Freezing propane tanks

bobndot wrote:
The propane froze or the regulator froze and stopped the gas flow.

I should have included a ? at the end .

bluearc, I sometimes use a larger 30 or 40# tank outside of my propane compartment but I always use some soft foam around the regulator as well as solid foam to replace the door as in the pic.
I was told the regulator diaphragm can freeze up or possibly crack (having one crack is rare ) .
I did use a hair dryer once to thaw it at -30F. Since then, I insulate it.
We dry camp at a CG , no water in the tc. The furnace keeps us at 70F plus .
I just swapped the OEM short hose for a longer hose on one side of the regulator. The longer hose can reach any tank on the ground.

I use my tanks down to the -30's without any issues, I run the furnace in the TCer and I use my barbeque and have never had an issue. That being said I have heard of people even in warm weather having the regulator freeze up. If you have power a hairdryer would help to melt that.

First, have your tank purged with methyl hydrate which will help deal with the moisture in the tank.

Second, keep the regulator warm so the moisture cannot freeze within it. We use a 60W light bulb in an small enclosed area with the regulator for our propane system here at the cabin. For the RV those packaged handwarmers can be enough to thaw it out, a new one put on when needed.

The propane company that delivers the propane to the cabin also has methyl hydrate in their tanks so our home tanks get enough through that delivery process.

We use our propane to temps down to -40 without problem when we keep the regulator warm, in the cabin and in the RV (yes, we've RVed at -40). The propane will lose its efficiency at -40 but will still work. It is the regulator that needs special care.

maybe wrap the tank and regulator with some incandescent rope light, and then a wool or fiberglass blanket over that?

Moved to Tech

Wayne
Moderator

Years ago DW's aunt moved to Alberta for a job. When they drove into town they noticed the end of all the propane tanks were black. When enquireing about this they were told that when it hits -40 or so the regulator freezes and the furnace goes out. The only way to get the gas flowing is to throw a cup of gas on the regularor and light it off. Not advocating this by any means, but in cold temps the small amount of water in the tank can freeze. You absolutely need to keep tye regulator warm. But I dont know many people crazy enough to go camping in -40 weather.

Hi,

Propane boils at -42.5 C. What may have happened is the regulator froze up, but that is rare.

In the temperatures near -40 the propane doesn't boil fast so there is little vapor produced--perhaps not enough to keep up with running the furnace. Keeping the tank full helps somewhat but the best thing to do is add some form of heat.

I have a 120 volt magnetic stick on heater. One could also use a 12 volt heating blanket.

The propane froze or the regulator froze and stopped the gas flow.