I found one of these while straightening up the other day. It’s an adapter that lets you fill the small 1# propane bottles from a larger tank. It seemed like a useful item to have since we have several devices here that run on those small bottles…most notable a small heater, a couple Coleman lanterns, and a camp stove.
Propane is great stuff, it’s just damn awkward. As someone pointed out to me, with a gas or diesel powered device I can borrow fuel from a neighbor if I have a five-gallon bucket. Borrowing propane from a neighbor is far trickier…can’t exactly tear off a piece of your 20# tank and say “Here, get it back to me when you can.”
Of course, an adapter like this lets you take your empty to your neighbors barbecue (or vice versa) and get some fuel that way.
I think that if I were going to live out in the sticks and have to have my own source of power, propane would be very attractive. The only thing I don’t like is that I’d have to have some guy drive his propane truck to my little hideaway once a year and fill the tanks. On the other hand, I suppose I could mount a tank on a small trailer, bring it into town to be filled, and then bring it back to my little hideaway and then hook it up, leaving the tank on the trailer year-round….probably violate a dozen DOT and zoing regs, but I like to think I’d be living somewhere where ‘zoning’ was a quaint notion that never really caught on locally.
Back in the Y2K runup I did wind up buying a few dozen 1# bottles of propane. I’ve probably only used one or two over the years, but as long as the bottles themselves are protected from rust and banging around they should last quite a while. It’s just another layer of redundancy…we’ve kerosene for lighting, heating, cooking in an emergency and also the option of propane for the same purposes. Add in the gas-fueled generator and we’re looking at around three different ways to skin the same cat. (And while I generally find Ragnar Benson’s books to be pretty lame, I will give him credit for bringing up “the rule of threes” in his ‘The Modern Survival Retreat‘ book.
Even though at the moment I’m living in town, I think it’d be nice to have a buried tank in the yard to run the generator and a few other goodies. Unfortunately, I doubt I can get a 500# tank past the city codes. On the other hand, a couple 100# tanks shouldn’t be a problem. (By the by, excellent graphic showing relative tank sizes.) My Honda EU2000 has some aftermarket kits to let it run propane, natural gas, or gasoline…..it’d be nice to have options.
Check your local codes; most locales have building codes stipulating tank size within X distance of a dwelling. Usually, anything larger than a 100 gallon tank (actually, those have 120 gallons of capacity, but filled only with 100 gallons) has to be set away from the house.
And, check ownership vs renting. Buried tanks will eventually rust unless they’re placed in a vault, and will require replacement at some point. Locally, a couple outfits won’t rent a buried tank but they’ll be happy to sell you one and install it. Those who will rent an underground tank charge a premium for it because they know at some point it will require replacement.
Consider multiple smaller tanks in a projectile-resistant partitioned above ground vault (think concrete slab with cement-filled cinderblock walls (12″ thick is better than 8″, and that’s a DIY project), walls designed with provision for natural ventilation; the roof should be flimsy so if a tank explodes the blast is directed up). I prefer a pair of 250 gallon tanks than one 500 gallon, each connected to a manifold so I can control which tank I’m using. Below ground vaults are great, but will require powered ventilation in case of leaks; that’s not just a code requirement it’s also an “anti-stupid” requirement. Put in one 250 gallon now, leave space (and piping) for a second when budget allows. When tank 1 empties, switch to tank 2; you now know how long 250 gallons will last at your house.
Owning the tank(s) allows shopping for best rates when refilling. Changing suppliers will often entitle you to a “first fill” per-gallon discount. Renting the tank(s) ties you to that supplier.
Lines from tanks need to be buried, deeply, and well marked. The industry standard for buried lines (electric, gas, etc.) is 8″-12″ of sand over the line with yellow marker tape on top of the sand – if you hit sand 18″ down while planting flowers STOP DIGGING. I prefer breaking 24″ patio pavers in half and putting them on top of the sand. A solid “clank” usually gets the shoveler’s attention. Get another copy of your plat and mark the gas lines (marking all the other buried lines is pretty handy, too. A hand drawn map of where everything is, taped to the circuit breaker panel, is pretty useful from time to time). When burying lines, code is usually 24″ deep; it’s not that much effort to add another 6-8″ of depth and if you’re really anal about it, running the gas pipe inside 2″ – 2 1/2″ schedule 40 or 80 PVC (perforated is best, figure 1/2″ all-the-way-through holes every foot, and cover with 3/4″ gravel) adds another layer of damage protection. Gray electrical PVC, BTW, is Sched 80.
If you go with bigger tanks, spend the bucks to have the house plumbed for propane, especially if you’re building or doing a major remodel. If there’s a basement or crawl space it’s easier, but will probably require a contractor with a gas license; locally, plumbing propane can be done by the propane outfit with no permit required but natural gas requires a permit, licensed contractor and subsequent inspection). Even if all you do is install a 4-port manifold someplace (pro tip: put the pressure regulator at the manifold input – that way you won’t need regulators for each appliance) and leave the individual appliance lines for another time, it saves a lot of work when you want/need to replace the electric stove with a propane one. Tanks can be installed with a Y adapter – one side goes to the house or installed gennie, the other is capped and available for temporary use.
2nd pro tip: if you have natural gas, converting an appliance to propane usually requires only swapping out the metering jets. Check with the appliance mfg. but having a set of propane jets for your appliances – assuming you have a source of propane – is good planning. There’s some work involved in terminating natural gas lines and connecting propane, but it’s not that difficult and it allows using the installed piping.
I’ve found 70 lb tanks are nearly the limit on hand-carried portability. 100 lb tanks are available, but a PITA to move around. A good hand truck helps, but wrestlng in/out of the truck is a chore. 3rd pro tip: If you have 70-100 lb tanks, put in a solid post(s) and secure the tank to the post(s). Ground settles, wind blows, people bump into them.
I love propane! We are remodeling a house & I’m taking note of your suggestions. At the moment, the only propane appliance I have is a cook stove with pilot lights. I was planning on getting another & found out that pilot lights are now illegal. I was told that battery ignition is better than standard electric, but for the life of me, I can’t remember why!
Are you not glad I gave you that Mr Heater adapter?
Have I done nothing but show gratitude to you in this blog by singing your praises??
The one pound propane filler is a good start but it gets more useful when combined with the right fittings to allow it to be used vertically on an inverted tank. You need gather the fittings to make a ninety degree turn and fasten them to the refill adapter. The second thing you need is hemostat to grab the little valve on the one pound tank. The valve on the small tanks is a pressure relief valve not a fill valve. It needs to be pulled gently with the hemostat clamp after the initial inrush of liquid propane from the inverted tank stops. Pulling very gently on the tip of the valve releases a small volume of gas, making room for a like volume of liquid. When you see and hear liquid spitting out of the Schrader valve opening, the tank will be full and have a full one pound of propane in it. I weigh mine and the will weigh about 900 grams or two pounds when full. Write the weight and date on a piece of tape over the cap. The relief valve has to be checked for leaks when you release the end. I use a blob of spit to cover the opening. If it blows a bubble it’s leaking, even a little bubble means you have to pull and release the valve quickly to blow any ice or crud away from the seat inside. Don’t store them indoors for the first day, and check them again. ALWAYS cover the connection at the top with a cap, tape, or anything to keep dust, sawdust and dirt out of the connector. Little bits of crud will kill you appliances. If you have a valve that leaks don’t give up yet. Try popping the valve a few more times. If that doesn’t do the trick, hook the bottle back up to the 5 gallon bottle and let the propane go back into the 5 gallon tank. Then take the empty tank and try tightening the Schrader valve with a tool or with the hemostats. This doesn’t give all the details, but should inspire some to make good use of those empty one pound bottles. If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do this. One last thing, always ground yourself to the tank away from where gas is escaping, don’t make static electricity ignite escaping gas, and wear gloves and eye protection, this stuff can be very cold as well as burn hot.