very close. Tanks I dealt with at time was 12.5 lb. 5 Gl. jug, now is ???? Common BBQ tanks can hold 20 pounds, but are usually only filled to 15 or 16 pounds depending on the supplier. I have read that it is safer that way and is required by regulations. I don't fully understand the safety issue, but it has been that way for many years. The total water capacity of a 20 lb propane tank is about 6.25 american gallons. Propane regulations stipulate the tank can only be filled to 80% of total WC - which comes out to very close to 5 gallons of "liquified petroleum gas" which weighs 20 lbs. The "tare weight" of the tank has to be stamped on the tank by law so the tank can be accurately filled by weight. I used to have my propane licence and all this stuff was taught and required knowledge to get the licence, so this is not my "opinion". Also not what "i have read". It IS the law. |
#13
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On Fri, 14 Apr 2017 17:49:21 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 4/14/2017 3:40 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 04/14/2017 01:26 PM, Pat wrote: [snip] Common BBQ tanks can hold 20 pounds, but are usually only filled to 15 or 16 pounds depending on the supplier. I have read that it is safer that way and is required by regulations. I don't fully understand the safety issue, but it has been that way for many years. I have had 20 pound tanks filled by 2 different suppliers. They were always filled to 19 or 20 pounds. How long ago? Newer tanks with an OPD will not work very well filled that much. Yes, Ed, they will The tanks are DESIGNED to be filled with 20 lbs of Liquified Petroleum Gas. Since Propane wighs 4.25 lb/gallon and Butane wieghs 4.81, 20 lbs of Butane is 4.15 gallons, or 4.7 gallons of pure propane,and an 80% WC fill of Butane in a "20 lb" bottle is 24 lbs. and 21 lbs of pure propane.A 20 lb fill is well within the design parameters and I've never had a problem with one EXCEPT if the flow is exceded - which is another good reason to manifold 2 tanks. |
#14
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On 04/14/2017 04:49 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
[snip] I have had 20 pound tanks filled by 2 different suppliers. They were always filled to 19 or 20 pounds. How long ago? Newer tanks with an OPD will not work very well filled that much. The last time was after the May 2015 tornado (used propane for generator). One of the tanks (the one that held 20 pounds) was a new one I had just bought a few years ago. The other was a tank from Blue Rhino. All definitely had OPD. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "...to argue with a man who has renounced his reason is like giving medicine to the dead." -- Ingersoll's Works, Vol. 1, p.127 |
#15
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
On 04/14/2017 06:51 PM, wrote:
[snip] Tanks are to be refilled BY WEIGHT. They are also to be filled to only 80 % of their total capacity. The weight you are referring to stamped on the tank is the "tare weight" Tatre weight is the EMPTY weight of the tank. It varied between different tanks from about 13 to 17 lbs. If the tare weight stamped on the tank is 15 lbs, a propane seller is supposed to fill a '20 LB" tant to a total weight of 35 lbs. At that weight you get 5 Yankee gallons, or 4 big "full sized" gallons. It would be good if people knew what they were talking about before coming to the conclusion they are being routinely cheated. The tare weight on my tanks is 16.6 pounds. The filled ones (I checked after than 2015 refill) weighed 35.6 and 36.6 pounds. BTW, I actually weighed them rather than relying on what it was supposed to be. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "...to argue with a man who has renounced his reason is like giving medicine to the dead." -- Ingersoll's Works, Vol. 1, p.127 |
#16
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 04/14/2017 06:51 PM, wrote: [snip] Tanks are to be refilled BY WEIGHT. They are also to be filled to only 80 % of their total capacity. The weight you are referring to stamped on the tank is the "tare weight" Tatre weight is the EMPTY weight of the tank. It varied between different tanks from about 13 to 17 lbs. If the tare weight stamped on the tank is 15 lbs, a propane seller is supposed to fill a '20 LB" tant to a total weight of 35 lbs. At that weight you get 5 Yankee gallons, or 4 big "full sized" gallons. It would be good if people knew what they were talking about before coming to the conclusion they are being routinely cheated. The tare weight on my tanks is 16.6 pounds. The filled ones (I checked after than 2015 refill) weighed 35.6 and 36.6 pounds. BTW, I actually weighed them rather than relying on what it was supposed to be. The place that I take mine to be filled uses a scale , checks tare and resets for each cylinder . -- Snag --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com |
#17
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
Hi,
I'm planning on hooking up a propane firepit and have my 20 pound tank about 15 feet away. Will the fire pit work with a hose this long? |
#18
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BBQ propane for fireplace?
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