Help me hook up my clothes dryer to my propane tank

[cannman]

Hello everyone!


We just got a converted natural gas to propane clothes dryer second hand (we have always hung dry, but it was free) and want to run it using either our 5# or 10# propane tank, the same one we use for the kettle burner, 50,000btu.



The dryer is a 20,000btu appliance, and we're trying to figure out what psi we would need to set to hit 20,000btu. Does the dryer self regulate? ie if we set the pressure too high, will it allow an appropriate amount in? See the picture of the sticker.



I'm considering the following regulators, but I can't find anything that will allow for 20000btu flow:

Regulator 1

Regulator 2



Thanks for your help!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1438720438.661368.jpg
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[GilaMinumBeer]

Read into two stage propane regulation. As in whole house propane. IIRC, those setups are set based on water column rather than PSI.

 

[cannman]

Read into two stage propane regulation. As in whole house propane. IIRC, those setups are set based on water column rather than PSI.

we have propane running through the house... but that means running over 12 feet of propane line.... which is OK, just not neat, and prop not to code??

 

[dkwolf]

My $0.02:

I will do any plumbing work needed on my house without hesitation. I'll dive into rewiring anytime (I've rewired a little over 1/2 the house so far).

I will not touch a gas line.

If I do something wrong with a water line, I might ruin some sheetrock and carpet. If I screw up wiring, I'll likely know as soon as I turn the breaker back on; worst case I get a little jolt or start a fire. But you screw up on a gas line, you might find it with the leak detector, or you might find it when the furnace kicks on and blows half the block apart.

Call a plumber.

 

[1977Brewer]

My $0.02:

I will do any plumbing work needed on my house without hesitation. I'll dive into rewiring anytime (I've rewired a little over 1/2 the house so far).

I will not touch a gas line.

If I do something wrong with a water line, I might ruin some sheetrock and carpet. If I screw up wiring, I'll likely know as soon as I turn the breaker back on; worst case I get a little jolt or start a fire. But you screw up on a gas line, you might find it with the leak detector, or you might find it when the furnace kicks on and blows half the block apart.

Call a plumber.

This, 100%. Plumb it into your house propane. You'll save money in the long run anyway.

 

[Zuljin]

Whutever. Screw it in and turn it on. If it wouldn't work, it wouldn't go together to begin with.

Or it would, and you'll die. I dunno.

 

[1977Brewer]

Whutever. Screw it in and turn it on. If it wouldn't work, it wouldn't go together to begin with.

Or it would, and you'll die. I dunno.

Option 2. It's option 2. Propane and NG command respect.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

As much effort as we put into leak detection on kegs, any veteran kegger should have no issues with a gas line.

 

[The10mmKid]

You need to make sure there is not a required orifice change involved too.

A propane water heater may have similar BTU and plumbing info.

'da Kid

 

[Grannyknot]

my 2 cents....

Do you really want to run it off a 20# bbq grill tank?
A lot of gas companies will lease you a large fixed tank that they will drive up and fill for you. My local company will lease and do home fills on tanks as small as 100#. This is nice because you can have a plumber do a remote supply with shut off for your grill or propane burner, in addition to the drier plumbing.

2nd thought. In my opinion, the peace of mind in knowing that the work has been done by a professional in this case, is well worth the cost.

 

[cannman]

my 2 cents....

Do you really want to run it off a 20# bbq grill tank?
A lot of gas companies will lease you a large fixed tank that they will drive up and fill for you. My local company will lease and do home fills on tanks as small as 100#. This is nice because you can have a plumber do a remote supply with shut off for your grill or propane burner, in addition to the drier plumbing.

2nd thought. In my opinion, the peace of mind in knowing that the work has been done by a professional in this case, is well worth the cost.

Yup, we want to run it off a tank.

Are house already has propane lines running through it, we have a huge tank on our property. The point was to run it away from the house and where the lines already exist.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Yup, we want to run it off a tank.

Are house already has propane lines running through it, we have a huge tank on our property. The point was to run it away from the house and where the lines already exist.

I am not one to be skeered of gas, but this I would hire out. what would likely take a DIY a week to finish (rent the trencher or hand dig trench, buy line and fitteings, etc..) a plumber should be able to do in a day.

 

[Homercidal]

I am not one to be skeered of gas, but this I would hire out. what would likely take a DIY a week to finish (rent the trencher or hand dig trench, buy line and fitteings, etc..) a plumber should be able to do in a day.

Agreed. A skilled plumber can do stuff in a fraction of the the time it would take a DIY'er

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Agreed. A skilled plumber can do stuff in a fraction of the the time it would take a DIY'er

More because they "should" already have the proper tools and access/familiarity with the parts.

Digging a 3" wide trench, 18" deep, for 100 feet is a PITA. Renting a trencher for a 15 minute job, then cleaning and returning it is a waste of time and money. Plumber will either already have the trencher, or will have a grunt start digging while he goes and gets the parts from the supply house.

Inevitably the hole saw bit you have on hand won't do sh!t for brick and is either 3/8" too small or 3/4" too damned big.

 

[kh54s10]

I would start by making totally sure the dryer conversion was done properly. If it was designed to use natural gas, that would probably be safe. If it was improperly converted it could be deadly..

I will second having it professionally done. Is it worth risking your life to save a few $$???????????

Or keep the dryer outside, light it up and if it doesn't explode or go up in flames, you are good to go.....

 

[Homercidal]

I would start by making totally sure the dryer conversion was done properly. If it was designed to use natural gas, that would probably be safe. If it was improperly converted it could be deadly..

I will second having it professionally done. Is it worth risking your life to save a few $$???????????

Or keep the dryer outside, light it up and if it doesn't explode or go up in flames, you are good to go.....

While I don't disagree about safety, converting a gas appliance is a very simple matter of changing the orifice. Unscrew, and screw back in.

Using the WRONG orifice, though, could be trouble! I'd definitely make sure you got the right orifice on before you light it up.

 

[kh54s10]

While I don't disagree about safety, converting a gas appliance is a very simple matter of changing the orifice. Unscrew, and screw back in.

Using the WRONG orifice, though, could be trouble! I'd definitely make sure you got the right orifice on before you light it up.

That would be part of making sure the conversion was done properly..

I never advise DIY on electricity, major plumbing, or anything that can blow up an entire house.....

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I find some humor in regards to much of the caution in here regarding use of a Pro when dealing with gas.

Of the 4 NG related explosions I've heard about recently, 3 involved a plumber. 1 of which was bonded and insured.

 

[sniktaw]

I'd check the manual (or find it online if the original owner didn't include it) before I'd hook it up to a 10# tank. Many warn specifically against hooking up an appliance to anything that small. I'd assume that this is because they can't generate the pressure necessary to continually and safely feed the appliance.

 

[Paps]

make sure you got the right orifice on before you light it up.

That's what `she` said.

 

[Homercidal]

That's what `she` said.

I know, right!

Lastly, I can't imagine how fast your going to go through that 20# tank. Seems like filling it up all the time will get to be pricey.

 

[Grannyknot]

I know, right!

Lastly, I can't imagine how fast your going to go through that 20# tank. Seems like filling it up all the time will get to be pricey.

That was my point, but I obviously am totally confused as to what the OP is trying to accomplish here.

 

[GHBWNY]

From my experience, the running of a new gas line and connecting it to an appliance is the safest part of the job. With shut-offs in all the right places, and connections tested for leaks, there is no actual handling of the raw gas until it enters the appliance. The 'great unknown' is the condition of the appliance itself. And before hooking it up and turning it on, that is something you may want to have a service technician check out.

 

[cannman]

The dryer is coming out of a home behind me that has been running the appliance for over a year. The conversion was done by the reseller locally (no natural gas in our area, we all have to import LP).

I don't think you guys understand the original question any more...

Nevermind, I'm hooked up. Thank you for your... safety concerns.

 

[brew_ny]

The dryer is coming out of a home behind me that has been running the appliance for over a year. The conversion was done by the reseller locally (no natural gas in our area, we all have to import LP).

I don't think you guys understand the original question any more...

Nevermind, I'm hooked up. Thank you for your... safety concerns.

I would call some appliance dealer/seller and ask them what you need for a regulator

sometime they do not run well off the little tanks you may need a 100 pounder

I have a gas stove I use out in an out building it runs on a 20 pounder but the oven works so much better on a 100 pound tank

good luck and all the best

S_M

 

[sniktaw]

Glad you got it hooked up and I hope it works great for you. By chance, do you have a CO detector nearby? I only ask because some lp appliances will "function" under less than ideal circumstances, but will also give off excess CO due to the appliance not functioning correctly.

 

[cannman]

Its placed in the garage and we ended up connecting it to the main household line. We ordered a NG/LPG leak detector to make ultra sure its fitted correctly before we run it for purpose, that should be here monday.

We have CO detectors in the house, but the garage is a separate structure and since we do not park our cars in there, we do not have a CO detector in there.

thanks again everyone!

 

[thumpersk_a]

wait a second, you live in california. You arent allowed to fart, sneeze, turn on a light switch without getting government approval. You probably need an environmental impact statement and atleast 45 permits before you hook that tank up to a fossil fuel burning device. I bet they want scrubbers put on all your sewer vents along with any appliance that emits carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane. cheers gotta give ya a hard time

 

[estricklin]

wait a second, you live in california. You arent allowed to fart, sneeze, turn on a light switch without getting government approval. You probably need an environmental impact statement and atleast 45 permits before you hook that tank up to a fossil fuel burning device. I bet they want scrubbers put on all your sewer vents along with any appliance that emits carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane. cheers gotta give ya a hard time

Hehe yep, the good ole "Peoples' Republic of Kalifornia", just be glad we don't live there.

 

[MindenMan]

Don't you have to heat it up before you put your meat in?