Filling propane tanks

[DosGatosBrewing]

I have a 200-300 gallon propane tank buried in the ground that was installed by the previous owners for gas logs, etc. We hired someone to run a new line to the kitchen (works great), and a branch to my brewing patio (not so much). The pressure is something like 11" water column, and you get a flame, but not nearly enough pressure. There seems to be a regulator at the tank, and another at the house? IDK. I can't find anyone around here who knows enough about it to tell me how to boil 13-14 gallons of wort on my Bayou Classic banjo burner straight from the big tank.

 

[PCABrewing]

For what it is worth, this is what it looks like in California. No scales.
View attachment 762516

So are they just filling until the OPD float stops the flow?
You can hear the pump dead-head when it gets full. That makes weight a moot point.
Once the valve closes you aren't putting any more in there.
Key is the tank has to be sitting on flat ground.

 

[InspectorJon]

So are they just filling until the OPD float stops the flow?

I am not sure how they know when the small bottle is full. Liquid coming out the bleed valve or by how the pump is working? They do it the same way they fill large stationary tanks.

 

[InspectorJon]

We hired someone to run a new line to the kitchen (works great), and a branch to my brewing patio (not so much). The pressure is something like 11" water column, and you get a flame, but not nearly enough pressure.

This sounds like either a regulator issue or a fuel type issue. Propane burns at a different temperature than natural gas. If an appliance is set up for the other fuel (propane or natural gas) it will not burn properly. If the regulator is not matched to the appliance it will not work properly. You need a gas burning appliance technician. Maybe someone that works on RVs or someone that does outdoor kitchen construction. Really, any plumber should know unless propane is unusual in your area.

The bayou classic should have its own regulator. Perhaps there is some issue with the second regulator at the house not being compatible with the banjo burner regulator. Have you tried the banjo burner hooked directly up to a small propane bottle and it works?

 

[day_trippr]

Depending on the model BC burner one can usually find NG jetted orifices to switch from propane - which is the usual default jetting.
To be sure, the optimal orifice diameter is significantly different moving from propane to NG...

Cheers!

 

[DosGatosBrewing]

This sounds like either a regulator issue or a fuel type issue. Propane burns at a different temperature than natural gas. If an appliance is set up for the other fuel (propane or natural gas) it will not burn properly. If the regulator is not matched to the appliance it will not work properly. You need a gas burning appliance technician. Maybe someone that works on RVs or someone that does outdoor kitchen construction. Really, any plumber should know unless propane is unusual in your area.

The bayou classic should have its own regulator. Perhaps there is some issue with the second regulator at the house not being compatible with the banjo burner regulator. Have you tried the banjo burner hooked directly up to a small propane bottle and it works?

The burner works great on a small propane bottle. Always has. Just when we hooked it up to the home size propane tank, it didn't work.

Apologies; I should have stated that it always worked on propane. Natural gas was never in the picture here, sadly.

 

[InspectorJon]

I would be tempted to try and bypass the regulator that comes with the burner. There is already a regulator between the house and propane tank.

 

[camonick]

I have a 200-300 gallon propane tank buried in the ground that was installed by the previous owners for gas logs, etc. We hired someone to run a new line to the kitchen (works great), and a branch to my brewing patio (not so much). The pressure is something like 11" water column, and you get a flame, but not nearly enough pressure. There seems to be a regulator at the tank, and another at the house? IDK. I can't find anyone around here who knows enough about it to tell me how to boil 13-14 gallons of wort on my Bayou Classic banjo burner straight from the big tank.

The burner works great on a small propane bottle. Always has. Just when we hooked it up to the home size propane tank, it didn't work.

It won’t work when connected to the household plumbing. The regulator you have on the buried tank reduces the tank pressure (11-200 psi vapor pressure depending on ambient temperature) down to around 10 psi. That flows to the secondary regulator at the house that reduces it down again to 11” water column (WC) which is about 0.4 psi. All household propane appliances are designed to operate at 11” WC. The Bayou burners are designed to operate at 30 psi and that’s what their regulators are meant to provide. A 20# bottle at 70 °F will have a vapor pressure of about 145 psi. Assuming it can vaporize (boil) fast enough, you’ll have enough pressure to operate the burner, and that’s why it works well when connected to the small bottle.

 

[camonick]

The burner works great on a small propane bottle. Always has. Just when we hooked it up to the home size propane tank, it didn't work.

Apologies; I should have stated that it always worked on propane. Natural gas was never in the picture here, sadly.

You would need a specially designed “low pressure” burner to do what you want with the household plumbing. It might not even work if it’s hooked up after the secondary regulator that supplies 11” WC… it looks like it requires about 1 psi.
https://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/products/cajun-classic-low-pressure-super-burner

 

[JeffersonStateBrewing]

For what it is worth, this is what it looks like in California. No scales.
View attachment 762516

EXACTLY!

 

[Dr_Jeff]

The place I go to always checks the date on the bottle.
Having been in Alaska for two years, some of my bottles are now out of date.
The last place I lived, they never check the date on the bottles and would just fill whatever I brought.

 

[JeffersonStateBrewing]

The place I go to always checks the date on the bottle.
Having been in Alaska for two years, some of my bottles are now out of date.
The last place I lived, they never check the date on the bottles and would just fill whatever I brought.

I buy garage/yard sale propane tanks when the price is nearly free. Then I take them and exchange at blue rhino for an updated certified tank. The cost difference for fill vs yard sale and exchange is nill, so worth it IMO. Plus the local fill station will fill the exchanged tanks cheaper than exchange rate, this equates to buy savings over buying either an exchange tank at blue rhino or (shudders) a NEW tank. I usually have 6-8 full tanks at a time. I just changed over to electric brewing so my still full tanks will last a while on the bbq and will likely end up in a yard sale, to continue the cycle lol