Which Gas Cylinder

[X Alan W]

You would not be able to use the one, regulator for both types of gas, even if the pressure was the same ( which it isn"t ) as the propane bottle requires a male threaded end on the regulator( bottle end) LHT & the butane a female LHT

[jonathanA]

originally butane bottles had a screw thread then some time ago (25 years ?) they moved to the clip on type I still have an adapter to convert screw type regulators to clip on type....

 

are the small dumpy (4.5Kg) bottles still screw on ?

 

in terms of pressures IIRC propane is typically 38 mBar and Butane 28, but I have seen propane regulators at 50mBar. The point is this is millibars - i.e thousandths of a 'BAR' where a bar is about 15lb/sq inch so changing from one to the other isn't going to make much difference to the physical pipework IMHO.

 

over the years I have swapped any number of camping/industrial type gas appliances from butane to propane and vice versa without any problem.

 

its worth noting that propane provides a higher temperature flame than butane and so gives more heat.

 

this is just based on my direct personal experience and not any 'professional' comment.

[Guest]

Has anyone here got a refillable gas tank built in to their boat, something like an LPG powered car?

I have heard of these in motorhomes as they can be filled on a forecourt with an LPG pump. Never heard of one in a boat as I don't know of anywhere you could fill it.

[Alan de Enfield]

I suppose if you had a gas powered car you could pull up close to the boat and connect a pipe (with a correct fitting at each end) and transfer from car to boat.

 

A bit like you can with tyres.(obviously air - not LPG)

[wreckferret]

we have 2x19kg propane in the locker and use flo-gas.

Each bottle will last 3 - 4 months so availability isnt a problem, and we get them delivered to the boat for £25 - 28 per bottle depending on supplier (so much cheaper than calor its a no brainer)

A fixed LPG tank would be good if you could get it filled, we have one on the expedition trailer and it beats bottles hands down........

[Jim Riley]

There are self fillable gas bottles available, seen in caravan magazine. Not cheap.

[wreckferret]

^^^^ youre not wrong ^^^^

[blackrose]

You do if you check it from time to time (there is a red telltale). If you can't be bothered to check it, you deserve a cold shower!

 

I check ours once every 6 months or so, not exactly taxing. If it shows red I get a new cylinder.

 

Considering my gas usage is twice yours I would have to check it more often than that. It's not taxing but it is easy to forget, so personally I'd much rather have a manual valve. Again it's down to personal choice.

Edited October 17, 2014 by blackrose

[jonathanA]

i thought the BSS had an irrational phobia of refillable LPG bottles and you had to remove them from your boat before the examiner would set foot on it ?

[rasputin]

originally butane bottles had a screw thread then some time ago (25 years ?) they moved to the clip on type I still have an adapter to convert screw type regulators to clip on type....

 

are the small dumpy (4.5Kg) bottles still screw on ?

 

in terms of pressures IIRC propane is typically 38 mBar and Butane 28, but I have seen propane regulators at 50mBar. The point is this is millibars - i.e thousandths of a 'BAR' where a bar is about 15lb/sq inch so changing from one to the other isn't going to make much difference to the physical pipework IMHO.

 

over the years I have swapped any number of camping/industrial type gas appliances from butane to propane and vice versa without any problem.

 

its worth noting that propane provides a higher temperature flame than butane and so gives more heat.

 

this is just based on my direct personal experience and not any 'professional' comment.

Yes the propane and butane 4.5kg bottles are both screw on but a different screw on, and I agree with the rest of your post.

 

Except I thought Butane had a higher calorific value than propane, so you get more wack for your punch from the butane.

Edited October 17, 2014 by rasputin

[John Williamson 1955]

But, I do have an adjustable regulator so it would be possible.

You'll only be able to use the adjustable regulator until your next BSS inspection, as the specification prohibits them, according to the guy that did mine last year.

 

Section 7.7.6/R "LPG regulators must not be of the manually-adjustable type. Notes – Manually-adjustable regulators are acceptable for steam boiler or blowlamp engine-start LPG supply systems. Regulators able to be adjusted upon removal of a ‘tools-to-remove’ dustcap are acceptable."

[X Alan W]

originally butane bottles had a screw thread then some time ago (25 years ?) they moved to the clip on type I still have an adapter to convert screw type regulators to clip on type....

 

are the small dumpy (4.5Kg) bottles still screw on ?

 

in terms of pressures IIRC propane is typically 38 mBar and Butane 28, but I have seen propane regulators at 50mBar. The point is this is millibars - i.e thousandths of a 'BAR' where a bar is about 15lb/sq inch so changing from one to the other isn't going to make much difference to the physical pipework IMHO.

 

over the years I have swapped any number of camping/industrial type gas appliances from butane to propane and vice versa without any problem.

 

its worth noting that propane provides a higher temperature flame than butane and so gives more heat.

 

this is just based on my direct personal experience and not any 'professional' comment.

I think you will find most UK appliances are 28 mb for butane & 32mb for propane the German manufactured cooker in my Camping Car( French manufacture)is rated at 50mb but works perfectly well on 32 mb pressure as does the hot water heater & blown air heating running on GPL( auto gas, which I understand to be a mix of the two although I don"t know the % of each ) from a refillable tank. I was led to believe that Butane was the better calorific value ( but stand corrected if not so)

[Phil Ambrose]

Butane 3200 btu's per cu ft

Propane 2500 btu's per cu ft

Phil

[jonathanA]

Butane 3200 btu's per cu ft

Propane 2500 btu's per cu ft

Phil

Thanks Phil I stand corrected

 

Although you see more propane heaters than butane ?

[Murflynn]

Jan and I have a standing joke about how our boat has been secretly plumbed into the mains given the length of time between changes..it does seem good value given how much we pay for gas at home.

Reminds me of the early days when the natural gas transmission network was built. There was a legend that a gang of Irish workers promised a farmer that they would arrange a (illegal) connection to the 150bar pressure 36" main they were constructing through his fields. They buried a large propane bottle near the farmhouse and piped it in with a lot of hose. Farmer was well happy ..... for about 6 months.

[Dar Kuma]

Industrial adjustable regulators aren't allowed on boats.

 

you call that floating caravan a boat,Loool

[Southern Star]

Thanks Phil I stand corrected

 

Although you see more propane heaters than butane ?

I think butane tends to stop working at very cold temperatures, although mine seems to work perfectly if I sit the canister on top of the Woodman stove for half an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calm down, it was a JOKE!

[Alan Saunders]

Butane 3200 btu's per cu ft

Propane 2500 btu's per cu ft

Phil

Thank you, but I buy bottled gas by Kg of liquid gas. From the Calor Gas website 13Kg of propane is £27.25 and 15Kg of Butane £34.99 - each supplied in exactly the same size of cylinder - some Calor propane cylinders are blue (Butane) overpainted red.

 

engineeringtoolbox.com has butane at 45,750 - 49,510 and propane at 46,350 - 50,350 Kj/Kg. Chances are that you get the same Kj or Kw per £ from Calor butane or propane.

 

In my experience a 13Kg propane cylinder (contained in a 'gas locker') may freeze when supplying a 5/6Kw ch boiler. Larger cylinders, or two in parallel, will heat a country cottage without problems. Using a gas oven (3Kw), grill (2.5K) and hob (1Kw) for an hour or two is not a problem.

 

Most nb's have a gas locker accomodating just two 13Kg propane cylinders. There was a time when I could lug a full cylinder (25Kg) the length of the gunwhale but now I find it hard to get that half a hundred-weight across the gangplank.

 

HTH, Alan

[Phil Ambrose]

Hmm, never had a problem with my 7.5kw gas boiler supplying my NB central heating and as for the weight well I'm about to hit 69 but can cope with lugging a couple of bottles down a finger mooring, get them in a dinghy, row across to my boat and hoik them out onto the quayhead on the other side. They are more awkward then heavy.

Phil