hi guys, I just know that one of you helpful lot will be able to answer this...
We are keen to get camping soon, and wondered about the cooking gas performance in cold weather( blue cylinder )
How do you get round the problem? dont really want to keep the cylinder inside the tent cos we have a sig and having read on here bout gas escaping and collecting within tent , dont want to go there.
we were away with paul and wendy in february, and they had taken propane just in case the weather was cold, and it was, -7 at night, when we got up everyone on blue bottles had froze, but P&W's hadnt, however, the regulator had LMAO, so it was still no use LOL
mine has never frozen yet. its in the front locker with a blanket round it. even so, i do have propane and butane, when the van is in use, i dont think it will freeze in the front locker, at christmas. it was snow white and the butane was ok.
Post last edited on 05/03/2008 14:03:30
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Its not a hangover, its wine flu!
i use propane for burning gear at my work and in all weather conditions and the regulator does not freeze,i will be using it in my tent this year as well for cooking,usual sensible precautions apply,mind you i have been a welder for nigh on forty years
We are like you tykey red all the time. Its worth remembering that butane is liquid turning to gas in the regulator, whereas propane is gas under pressure from a safety point of view. The good thing about the "red" gas as I call it is that when you've got frost on the bottle it indicates the level of gas left as there is no frost where there's no gas. not a lot of people know that.
Quote: Originally posted by cufcbarside on 07/3/2008
Hi
our caravan is on butane, we keep the bottle wrapped up in a blanket but the gas fired BBQ is on propane.
regards
Wrapping the bottle in a blanket will actually make the problem worse!
As the liquid in the bottle goes through the phase change to gas there is a lot of cooling. The blanket would only serve to maintain that drop in temperature by insulation and exaggerate the problem you were trying to solve.
A hot water bath for the cylinder might help but you would need enough usable gas to heat it.
Quote: Originally posted by The Stabiliser on 06/3/2008
We are like you tykey red all the time. Its worth remembering that butane is liquid turning to gas in the regulator, whereas propane is gas under pressure from a safety point of view. The good thing about the "red" gas as I call it is that when you've got frost on the bottle it indicates the level of gas left as there is no frost where there's no gas. not a lot of people know that.
eh?
Butane and propane are both forms of LPG, Liquified petroleum gas. Both are gases in their natural state, but are stored at a pressure that causes them to liquify.
Frost forms on the bottle when gas usage is higher, and the evaporation within the bottle causes the bottle to cool. It is an idicator of gas level, but a bottle that is not having gas drawn off has no frost, whether full or empty.
The bottle freezing is a function both of external temperature, and gas usage. I have had a butane bottle freeze in my van, at not too low an outside temperature, but because it is an old van, everything is gas only, so water heater, plus space heater plus cooker is a greater draw than might be experienced in a newer van where the EHU would probably cover some of those needs.
Am now on propane, and have not noticed any negatives, so will probably turn in my empty blue bottle for a second red one.
People who do not have mains gas, like us. Do not have butane tanks on their land, they have propane. We have a 1000 litre tank which holds around 800litres, cylinder/tanks are only filled to 80% of capacity to allow for expansion of the liquid. The propane will not freeze. The blanket on the butane will act as an insulator and keep the cylinder cold, best way to measure gas in cylinders is to weigh it, not always practical in the middle of a field!! That is why cylinders are sold in Kg and bulk tanks, like ours, are filled in litres. To maintain a standard price of gas per litre the tanker maintains the gas at 15 degrees when filling the bulk tank.
In short I would stick to propane in winter and snuggle under the blanket with the one you love. I do.
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Topic: using propane in cold weather
