We are new to caravaning, only had our 1st caravan a couple of months now which is sited for all year round access. I believe that butane gas freezes below 0 degrees and we keep it connected to the regulator in the storage at the front of the van, does anyone know if the gas will freeze in the pipes aswell and cause damage to them??
It does not actually "Freeze" in the sense that it goes solid like ice. All it does at low temperature is remain as a liquid and not bubble off the gas we need.
It will not harm itself or any regulator getting cold; it will be useless as a fuel source until the temperature recovers to above 0 C and then it will be just as it was before the event.
JTQU is quite right in their comments but Butane becomes inoperative at +3 degrees celcius actually to be precise. Any caravanning books will confirm this.
Actually to be precise it's -2C when it totally stops gassing.
The problem is the act of turning into a gas,(evaporation), creates more cold, that cools the bottle and it's contends lower than the air temperature.
+3C then might be the limit one day, +5C another, then you might get away at zero if you only use a little to boil a kettle.
All depends on draw off, cross section of bottle, latent heat already in the bottle, winds and probably several other variables!
Hi maizeymini,as the above posts,if your are going to want to use van in winter,should change bottle to propane think it will work till around -40 i think, the knowlageable guys on here will be able to give the proper temp.i have both butane and propane gas with change over tap,in process of changeing over to propane(weight issue when touring and propane is about half the weight of the butane bottle), but sitll have full bottle of butane, hope it has given you something to think about.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Hi Maizymini, we changed over toe propane all year round a few years ago, I feel it actuallyis more efficient although there has often been debates on this on the site in the past and not always is this agreed upon, certainly makes it a lot easier at the start and end of the season when it can still be freezing up in the highlands!
Gary, can you email me a recent e-mail for Arc Systems, had a few mails not answered from my own website customers,cheers Graham
Hi, i have used Butane at -5 without concerns. One thing to think of is that i am a newish caravanner and was told i should not have put regulator on bottle as caravan already has one fitted. Different operating pressures!! You learn something everyday.
You can't use butane at -5 because it will not 'gas' at that temperature - end of.
Just like the ' I get 85 mpg towing' brigade, it is bull crap. No amount of bar-room bragging will change the laws of physics, and butane WILL NOT gas at -5 degrees, it simply isn't up for discussion.
Early this year on our last day in Spain I had to get a bucket of hot water from the toilet block to stick the 907 in (it was the last of our supplies!)
The heat given off was enough to get enough gas to warm up our van warm from a freezing cold night and a kettleful of water for the drinks.
The things we will do for a cuppa!,
------------- How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!
Quote: Originally posted by Angus1215 on 28/12/2010
You can't use butane at -5 because it will not 'gas' at that temperature - end of.
Just like the ' I get 85 mpg towing' brigade, it is bull crap. No amount of bar-room bragging will change the laws of physics, and butane WILL NOT gas at -5 degrees, it simply isn't up for discussion.
Sorry Angus, whilst I agree with the sentiments of your posting it needs qualifying otherwise it is unfortunately wrong.
Butane will gas off at -5C but not at sea level.
However at an elevated location about 900 Metres where the atmosphere is lowered then it will gas off. We of course will need to climb another 270 metres to push the gas through the regulator. So if caravanning at some 1170 metres [3840 ft] he will just start being ok at -5C.
So perched on top of Snowdon he will not be high enough but if he gets on top of Ben Nevis he will be fine, assuming its not colder than -5 c up there.
JTQU, you are of course correct, I didn`t think there any need to `expand` (sorry) any response to the level you have kindly provided.
In the same way, we describe atmospheric pressure as being `1 BAR` without reference to altitude or lack of.
Too much information is sometimes as unhelpful as too little, as there are a mass of myth-makers out there grabbing unrelated facts, sticking them together and espousing bar-room bull-sh*t to anyone who will listen. Let them explain to their wives why the kids are freezing as they only have Butane as a heating source when its sub-zero outside.
For those who are confused!! think of a gas bottle as a pressure cooker.... a pressure cooker with water will boil at around 100degC and let off steam, now pretend that steam is gas we can now use the gas for a burner. Now imagine if water boiled at 0degC that pressure cooker would be trying to let off steam all the time until the temp dropped to 0degC at which point it will stop boiling. This is similar to butane gas, at low temps it won't boil and produce the gas.
Propane boils at a much lower temperature which is why its better for winter use.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Freezing Butane
