LPG Question?

[Dustydog]

My half full 15 kgs Calor gas butane heater ,in my very cold workshop , works for a bit and then goes out. It will run on low setting but on high after a few minutes flames out. The other two full cylinders I have work perfectly.
My local dealer tells me the gas in the partial used cylinder is”freezing” stopping the flow of gas to the burner. He says it is too cold?
The ambient temperature in the workshop is circa 30 degs C.
Any thoughts please chaps?

 

[Hutch]

If it's at 30c why do you need a heater.?

 

[RogerL]

"very cold workshop" - "workshop is circa 30 degs C" - is there a contradiction there, or a typo?

Butane should work fine at 30 C - but not at 3 C

 

[Dustydog]

"very cold workshop" - "workshop is circa 30 degs C" - is there a contradiction there, or a typo?

Butane should work fine at 30 C - but not at 3 C

Whoops FFFF🙀🙀🙀

 

[Hutch]

From the old grey cells Butanes boiling point is 31 F. So I think that's what you mean, just changed my gas fire over to a propane bottle and regulator for the same reason.

 

[Hutch]

Horrible vision, DD in his Christmas, Mankini trying to get his fire to flash up in his workshop.🤔🤔

 

[Dustydog]

Thanks Hutch. The caravan is Propane, always. The Workshop Butane. Must be too cold for the gas

 

[JTQ]

The liquid in the bottle self-chills as it evaporates, cooling it even further below the ambient around it. The faster the gas is drawn the greater the chilling, the lower quantity of liquid left, the less mass of liquid to cool so again the quicker things get too cold.
I think I would simply find somewhere warmer to spend your time, but I can understand with the World Cup saturation going on its tempting to escape away from it to the shed.😉

 

[Boff]

JTQ’s explanation is spot on. Look at my avatar and you can see frost on the bottle in use. As this was propane it doesn’t matter and the van stayed warm. It would be a different story with a butane cylinder, as the op found out.

 

[otherclive]

JTQ’s explanation is spot on. Look at my avatar and you can see frost on the bottle in use. As this was propane it doesn’t matter and the van stayed warm. It would be a different story with a butane cylinder, as the op found out.

Makes for a good level indicator too 🙂 Given the right atmospherics.

 

[Raywood]

In the recent weather 30 F seems nearer the mark and would cause the problems reported.

 

[Buckman]

In the recent weather 30 F seems nearer the mark and would cause the problems reported.

Had to do the conversion as have never used Fahrenheit in the past 70 years. Seems it is about 1.1C?

 

[JTQ]

Had to do the conversion as have never used Fahrenheit in the past 70 years. Seems it is about 1.1C?

Your conversion skills seem a tad frozen 😉.

Its minus 1.111 C

 

[Dustydog]

The workshop thermometer is F not C. My original mixed up F&C!

 

[Woodentop]

The quick way to get somewhere near a conversion is to double C and add 30, or the other way subtract 30 from F and halve the result.

 

[JTQ]

The quick way to get somewhere near a conversion is to double C and add 30, or the other way subtract 30 from F and halve the result.

Or for far better accuracy, simply speak nicely to ask Google on your smart phone etc.

 

[Boff]

Or for far better accuracy, simply speak nicely to ask Google on your smart phone etc.

But to be fair at normalish ambient temperatures the quick method is generally close enough to give an idea.