Theoretical: out of propane in middle

Hi all, here's a theoretical question, but something that will likely happen to me at some point. When boiling on the turkey fryer, what happens if I misjudge the amount of propane and run out in the middle of the boil? Will it hurt the batch if I just run to get a new tank, and finish the boil with the new tank? It'd probably be 20 minutes there and back from the store.

Nope, we've all had to do it at one time or another. Just pick up where you left off.

Would you stop the boil timer, I'm assuming, while going to get the new tank? I've often wondered this.

Yes, I would stop the timer. It will throw off your IBUs a bit, but, as far as I'm concerned, the hoppier the better!

I stop the timer.

Could have a back-up tank just in case.:rockin:

I go swipe the tank off the grill and finish up!

I have two tanks for this reason. That way I can drain a tank completely, swap quickly and continue. Then I have at least two brew sessions before I need to exchange one.

keep a neighbor with a gas grill on speed dial.

Some extra time for the bittering hops isn't a problem. This is only bad if you have added the flavor or aroma hops before the tank runs dry. The flavor and aroma hops don't add much bitterness, so if they aren't boiled, no big deal. But leaving the flavor hops in for an extra 20 minutes will drive off too much of the volatile oils. The one time I ran out after adding the flavor hops, I decided to cover the kettle and let it sit until it was time for the aroma add. Made that add and waited 5 minutes, then cooled. Worked out fine.

Bought a second tank.

I guess its relative to what kind of burners you have, but on average, how many batches can you do on a tank of propane....like on a turkey frier setup.

DJG42 said:

keep a neighbor with a gas grill on speed dial.

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This is what good neighbors can do for you.

If doubt is there, I'd just go top it off before I got started. A lot less stressful.

Thanks all. I was hoping the consensus would be that it wouldn't be too big of a problem. To answer the one question about keeping a spare tank; space in my garage is at a premium, and if I can get by without having to store an additional tank, then I'd prefer to do that.

If I had a neighbor who wasn't an ass, then I might impose upon him for his propane tank. As it is, he probably wouldn't be too agreeable since I toss his dog leavings from my front yard to his front porch.

Dunkelman said:

Thanks all. I was hoping the consensus would be that it wouldn't be too big of a problem. To answer the one question about keeping a spare tank; space in my garage is at a premium, and if I can get by without having to store an additional tank, then I'd prefer to do that.

If I had a neighbor who wasn't an ass, then I might impose upon him for his propane tank. As it is, he probably wouldn't be too agreeable since I toss his dog leavings from my front yard to his front porch.

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your storing propane in your garage? Glad I'm not your neighbor, and you will really show him when you blow up your house and his

JeepDiver said:

your storing propane in your garage? Glad I'm not your neighbor, and you will really show him when you blow up your house and his

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How exactly would storing a propane tank blow up your garage? Do you leave leaky propane tanks in your garage?

I'm halfway through building (have to let jb weld cure) one of these:

http://www.3d0g.net/brewing/heatstick

I'm so sick of changing out propane tanks as often, and because I do 5 gallon batches, I'm hoping that one of these will maintain a boil with no gas, but either way, I should save some propane.

postal_penguin said:

How exactly would storing a propane tank blow up your garage? Do you leave leaky propane tanks in your garage?

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Unfortunately, you often don't know there's a leak until it's too late. You can't always rely on the smell that they add to propane to alert you that there's a leak. Since propane is heavier than air and your garage is an enclosed area, there's a chance that if a leak develops the gas will build and find an ignition source - not the least of which would be your car's engine. Since most people's garages are near or connected to their house, you could endanger your whole family. Sure, it's a relatively low probability scenario, but why take the chance?

I hadn't thought of the danger of storing the tank in the garage. I figured since it wasn't "inside" the house, that the danger was mitigated. The car as an ignition point scenario makes me wonder tho. I think i'll move the tank to the shed.

postal_penguin said:

How exactly would storing a propane tank blow up your garage? Do you leave leaky propane tanks in your garage?

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A coworker of mine, has a propane tank in his garage, the fire did not start from the propane tank but from his working on his motorcycle (gas leak). The fire was relativity small and would have not been a "huge" issue, until the propane tank went. When it was over he had to have a new garage built on his 2 year old house, buy a new 6 month old custom chopper, etc.

Most airplane crashes don't occur from 1 error, they come from a combination of several.

Storing propane in your garage may not start a fire but it definitely will make a bad situation worse.

I now have an extra tank, but before I got it I would just move the kettle into the kitchen and finish on the stove. Obviously your stove must be able to bring your batch to a boil, but if not you could at least keep the temperature up... and that's for 5 gallon batches, when I do 10 gallon there is no way around getting another tank.

get another tank and stop the timer while it is not boiling