We’re building a house in Northwest Montana and propane is the ‘common gas’ for the area where I will be living. I come from California, and the world of natual gas, so my knowledge of propane is limited to a white tank that I periodically fill for the BBQ.
My question is simple. At a house I built I added a natural gas tap on the patio off the kitchen. I then just hooked up my NG converted BBQ and I never had to deal with propane tanks while I lived there. Can I theoretically do the same thing with a tap on my house’s propane line? The only difference is that it’s propane and not natual gas, and that the outside temperature will drop below zero for at least part of the year. In California, where I live, the temperature never gets below freezing so I never had to worry about it.
It’s not a technical hurdle, for sure. Instead of the little tank you haul to the point of exchange, a truck visits your house and fills the large tank sitting outside (although you may also opt for burying a tank). Unlike NG, which is supplied by the utility company which constructed the distribution system, LP is free market, and you can sign up for service with any provider in your area. The tank will be sized based on anticipated usage. Just make sure that any provisions by your local/state Fire Marshal are observed. They will likely reference NFPA 54, otherwise known as the National Fuel Gas Code.
Are there any disadvantages to an underground storage tank? Do I buy the tank or does the propane company “lend” or “lease” me a tank? Do I have to sign a contract to refill the tank with a particular company or can I shop around for the best price?
The propane company generally owns the tank in return for selling you the propane. They install it, and will replace it it is necessary—all for free. But you must buy your propane from them. (at least that’s the way it is in my parts)
The question I would have is this: What is the standard delivered pressure coming from one of the small refillable tanks; and, what is the pressure your gas grill wants to see?
The reason I say this is that the large tank serving your furnace and water heater has a regulator on it and it is regulated down to around 10"w.c. to around 14"w.c. Those are the inlet pressures that your furnace and WH want to see.
What is the minimum and maximum inlet pressures your grill wants to see?? I dunno. What is the typical pressure of one of those refillable tanks? Once again, I dunno.
Storage tanks are pressure vessels, and as such have to be periodically tested to ensure they are free of flaws. The companies around here simply swap out the tank(s) at the customer location when it’s time for reinspection. I paid no fee when I started service with my provider, and they are the only ones who fill the tank, but I can’t speak with certainty of how vendors in Montana do business.
Underground tanks do present special issues, as soils react with metallic objects buried within. Construction of tanks for burial is different than above ground tanks, including protective coating and other features. A buried tank also needs a system of cathodic protection, such that natural electrolysis will attack the sacrificial anode and not the tank. You’ll have to get some prices from qualified installers and determine if the additional cost of tank burial is warranted.
Plan for filling the tank too. Too far from the road and you’ll have a torn up yard when the tank gets filled. Propane has a higher energy yield than natural gas, so the orifice on appliances are different. The price of propane usually goes up in the fall when farmers are drying crops, so a tank fill before fall is a good plan.
Regarding your query the raindog, gas grilles are looking for the same range of regulated pressure.
In one of those “gee, I wonder if…” moments, I took a gas grille replacement regulator, a 20# bottle of propane, and appropriate FIP x flare fittings, and fired a 40G LP water heater with the setup very nicely.
Standard disclaimers: Do not attempt. Professional plumbers on a closed course. You’ll shoot your eye out.
Where I live, West of St. Louis MO, I rent my tank (250 G) for $18 a year. That’s an above ground tank. If I wanted a buried tank I’d have to buy the tank as well as pay for the burial.
Because I rent the tank, only the company I rent it from will fill it. So I can’t shop around for the best price. That said I use less than one tank a year so don’t feel that I’m getting ripped off too badly. I only use propane to run my gas cook top and a standby generator.
They wanted the tank to be located within 80 feet of a hard surface such as gravel or asphalt.
Your BBQ will need to be converted back to propane gas. There is a small orfice in line just before the burners that must be changed. I think the propane orfice has a larger hole in it for the gas to pass through. Could be a smaller hole though as I am not sure about the size of the hole.
Most, if not all, “gas” appliances you buy will have to be converted to LP, at about $80-$150 bucks each. And then, since the gas valve has been changed, none of the owners/service manuals are exactly right anymore. At least that was my experience, YMMV.
Not that you have a choice, just one more thing to be expecting.
Not true, depending on location. You can walk into Lowe’s or Home Despot (where I live) and buy LP water heaters and other appliances just as readily as you can NG. Appliance dealers and supply houses around here stock both. In a major urban market where LP isn’t a popular fuel source, your statement would be accurate.
When I built my house two years ago, I took the option of setting my heat and hot water up with propane instead of heating oil. I have a 500-gallon buried tank in my back yard, which I own, so I can shop around for the best price. My neighbor has a similar setup, and she had a tap installed in the patio area for a portable gas grill, so it’s definitely possible.
I’ve never had any issues with cold weather and my tank. Note that the top of the tank is about 2-3 feet below grade.
In Wisconsin propane is at almost every farmhouse and new residence. The coldest weather we have does not stop the tank from supplying gas properly for winter heating. I have had problems with little camping cylinders for portable gas grills, but that’s because of the tiny size. The 20 pound tanks still work in the cold of winter.
I built my own house and installed my own LP on-demand water heater. I was running out of cash toward the end of construction, and used a 40lb propane tank with a replacement gas grill regulator I bought from the hardware store to run the water heater. It ran fine above 10F. In the 0F to 10F range, it ran ok for a while, but seemed to lose presure after a few minutes. When it got really cold, I had two 20 lb tanks that I would swap out, keeping one inside to warm up at night, and replacing it when I went to take a shower in the morning. I would not reccomend this approach, as it sucks to have to go out and replace the tank every morning, and it’s not safe to store the tanks inside. I only did it because I had 80lb of propane on-hand and no cash.
The next spring, we had a proper tank installed aboveground (100 galon? it’s about 5 feet high and 2.5 feet in diameter). Runs great even at -20F.
Likely because the insta-hot water heater has such a high flow demand that auto-refrigeration was taking place and the small propane tank couldn’t yield adequate vapor pressure.
