ok so some of you will think this is a really stupid question, but i am new to this game. whats the differance between butain and propaine gas, and which one do i use?
gas
- Thread starter markemall
- Start date
Damian
Moderator
Tony, it is not a stupid question!! Until you come to use any portable gas supply, why should you have all the answers?
Basically, without going into tech details, Butane can be suitably described as Summer Time gas, as it stops supplying gas at about 8 degreesC, but burns hotter than Propane.
Propane wil give you gas to a very much lower temperature, so can be classed as a Winter Gas, useful if you use your van all year.
Propane burns a little cooler than Butane, so you need more to achieve the same result.
No doubt someone wil be along to give you the technical details.
Basically, without going into tech details, Butane can be suitably described as Summer Time gas, as it stops supplying gas at about 8 degreesC, but burns hotter than Propane.
Propane wil give you gas to a very much lower temperature, so can be classed as a Winter Gas, useful if you use your van all year.
Propane burns a little cooler than Butane, so you need more to achieve the same result.
No doubt someone wil be along to give you the technical details.
Hello Tony,
Damian's reply puts it into a nutshell, however he is a little pessimistic about butane and cool weather, it should be ok down to about 5 degrees C. Propane LPG would be better choice if you intend to caravan in temperature below 5C. The extra few degrees can make quite a difference.
LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, and bottles of LPG contain liquefied gas at the bottom with vapour above it. The pressure in the bottle is dependant on the temperature of the contents, the warmer it is the higher the pressure and vice-versa.
You can only get gas out of the bottle if its internal pressure is greater than the atmospheric pressure, and you need a bit more to ensure the regulators can work.
When you use gas you are depleting the gas vapour, the liquefied gas inside the bottle has to boil to produce more vapour, and exactly like an aerosol spray, the canister draws heat from its surroundings - our hand for an aerosol, or the air for the LPG. We can tell this because the canister become cooler to the touch.
If there is insufficient heat available to the canister, eventually the contents boils less rapidly, and eventually stops so no more gas vapour is produced. This is exactly the same as a pressure cooker, except at lower temperatures.
The difficulty with Butane is that the pressure inside the bottle drops to atmospheric when the bottle temperature falls to about 0C (32F), and so no gas can be used. Propane on the other hand reaches atmospheric pressure at -40C (-40F), which gives a much better margin during the winter.
Propane is the choice of roofers for their bitumen boilers, How many times have you seen frost on the bottom part of the LPG bottle? Butane just would not cope with the gas take off rates for their burners.
Damian's reply puts it into a nutshell, however he is a little pessimistic about butane and cool weather, it should be ok down to about 5 degrees C. Propane LPG would be better choice if you intend to caravan in temperature below 5C. The extra few degrees can make quite a difference.
LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, and bottles of LPG contain liquefied gas at the bottom with vapour above it. The pressure in the bottle is dependant on the temperature of the contents, the warmer it is the higher the pressure and vice-versa.
You can only get gas out of the bottle if its internal pressure is greater than the atmospheric pressure, and you need a bit more to ensure the regulators can work.
When you use gas you are depleting the gas vapour, the liquefied gas inside the bottle has to boil to produce more vapour, and exactly like an aerosol spray, the canister draws heat from its surroundings - our hand for an aerosol, or the air for the LPG. We can tell this because the canister become cooler to the touch.
If there is insufficient heat available to the canister, eventually the contents boils less rapidly, and eventually stops so no more gas vapour is produced. This is exactly the same as a pressure cooker, except at lower temperatures.
The difficulty with Butane is that the pressure inside the bottle drops to atmospheric when the bottle temperature falls to about 0C (32F), and so no gas can be used. Propane on the other hand reaches atmospheric pressure at -40C (-40F), which gives a much better margin during the winter.
Propane is the choice of roofers for their bitumen boilers, How many times have you seen frost on the bottom part of the LPG bottle? Butane just would not cope with the gas take off rates for their burners.
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