How do you keep propane tanks warm?

[AzOr]

hello outdoor brewers!
How do you guys keep your tanks warm while brewing outside? I live in Portland and brew on my covered patio. Normally, the temps are never an issue even during winter. Temps are usually in the high 40s or 50s.
However, we are about to enter a cold snap. According to the forecast, in a few days when I can brew, it’ll be in the 20’s. In the past, my propane grill struggles in these temps.

Any suggestions? I can leave my propane tanks in my attached garage (probably in the high 30s) before I connect to burner. Also, when I mash I put my cooler inside the house to maintain temps.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I brew in my attached garage with the door open (and a CO monitor near me). The tank seems to do fine in the cold ... I've brewed colder than 20s though I try to avoid it. It's not great when hoses are freezing and sanitizer freezes on the equipment before it dries.

 

[day_trippr]

In warmer situations one can stick a tank at risk of freeze-up in a large basin of water, though in this case it might be a race to see which freezes first...

Cheers!

 

[MaxStout]

Keep the tank inside the night before brew day.

 

[AzOr]

Keep the tank inside the night before brew day.

Yeah. In the past I’ve put the tanks in my attached garage.
I may have to stick it inside the house this time.
Maybe I can put a plant on top of it and pretend it’s a decoration. I’m sure my wife will love having a big propane tank in the kitchen.

 

[Kwitty]

Put them in the oven at 350F. You'll know when their ready! Just kidding! I've used an electric infrared heater from about 4/5 feet away. Just barely enough heat lightly warm the side and no open flames. It doesn't take much to keep it going.

Just remembered. I was going to try an electric blanket but never did.

 

[MaxStout]

Yeah. In the past I’ve put the tanks in my attached garage.
I may have to stick it inside the house this time.
Maybe I can put a plant on top of it and pretend it’s a decoration. I’m sure my wife will love having a big propane tank in the kitchen.

Draw a cartoon face on the tank and tell your wife it's Hank Hill.

 

[Zooksta]

I pour 5 gallons of warm water in a tub around my propane tank. It gets me through the brew day when the ambient temps are near freezing.

 

[Kwitty]

Draw a cartoon face on the tank and tell your wife it's Hank Hill.

Pait it like the head of a Lego character! I just realized they're the same shape!

 

[AzOr]

Draw a cartoon face on the tank and tell your wife it's Hank Hill.

“Propane and propane accessories!”

 

[shoengine]

Yeah. In the past I’ve put the tanks in my attached garage.
I may have to stick it inside the house this time.
Maybe I can put a plant on top of it and pretend it’s a decoration. I’m sure my wife will love having a big propane tank in the kitchen.

No. Never put your tank inside the house. Ever.

 

[AkTom]

I’ve brewed at 10* f. Not fun. I leave my tanks outside all the time. No problems. Maybe you should get Alaskan propane...

 

[mrdauber64]

I brewed last week with a high of 4 degrees in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. I leave my tank outside and brewed outside on my deck. I've never had an issue with a tank freezing up.

 

[beermanpete]

Propane has a vapor pressure suitable for use down to about -20°F or so. Maybe some regulators and/or burners won't work well that cold but most should.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/docs/documents/1020/propane_C3H8_vapour_pressure.pdf

 

[Kwitty]

Propane has a vapor pressure suitable for use down to about -20°F or so. Maybe some regulators and/or burners won't work well that cold but most should.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/docs/documents/1020/propane_C3H8_vapour_pressure.pdf

When propane turns from liquid to gas it gets colder. So when it's already cold out it can get below - 20 in the tank. It could be full and still barely have pressure. I have 2 burners, a nice efficient Blickman and a no name loud vortex flame type burner. The Blickman sips propane to get the same 5 gallon boil comparatively. The tank on the no name is always colder. I guess my point is a more efficient burner might help. Using propane at a slower rate keeps the tank temp from dropping as far.

 

[AzOr]

It ended being fine. I brewed in the high 20s and the tank and burner operated as they should. I was paranoid because I have a gas grill that sputters under 35f.
So obviously it must be a crappy grill.
FWIW I use a bayou burner.

Also- props to you guys brewing in the extreme cold! I think I would take a break til spring.

 

[Maverick986]

I've seen heating blankets/wraps specifically for parpane tanks, although they seem rather expensive. I would conjure a guess that a heated blanket wrapped around the cylinder may work, assuming connectors were kept dry.

 

[shoengine]

Boiling in the snow.

I did have an issue changing tanks. The new tank was covered in ice and I had to use a hair dryer to get the handle to rotate.

 

[bigdawg86]

I don't... I converted my Edelmetal Bru Burner to natural gas and have never looked back!

 

[NGD]

Draw a cartoon face on the tank and tell your wife it's Hank Hill.

I’d call it “Tank Hill”, seller of propane and propane accessories.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Build a fire around it!

 

[Numsquat]

When I lived in NW Iowa just a little below Minnesota, I used one of those fermentation heated wraps to keep my propane warm.

Then I moved to Florida, haven't had a problem since.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Build a fire around it!

Do you want a bleve? Cuz thats how you get a bleve.

 

[NGD]

Build a fire around it!

Should you build a ring of fire around the tank or fan the warm air toward the tank? I’m thinking ring of fire just to work a Johnny Cash song into the conversation with the doctor.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

This brings up the question....how do brewers keep it from freezing up..ever. I've never brewed with propane but have done endless torch town flat roofs, pretty much the same thing when it comes to freeze ups. We never got past 3/4 tank before it froze up and we had to swap them out..and that was on a 100 degree roof....how do brewers use Propane without freeze ups?

 

[shoengine]

Do you want a bleve? Cuz thats how you get a bleve.

Only if there is a decompression and a rapid expansion of the gases.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Only if there is a decompression and a rapid expansion of the gases.

This is what could happen if the tank was under fire once all the liquid is boiled off and the steel is weakend by the heat. I know this is a joke but its also a real thing. I learned from a fire captain during safety training.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

This brings up the question....how do brewers keep it from freezing up..ever. I've never brewed with propane but have done endless torch town flat roofs, pretty much the same thing when it comes to freeze ups. We never got past 3/4 tank before it froze up and we had to swap them out..and that was on a 100 degree roof....how do brewers use Propane without freeze ups?

I have had good results by just putting the tank in a muck bucket filled with water. I then use the chilled water and i put my immersion chiller in there to pre-cool my hose water before running through my plate chiller.

 

[shoengine]

This is what could happen if the tank was under fire once all the liquid is boiled off and the steel is weakend by the heat. I know this is a joke but its also a real thing. I learned from a fire captain during safety training.

I wasn't joking. Just finishing off what a BLEVE requires (the Expanding Vapor part).

BLEVEs are astounding.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I wasn't joking. Just finishing off what a BLEVE requires (the Expanding Vapor part).

BLEVEs are astounding.

Its absolutely cra cra. The fire dept. wont fight a potential bleve. They evacuate them.