How to use a propane tank in cold weather?

[Scooby_Brew]

I brew outdoors in Michigan and right now we have 30'F (8:30am). As soon as I turn my propane tank on I get frost on the bottom of the tank. Last time I put it in a container with lukewarm water, but that seemed to actually slow the flow of propane down rather then speed it up. What should I do?

 

[JVD_X]

I have been thinking about using a fermwrap on the tank.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Hot Plate!








Noooooo. Not really.









But, pictures or it didn't happen. Use a zoom lense from reaaaaalllly far away.

 

[kjung]

I brew outdoors every winter, either in my (emptied-out) garage, or on my patio. I've never had problems with my propane tank.

 

[wildwest450]

Propane converts from liquid to vapor form by absorbing heat from the surrounding surfaces of the tank. When unusually high vapor withdrawal demands are placed on the cylinder (such as when used on a very high BTU rated appliance), the rapid heat absorption may cause a frost line to form on the cylinder wall or ice to form on the inside of the service valve. This condition can usually be avoided by matching the cylinder size with the appliance BTU rating. For example, a typical 20lb grill cylinder may show the above signs of "freezing" if an attempt is made to use it to supply a "weed burner" torch which may have a BTU rating of over 150,000 BTUs per hour.

I wouldn't be overly concerned, unless it's affecting the performance of your burner.

 

[JesseRC]

I brew outdoors in Michigan and right now we have 30'F (8:30am). As soon as I turn my propane tank on I get frost on the bottom of the tank. Last time I put it in a container with lukewarm water, but that seemed to actually slow the flow of propane down rather then speed it up. What should I do?

Well then the warm water isnt helping much, but that doesnt mean its causing the slow flow.. I would still place it in a tub with water, its better than not doing it. In addition, I would try to use a full tank and refrain from going full blast on the burner.

 

[broadbill]

I get the frost line too, but I've never actually had a problem with the actual functioning of the burner (or any appliance hooked up to a propane tank). Is this really a problem?

Hell, my propane tank has frozen itself to the ground before...at the end of brewing I have to kick it loose. ???

 

[jspence1]

I don't do anything I've never had a problem and I've brewed on a few cold days in the 5F range, you shouldn't have any problems until you approach the -40F range. You could just move the tank closer to the burner they put out a lot of heat. If your going to move it closer to the burner use your head and don't put it 1" from the burner

 

[springer]

Ever watch a roofer when they apply a rubber roof ? They use those weed torches and from time to time will actually torch the base of the tank to warm it up... I don't recommend it but I have seen it many times .

I use a 30 lb tank never has been a problem . It does frost up but the flow never decreases .

 

[CrazyJames]

I'm glad someone asked this, its supposed to be -2F tonight and I'm contemplating my first AG brew on a turkey fryer.

 

[wildwest450]

Listen up people, frost on your regulator/tank is NOT a problem. It may or may not interfere with your burner (depending on btu and flame setting). It is not dangerous, and should be ignored unless it freezes to the point of cutting your flame. Brew on!

 

[dirt55]

I know this is an old post, but I hate to create a new one for my question. I just bought a Blichmann burner and going from a cheap-o turkey burner...WOW..that sucker was cook'n! I went from boils at 45min to about 20 mins. The problem is that I did a 90min boil and by 60mins in there was noticeable decrease in output. I thought my tank was dying until I saw that it was frosted over like a mutha and then I shook it and heard ice inside. Then next day it was back to normal and lit right up without issues, thus showing that it did have plenty of propane left in it. So what do I do? Was I putting out too many BTUs and should back down next time? I did blow my previous evaporation rate away...so I guess it wouldn't hurt to back off a bit....but there's so much power begging me to harness all of it!!!

 

[buzzkill]

putting it in a tub of hot water does help, if the reg freezes,you may have to shut it down to to defrost. The only time I have seen a reg freeze up was when the tank was over filled.

 

[RIBeer]

My KAB4 pulls a ton of propane - so much so that I've had ice on the tank when I was brewing in a t-shirt. I've resorted to a metal washtub full of hot tap water for every brew day, unless it's over 60F or so. There is an obvious drop in gas flow over time, even with a full tank. Any yes, I have tried all the advice about opening the tank valve slowly, then opening the regulator valve, etc. This burner just pulls so much gas. I may go get a bigger tank at some point when funds allow - would also stretch the time between refills. My local guy isn't exactly cheap, but at least he only charges for the actual amount of propane you need, so it's not like I'm paying full price for a partial fill like the other places in town do.

 

[broadbill]

I know this is an old post, but I hate to create a new one for my question. I just bought a Blichmann burner and going from a cheap-o turkey burner...WOW..that sucker was cook'n! I went from boils at 45min to about 20 mins. The problem is that I did a 90min boil and by 60mins in there was noticeable decrease in output. I thought my tank was dying until I saw that it was frosted over like a mutha and then I shook it and heard ice inside. Then next day it was back to normal and lit right up without issues, thus showing that it did have plenty of propane left in it. So what do I do? Was I putting out too many BTUs and should back down next time? I did blow my previous evaporation rate away...so I guess it wouldn't hurt to back off a bit....but there's so much power begging me to harness all of it!!!

My guess is that you heard the OPD valve clanking around when you shook it; not ice. If there was enough moisture inside the tank to form an ice ball, chances are it would have frozen all over the internals of that tank and you wouldn't have propane coming out.

 

[SwampassJ]

When we did propane fires/shut offs in fire academy we would have a 2nd or 3rd hose line just to wet and warm the tank so it wouldn't kill our training. If it's warm enough where you live to flow water just hose it down when it begins to frost.

 

[dirt55]

thanks guys for all the great input, I will definitely have to implement those recommendations during my next brew session!

 

[SOB]

Make sure your connection to the tank is not leaking. If it freezes up that fast then there could be a problem with too much propane exiting too fast. I was having this issue and I found that the tank I was using would not completely seal on the connector and it would freeze up faster than usual. I tried a different tank that would seal and it will only freeze in the dead of winter. FWIW I'm using a Banjo KAB6 w/ 30psi regulator...