Propane tanks freezing up

[Dozer]

I know there are alot of threads on this subject so I figured why not one more?!

Happend to me for the first time last night, -17f 15,000Btu furnace cranked to the max. Cant run the oven and the furnace at the same time, after awile I cant run either. Go out and switch tanks (Im ony using 20lb tanks) and now at least I can run the heat. Whats the soulution to this? I have a 20,000btu heater ready to install but that is only going to make the propane supply problem worse. I dont think its a regulator problem, more of a cold tank problem. Will a 100lb tank do the trick? 40lb tanks? Pull off both 20lbers at the same time? Would covering or enclosing the tanks help? What do you guys do to solve this problem?

[Gordie]

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Will a 100lb tank do the trick?

YES

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What do you guys do to solve this problem?

Quote:

whats the solution to this?

Warmer weather and read some of the posts in the other thread.

Propane can not vaporize fast enough in this cold weather.

[Monkster]

We were out yesterday on Forest lake, in a Clam Command Post. The Hunting Buddy Heater stopped working at 5pm, just as the temps really started to drop. Switching tanks (1 pounders) no help, figured it was just too cold for LP. Oh well, now we know where the cut off is...-10!!!

[BobT]

We were out yesterday on Forest lake, in a Clam Command Post. The Hunting Buddy Heater stopped working at 5pm, just as the temps really started to drop. Switching tanks (1 pounders) no help, figured it was just too cold for LP. Oh well, now we know where the cut off is...-10!!!

That is going to depend on the supply. LP will continue to boil above -40 F. but in a small quantity such as a 1 lb. tank that is not completely full it can't evaporate fast enough to keep up to the demand placed on it by the heater.

[randerson]

Best thing to do is get larger tanks

PSYour big buddy heater has a low oxygen shut off so that is more than likely what happened keep a lighter in your pocket when the heater goes off try lighting if you get a large gap between lighter and flame you need more oxygen.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I use 30# tanks to help with this problem. It seems like the 20's would only work for about a day when the temps got down to about -15 to -20 as the propane level would get too low.

With each 30# I can get at least 2 days of super cold weather before it becomes an issue. I woke up to -40 on Red Lake yesterday and could tell the propane wasn't flowing quite as good. Switched to my full tank and it was just fine.

[harvey lee]

I switched to 100# tanks, those 20's just cannot do it.

Last time I was out, I started with a 20#er. Went to make a pizza and not enough juice to run the furnace and the oven. Went outside and hooked up the 100#er and then I had heat and the oven worked. That was with a full 100#er, as the tank gets closer to empty, some issues could arise when the temps drop big time. Then, I would be down to just the furnace.

I have an elec heater that I also bring along on the very cold nights if I am out and I then start the generator and plug the elec heater in to make sure I will have good heat all night long. Just an little extra safety precaution.

When it is this cold, I should be smart enough to just stay home till it warms a little bit.

Not going out again till Thur.

[Savage Brewer]

also has to do with surface area for boil off to happen, dual 20's running in parallel has more surface area than a single 30 or 40.

I saw a good article on this somewhere, might have been in a RV forum, if I come across it I will link it for ya.

[Mike Stark]

I am running two 20lb tanks with an auto switch over regulator. I had issues a couple weeks ago. Since then I have wrapped the regulator with a rag leaving the vent exposed and have covered the tanks with snow. I haven't had an issue since.

[Dozer]

also has to do with surface area for boil off to happen, dual 20's running in parallel has more surface area than a single 30 or 40.

I saw a good article on this somewhere, might have been in a RV forum, if I come across it I will link it for ya.

Thats what Im thinking. I have 4 20lb tanks, Im going to hook it up so it pulls of both 20lb tanks on the house and leave the other pair in the back of the pickup all the time as backup

[JakeJ_Mn]

I have #40 tanks on my 8x20' wheelhouse. Intially, the house came with #20s mounted on the side of the V. I didn't like all the road debris getting all over the tanks.

I cut off the side mount and built one so my tanks sit in front of the V on the tongue.

My #40s will last about 5 days or so in this cold, but up to 7 or 8 days when it's above zero.

I built an insulated box around my tanks which helps alot. I have a Empire DV 215 wall heater near the front, a 3 burner stove/oven combo and I recently added a 20,000 BTU Suburban furnace in the back of the house. I can run all of these at the same time with the #40 tank. I normally run the wall heater 24/7 and use the furnace occasionally to blow across the floor.

[efgh]

If your 1lb. tank are freezing up, just duck tape a chemical hand warmer to the side of the tank, those will last for about 8 hrs. or so and heat up the L.P. in the tank.

[Mike Stark]

It was -28 this morning in Ely. My heat ran fine all night on one 20lb tank. I'm a believer of wrapping the regulator.

[Dozer]

I got a 100lb cylinder and a new regulator this morning and I also switched out the 15,000btu heater for a 20,000btu. Furnace seems to work pretty good but it was +15f when I tried it. But if I try to run the furnace and the stove at the same time I still have issues. If I have the furnace and the oven on at the same time the oven cycles 10 seconds on 10 seconds off. If I just light the stove with the furnace on, no oven it burns with a very weak flame.

Im running 3/8OD (1/4ID) copper through out, maybe 10' of line to a tee at the furnace and 5' after the furnace to the stove/oven. Is that too small causing a pressure lose?

Im running a single stage regulator rated for 175,000btu, should I switch that out for a 2 stage?

Riht now I seems like the line size must be the issue which poses a problem since that line is routed under my shower in the vee of the house.

[JakeJ_Mn]

My house has 3/8s ID propane hose I had made at a propane dealer. Check with a propane dealer - they should be able to tell you the size you need. The more items you have and the length of the runs all affect the propane use.

[Dozer]

Still having issues, even with a 100lb tank. Last night I left the furnace on just as an experiment. It was -18 outside and 47 inside the house this morning at 7am. Looking in the heater the flames are only about 1/8" tall and there is not much heat coming off the top of the heater. Bypassed all the propane lines in the house and ran a 3/8id hose directly from the heater out the window to the 100lb tank, nothing changed. Hooked the hose up to a 20lb tank that was warm in the shop, burns like crazy with flames about 1/2" tall. Went from 47f to 80f in about 30 min. By this time it is 9am and the sun is hitting the 100lb tank. Hooked up all the original lines to the original tank and everything works great. I wraped the tank in a blanket and a tarp hoping to keep them warm tonite, just went and checked on it and it is back down to 50f! Seems like everything works when the sun is shining but as soon as the sun goes down I cant get enough propane. Im at a loss for what else to try other than bringing the tank in the house!

[gunner55]

Is it the tank or the regulator?It seems you kind of answered this when you switched to a warm tank & it worked perfectly.I seen a post on another thread(frozen regulator?) earlier this winter that somebody said he was using a magnetic block heater on a 30# tank & hadn't had any issues down to -30.Seemed like a cheap & easy fix to me.

[harvey lee]

Dozer, I would not keep a tank in the house and use it at the same time. Maybe to warm it up so one can use it but if there was a very small leak, there could be huge issues.

The idea of a block heater on the tank outside could solve all of those issues or a hand warmer activated and taped to the tank to get a tad of heat in the tank. Should be enough vapor or pressure then.

[Wes Ellis]

I like the idea of heat tape. They don't use many watts. Rap the lines and regulator with heat tape, then rap it with insulation. you have to cover it so it done get wet. The trouble with the block heater is they take 1500 watts or more.

[hawkeye43]

Back a lot of years fish houses were built so that the LP tanks were enclosed just so this problem wouldn't happen and there was less of a chance they would be stolen. It was long before Yetter and the other makers ever were thought of. Maybe the older way was better.

[gunner55]

Wes,I didn't know they took that much electricity.

[harvey lee]

I like the idea of heat tape. They don't use many watts. Rap the lines and regulator with heat tape, then rap it with insulation. you have to cover it so it done get wet. The trouble with the block heater is they take 1500 watts or more.

I agree the block heater will take more juice to run but if one has a generator, no issue, unless you are close to overloading the output of the generator.

[harvey lee]

Back a lot of years fish houses were built so that the LP tanks were enclosed just so this problem wouldn't happen and there was less of a chance they would be stolen. It was long before Yetter and the other makers ever were thought of. Maybe the older way was better.

Back alot of years ago, one did not have to fear like they do today of someone trying to steal everything you own.

Not sure why so many today think it is ok to just take others property. get a job asnd buy your own good's.

[JSK76]

kat's heaters makes a small silicone stick on

heat pad that draws 2.1 amps or 27 watts. I just bought one for my oil tank on my 4 stroke snowmobile. It's small but it might just be enough to help the liquid evaporate. Plus I think it's probably safer then the bigger magnetic ones too. They do make them in bigger sizes too but the the amps are going to go up. If I had to guess on the size of mine it's 1 1/2" tall by 5" to 6" long. The cost was $21.00

[toomanytoys]

i run a 50# tank and last week i ran it completely empty in the negative temps with no issues . it is in enclosed box on front of house and i run a big house style regulator probably 6-7" in diameter. was told that those have near zero failure while the smaller ones common to fish houses are prone to failure because of size . ran 20000 btu forced air furnace for 6nights and 7 days plus 20 some pizzas in the oven and fish on the stove!