Need help with propane issue!

Propane tanks can freeze up while in use. Usually it is a sign the regulator is feeding the propane too quickly, or there is a high level of humidity. It may be alarming to notice the tank is freezing up, but it is not dangerous. However, it can leave you without propane until the tank is unfrozen.

In discussing LOW temps and vaporization of LP on a RV forum, bringing up HOUSE 500 gallon tanks is not a wise thing to do. There is a BIG difference between vaporization of Liquid LP in a small 5(20) to 7 gallon(30) DOT tank in sub freezing weather and a LARGE 500 gallon vessel. Even a 100 lb DOT (25 gallons) will be limited also. Doug

I know of no "professional" propane distributor that would set a vertical residential tank. Vertical tanks are for dispensing to the public. Where I lived in the mountains I had a red 10# regulator at the tank, then a 11" water column 1,000,000 BTU gray regulator under the house where it was slightly warmer.

My 4'10" tall fifty, froze up at -22F. I then set a 500 gallon tank and had no more problems. Mammoth Mountain ski resort had 12 500 gallon tanks plus built in infrared heaters. I had to set four 500-gallon tanks for a a circulating floor heating automobile repair shop. The boiler was 1,125,000 BTU.

There's nothing quite like a freeze-up at -20F

tenbear wrote:

SaltiDawg wrote:

tenbear wrote:
Propane, If everything is working correctly, is not bothered by cold temperatures. We heat our house with Propane and a wood stove. The propane worked fine at -22 deg a few weeks ago.

This is not correct, is it?

It is correct. We use the wood stove during the day and the propane at night. The temperature dropped to -22F during the night and the propane furnace worked without a hitch.

BTW, another post said the household tanks are horizontal. Well, ours is vertical, like the usual 20 lb tank but bigger, about 5' high. It is a 100 gallon tank I believe.

Very true, if everything is working correctly, and there's no water present in the fuel. The propane heat system in our stick house functions just fine in subzero temps, year in and year out.

SaltiDawg wrote:

tenbear wrote:
Propane, If everything is working correctly, is not bothered by cold temperatures. We heat our house with Propane and a wood stove. The propane worked fine at -22 deg a few weeks ago.

This is not correct, is it?

It is correct. We use the wood stove during the day and the propane at night. The temperature dropped to -22F during the night and the propane furnace worked without a hitch.

BTW, another post said the household tanks are horizontal. Well, ours is vertical, like the usual 20 lb tank but bigger, about 5' high. It is a 100 gallon tank I believe.

I would quit guessing at this...

Depending on temperature of LIQUID PROPANE IN THE TANK

The extraction of vapor is TOTALLY LIMITED by the surface area of the vessel liquid / vapor interface area.

Either there is enough area or there isn't. Period.

This is why domestic tanks are horizontal not vertical.

In very cold climates it is not unusual to see (4) 500-gallon tanks set to feed a larger business building. The extra tanks are not set to allow for filling once every three months...they are set to allow a minimum boil-off area. This gets critical in below zero Fahrenheit settings.

When I was younger and living in an area that got so cold it could freeze the **** off a fire-hydrant, I installed a liquid filled, 200 PSI gauge on the tank pressure side of the regulator. When pressure fell to 2PSI at -20F I had to double the boil-off area. When it dropped to -30F I had to play an infrared heater on the tanks from 5' distance. 7,500 BTU.

If you have questions about what I wrote above, double check the data with your propane distributor.

If the high pressure side is not falling too low, then obviously none of the above applies.

tenbear wrote:
Propane, If everything is working correctly, is not bothered by cold temperatures. We heat our house with Propane and a wood stove. The propane worked fine at -22 deg a few weeks ago.

This is not correct, is it?

Propane, If everything is working correctly, is not bothered by cold temperatures. We heat our house with Propane and a wood stove. The propane worked fine at -22 deg a few weeks ago.

logsfam wrote:
Thanks for all the reply’s. It will do this at around 40 degrees or below. I have determined the pressure or flow is low by lighting the stove top. When I do this the flame will drop very low but doesn’t usally go all the way off.

Last night it dropped pressure about 3 times within 4 hours. It is connected to a full 100 gallon bottle and this problem didn’t start till I had it delivered. After it dropped for the third time last night I switched it back over to one of my smaller bottles and didn’t have any further problems though the night.

I now believe the problem is in the bottle but do not understand what is happening so I can convince my gas supplier that the problem is in his bottle.

So now we know what the prob is. Contact our supplier and let him know he has to fix the prob if that 100 ponder belongs to him.

logsfam wrote:
Thanks for all the reply’s. It will do this at around 40 degrees or below. I have determined the pressure or flow is low by lighting the stove top. When I do this the flame will drop very low but doesn’t usally go all the way off.

Last night it dropped pressure about 3 times within 4 hours. It is connected to a full 100 gallon bottle and this problem didn’t start till I had it delivered. After it dropped for the third time last night I switched it back over to one of my smaller bottles and didn’t have any further problems though the night.

I now believe the problem is in the bottle but do not understand what is happening so I can convince my gas supplier that the problem is in his bottle.

Water. That's what is in the bottle.

It vaporizes, and when it passes through the regulator and the pressure drops, so does the temp, and the water vapor freezes.

The link I posted above explains this in more detail.

Had this happen at home a couple of times, and pouring hot water over the regulator fixed it.