Propane is a wonderful little thing that allows its use to be that of: refrigeration, cooking, showering, lights and almost every other form of energy using thing one can come up with.
Propane is like Natural Gas and needs several special considerations when using.
Most notably that the hookup be done by someone with very good understanding of how gas works. Propane is heavier than air and sinks and pools on the ground. It does not dissipate without air movement of some kind and is VERY flammable. SO when using propane there are several aspect to remember:
Propane comes with an odorant to detect it via smell. Just like Natural Gas, propane is actually odorless.
There is however one very REAL problem that I discovered by a very expensive accident:
The odorant is oil. The oil is heavier than propane and is expelled via the process of compression. (Meaning it comes out with the gas despite its weight.) Thus the smell of gas.
BUT most of the oil remains in the canister and can (if a reusable cylinder) build up.
This means that propane you purchase at the local hardware store or Wally Mart can have a tremendous amount of oil in the bottom.
I discovered this when I had purchased about 4 week prior to this post a portable heater made by Mr. Heater. I hooked up a propane cylinder (20 lbs) and fired it up. For the remainder of the week I kept hearing a noise that sounded like a whistle. It turned out to be the odorant in the cylinder being pushed through the heater. Suddenly I had a lot of oil on the floor and spots appearing on the heating element.
Further inspection discovered ALOT of oil in the lines, and following the instruction (except for one very important part that I will talk about in a moment) I started to disassemble the heater. During this time, oil got onto the plastic side housing and in a matter of minutes, the plastic started to crack and literally peel away. Leaving a HUGE hole on the base of the heater and a huge problem with safety.
So I had to go get another very cheap space heater to at least keep us somewhat warm, but am going to have to clean out every aspect of the heater itself.
The one part of the instructions I did NOT follow is what lead to this problem. The company states in the instructions:
This Heater may be used in a recreational enclosure or temporary construction work enclosure with a remote refillable propane cylinder ONLY when the cylinder is located outdoors and the Heater is used with Mr. Heater Hose No. F273701, F273702 or F272702 and fuel filter F273699. Fuel filter must be replaced annually. (NOTE: Do not operate without the fuel filter as fuel contamination may damage the heater.) Or use green F273704 Buddy series hose. Fuel filter not required.
The filter can be had for about $7.00 at the local hardware stores. This is turning into a $100.00 mistake. But here is the interesting part: I did not know about this and was never taught this anywhere. It never occurred to me that the propane cylinders you exchange can contain oil or that it can build up.
The second aspect here is this: Understanding Propane cylinders:
Propane cylinders come in a variety of sizes and uses: The most well know are the 1 lbs. canisters used for camp cook stoves, the 20 lbs tank used on BBQ grills and the large 1000-3000 galllon tanks you see next to homes.
Propane tanks have several aspects that are VERY important to understand, and if you’re unfamiliar with them they can cost you a bundle.
One primary aspect is that the larger tanks are LEFT hand threaded. Or Reversed Threaded.
Any nut you see with a series of single notches on the wall are left hand thread:
Notice the LH nut (left side) has notches on the outer ring.
Keep in mind that older tanks have a different vale and in 1998 Federal Regulations mandated a change in that fitting. The end result is that older tanks with the older valve can no longer be legally sold or traded. Watch it on the eBay specials, or Flea market deals: Buyer beware.
Do you have a propane tank that was made before September 30, 1998? Well you might be in for a bit of a surprise the next time you go to fill it. As of April 1st, 2002 all new cylinders must be equipped with an Overfill Prevention Device (OPD). Also you can't get you old tank filled if it doesn't have this new valve. Don't worry, though, there are about 40 million obsolete cylinders out there now.
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