How to keep a propane tank from being too cold

Beansprout · December 03, 2012, 03:21:10 PM

I'm in an large uninsulated shed. My medium sized propane canister is starting to feel the chill- I can't work on my HH because the flame is just too cold and looks smaller.... I guess the pressure is dropping because of the cold.

I could try wrap it with a foam camp mat (which I lined with silver foil) oorr a towel or a blanket..

Has anyone else had a successful barrier against the cold on a propane canister?

Blue Box Studio · December 03, 2012, 03:30:34 PM

I'm a wimp! If it's cold enough for my caniser to not be happy, then I'm long out of there. I have a small oil filled radiator and that keeps my shedio toasty enough for the canister and the damp away for the oxycon. I suppose you could wrap it in an old hot water cylinder cover? Probably get one of those off Freecycle now everyone is going for a combi boiler and no water tank. I have been known to stand mine in a big bowl of hot water to squeeze out the last drop of propane to get me through the day but it is a terrible faff. My money is on a small radiator.

Beansprout · December 03, 2012, 04:33:44 PM

My shed is 12ft by 16ft, and through the years it's been notoriously hard to heat up! My dad used it as his workshop and he had one of those big red gas heaters, that didn't even do the trick. Plus I've got two rabbits in there, and a lot of hay- I feel worried enough about having an open flame in there let alone a heater >< I have a little blow heater but that's pretty useless!

oliver90owner · December 03, 2012, 04:41:58 PM

Sorry, but if the ambient temperature is low and the bottle is at that temperature there is no way that insulating will help. It only freezes the condensed water on the outside because it is so cold.

Excluding the condensing water will only allow the liquid gas to become even colder. It is a physical fact that the remaining gas will become cooler because the evapoating gas (inside the bottle) has to have a huge amount of latent heat to vapourise and it can only get it (initially) from the liquid within the bottle - even more so if no heat is able to enter from outside, by insulating it

The only way is to warm your gas bottle. I could suggest a large tank of water surrounding the bottle and heat that with a gas burner (gas from your bottle) or with some form of electical heating.

Water, for instance, uses 530 times as much energy to evaporate than heat that same amount of liquid by just one degree Celsius. Would have to look up the latent heat of vapourisation for propane as I don't keep so many physical constants in my head. I do know that water has to give up 80 times that
amount of heat to change liquid by one degree Celsius just to change into ice at zero degrees Celsius.

Changing phase for solids, liquids and gases is very energy greedy going from solid to liquid and/or liquid to gas. The other way round gives out the same amount of energy, of course.

Think here of a kettle of water. It takes only a few minutes to raise the temperature to 100 degrees. At that temperature it then takes far longer to evaporate the liquid completely, still all at 100 degrees, before the kettle gets any hotter (which it would then do - overheating very quickly).
RAB

Blue Box Studio · December 03, 2012, 04:59:03 PM

Quote from: Beansprout on December 03, 2012, 04:33:44 PM
My shed is 12ft by 16ft, and through the years it's been notoriously hard to heat up! My dad used it as his workshop and he had one of those big red gas heaters, that didn't even do the trick. Plus I've got two rabbits in there, and a lot of hay- I feel worried enough about having an open flame in there let alone a heater >< I have a little blow heater but that's pretty useless!

Can you partition off a bit for you with a stud wall, then keep that bit warm? My large shedio is 8 x 14 ft and I use 2 oil filled radiators in there to keep the chill off.

Beansprout · December 03, 2012, 07:27:07 PM

I could partition a bit off, I'll have a think about that.

I also have the option to moving into the garage... brick walls... I'd have to tidy a hell of a load of stuff up though!

flowerjasper · December 03, 2012, 08:54:50 PM

my central heating runs off 47kg propane bottles, these are kept outside and have been since the heating was installed 18 years ago. they are not covered or insulated in any way and run fine,
the propane I use in my studio (shed) is under the bench and again not insulated , even when the water has frozen ( i dog groom as well) the gas is fine.
maybe your gas is running out?
sandy

Karen · December 08, 2012, 09:58:56 PM

my cooker and central heating is running off 47kg propane bottles they are all outside open to the elements with no problems, my brother is the same even in deep snow they don't have problems, hope you sort out why your flame is getting smaller

Amber · December 12, 2012, 05:49:05 PM

I've never had any problems with mine and it's kept outside...I always thought that propane is only affected by real extremes of temperature, though

Helen G · December 12, 2012, 09:26:14 PM

Hmm, I've never had a problem either and mine is stored uninsulated outside and I've even been known to torch when it was -5

Beansprout · December 15, 2012, 11:27:30 AM

Thanks for replying all! Maybe it is just running low.. I did pick it up and it felt like it had a bit left in it, but I'm probably wrong.

If my bunnies can stand the cold shed, I'm bloomin sure the propane should!!

Beansprout · December 27, 2012, 06:56:45 PM

I got a new propane tank all full with lovely fresh propane and I am flaming away! It's fab!

floozysooz · April 18, 2013, 07:55:39 PM

Glad you got it sorted

My 19kg tank lives outside housed in an old shelf unit which has had all the shelves removed. This protects it on 3 sides, the top and also keeps it off the cold floor so I haven't had any problems with cold. I fitted a quick release valve thingy about a metre from the tank so it's really simple to disconnect when I've finished and hook up again when it's playtime

Works for m e