I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input

On 3/6/20 4:04 PM, c1gmlm wrote:
I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input

Why not put in a 500 gallon tank? Propane doesn't age and you
might get a better deal on the fuel in the off season.
I don't remember if anyone makes a 250 gallon tank or so.
Hooking up cylinders in parallel is ok but how long will a couple 20
pounders last?

In article ,
says...

I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input



Off hand I would say no. The propane has to boil off the liquid to make
gas. The 20 pound cylinders probably can not boill off enough for a
furnace that large, especially if it is already cold outside. Then too
as the cylinders start to boil the gas off they get cold and compound
the problem.

On 3/6/2020 5:04 PM, c1gmlm wrote:
I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input

Can? Yes, Should? Probably not
A 20 pound tank hods 430,000 BTU so you won't get a lot of run time.

In my last house we I had propane for cooking Two 100 pound tanks.
Never moved them, the propane company came and filled them. I don't
recall that we paid for them up front. That is a more sensible solution.

Talk to your propane company.

On Fri, 6 Mar 2020 14:04:52 -0800 (PST), c1gmlm
wrote:

I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input
Mabee a couple of 50lb tanks in parallel MIGHT work if it's not below
40 degrees out - otherwize you will want 2 100 lb tanks or you will
ice them up. 2 50s MIGHT handle a 50000btu furnace

On Fri, 6 Mar 2020 20:50:50 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 3/6/2020 5:04 PM, c1gmlm wrote:
I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input

Can? Yes, Should? Probably not
A 20 pound tank hods 430,000 BTU so you won't get a lot of run time.

In my last house we I had propane for cooking Two 100 pound tanks.
Never moved them, the propane company came and filled them. I don't
recall that we paid for them up front. That is a more sensible solution.

Talk to your propane company.

It cost me $1500 about 10 years ago. That was a buried 150/125 gal
tank and piping in a pool heater about 35 feet away. Permits etc. I
own the tank so I can shop propane prices. I should have got a bigger
tank.

That 20 pound will run the 85k furnace for 5 hours burn time. If there
is any insulation at all that should get you a long day. A 250/200
could last you all winter if you are only out there a few days a week.

On Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 1:04:24 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Fri, 6 Mar 2020 20:50:50 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 3/6/2020 5:04 PM, c1gmlm wrote:
I am putting our old home furnace in my pole barn. It is an 85,000 BTU set to use propane. Because it would be hard to transport bigger propane cylinders, would it be possible to hook up a couple of 20 lbs tanks? I would be heating the barn only on the days I am out there, not continuously.

Thanks for the input

Can? Yes, Should? Probably not
A 20 pound tank hods 430,000 BTU so you won't get a lot of run time.

In my last house we I had propane for cooking Two 100 pound tanks.
Never moved them, the propane company came and filled them. I don't
recall that we paid for them up front. That is a more sensible solution..

Talk to your propane company.

It cost me $1500 about 10 years ago. That was a buried 150/125 gal
tank and piping in a pool heater about 35 feet away. Permits etc. I
own the tank so I can shop propane prices. I should have got a bigger
tank.

That 20 pound will run the 85k furnace for 5 hours burn time. If there
is any insulation at all that should get you a long day. A 250/200
could last you all winter if you are only out there a few days a week.

How far from the existing house tank to the barn? If it's not too far,
how about just running a buried gas line? They use plastic today,
less expensive than iron, less labor, etc.