waddsworth
Well-Known Member
I repurposed my immersion chiller and coiled it around my banjo burner. Usin a tub and water pump I recirc water through it. Worked like a charm.
How I keep my propane tank warm
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kpr121
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Sweet idea. I have just started to realize the ill effects of cold weather on propane tanks. I brew in the unheated but insulated garage and leave the propane tank in the warmest area, usually I dont have any trouble getting a good roar going but this past time it took quite a long time to get up to boil.
Nice pose BTW lol
Nice pose BTW lol
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waddsworth
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The propane freezes, and then the flow slows down to the point that your banjo burner becomes essentially worthless.
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I know it gets cold in PA, but does it really get to -187.7 °C?
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waddsworth
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Meh, technically incorrect, but conceptually it was on point. Should I edit?
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No, not at all - do you really have propane performance problems with cold temps???
(I may be in AZ, but I'm at elevation, so I to brew in the snow....)
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waddsworth
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Oh absolutely. Its more pronounced with the banjo burner, but even things like space heaters begin to suffer in no time in really cold weather.
smizak
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Sweet pose brah. :rockin:
Maybe not freeze, but the pressures involved with a propane tank make the temperature more of a factor.
I've experienced some tank slow down in the cold, especially when it gets a little low. Cool idea.
Maybe not freeze, but the pressures involved with a propane tank make the temperature more of a factor.
I've experienced some tank slow down in the cold, especially when it gets a little low. Cool idea.
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waddsworth
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the heater in the foreground here was basically dribbling heat despite being hooked up to a tank that 3/4 full. you could see how full the tank was by the thick frost line on it.
Being under pressure changes that value. Otherwise, tanks would need to be kept at or below -42.1 °C to keep the propane inside liquid.
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magically stuff that propane is....
TomRep
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Being in PA myself, I know my hose always freezes this time a year. If I were you I'd be throwing my hose in that tub when I'm not using it!
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Mischief_Brewing
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I almost lost boil with 20 mintues left on my New Year's day brew, the damn tank had a ton of frost on the bottom. To be honest though, there was only about a half pound of propane left in the thing. I kept picking it up and shaking it to get the flame back up.
I need to do something similar for next weekend's brew.
I need to do something similar for next weekend's brew.
Wow, I didn't even think of this, and I am brewing on Saturday which will be in the 20s or low 30s. Hmmmm.
Maybe an impromptu Styrofoam enclosure with an electric heater would do the trick...
Maybe an impromptu Styrofoam enclosure with an electric heater would do the trick...
kpr121
Well-Known Member
My propane grill will not light the third and fourth burners when it is cold outside unless the tank is above 14 lbs or so. Pressure definitely decreases in lower temps. Usually if I pull the propane tank out from the garage right before lighting, it seems that the heat generated by the flames is enough that I can keep a delmonico searing temperature for a little while. But by the time I finish, there is noticably less pressure and/or one or two burners have gone out.
Propane boils at -44 F. but being a refrigerant gas it cools as it boils off the gas so you tank of propane will be cooler than the air temperature. How much cooler is dependent on how fast you use the gas. As it cools, the rate of boil decreases so your gas pressure reduces too. Soon you have too little pressure to maintain the flow rate needed for your burner.
For a quick fix, not as elegant but cheaper, pour some hot water on your propane tank to increase the rate of boil-off and keep your pressure up. Try not to slip on the ice from where the water ended up.
It looks like it's time to replace that sight glass tubing or did you actually bend it like that on purpose?
I've experienced the same issue with my banjo burner in cold temps. I usually float the propane tank in a large rubbermaid tub filled with 4-5" of warm tap water. This keeps the bottom from frosting up and I get a nice, constant flame throughout the entire boil.
A shallow warm bath also seems to aid in getting every last drop of propane out of the tanks for me. I used to have to swap between 2 tanks in cold temps since one would ice up so bad and stop flowing when it gets somewhat low. When the tanks warmed back up again they'd burn for a very long time from what seemed like very little propane left in the tank.
A shallow warm bath also seems to aid in getting every last drop of propane out of the tanks for me. I used to have to swap between 2 tanks in cold temps since one would ice up so bad and stop flowing when it gets somewhat low. When the tanks warmed back up again they'd burn for a very long time from what seemed like very little propane left in the tank.
BeerPressure
Well-Known Member
Why have I never had a problem with propane tanks in sub 32 degree weather? Maybe the heat coming off the burner is keeping it warm.
JeepDiver
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It also depends on how much gas you are burning. If I cut both burners wide open on my fish cooker, I can freeze a propane tank in 100+ degree weather
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waddsworth
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Would you believe this is only my second batch with my keggle. The sight glass almost fell over on the first run from the heat.
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waddsworth
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Yeah I had the stuff sitting around, so money was no object, and setting it up basically consists of three hose clamps and a plug. I was getting tired of my boil getting cut by poor gas flow, and wanted to be certain that wouldn't happen.
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