Custom Propane Tank Heater

[pruudiddy]

Kapton based flexible heaters mounted to a glass reinforced silicone substrate. 514 watts adjustable by the dimmer switch. It keeps the tank at room temp to promote constant heat temperature at the burner

 

[ColoHox]

Ohh, that's nice. It would come in pretty handy for me, 4 months out of the year.

Did you make it yourself?

 

[mrklueber]

Homemade or purchased? If homemade, please post parts and where they can be purchased. Thanks.

 

[dpidde]

The heater was made using 4 custom etched foil heaters that did not meet a customer's specifications, so they would not be available for purchase anywhere. These were bonded to an Arlon silicone flexible heater substrate using 3M 91022 silicone PSA.

However, McMaster-Carr has an extensive selection of flexible heaters. Looks like item number 35765K478 would be a good fit. I used plain grommets from Lowes and some rope to tighten it around the tank. A classic dimmer switch from anywhere will work to dial in how much heat you want. While at McMaster, one could get a sheet of neoprene to mount it to and wrap around the tank. Neoprene will be much easier to stick the heater to verses silicone. The key is to get as much contact as possible so the heat transfer is good, otherwise the heater will get very hot where it is not touching the tank.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#fabric-reinforced-neoprene-rubber/=m0ubm3

I'd say we were in the 300-400 watt range to keep the tank at room temp. Next time we brew we'll have more concrete data.

 

[dpidde]

I also need to add that something like this needs to be closely monitored as heating a propane tank can be dangerous if overheated. Making the propane boil will cause the cylinder to vent gas when it over-pressurizes. A 100 lb tank would eliminate the issue due to the much larger thermal mass and surface area for heat to replenish what is lost due to the propane evaporating.

 

[mrklueber]

Thanks for the info. Here in Ohio, we run into the same problem when brewing in the winter months.