propane ?

[wv hillbilly]

has anyone noticed that their tanks are not emptying completely when using them .
i had one last night that quit while i was in the middle of fixin supper, the flame just went out.
well i went to take it off an i do believe it is still at least half full , but it wouldn't light back up

[permafrost]

Sorry, Hillbilly. Mine seem to be empty when they quit. Weigh them before and after filling or exchange. The empty and full weights are on the side. That should tell you if their emptying completely.

[Bobitis]

I'd say yer regulator is bad. Most likely a stuck diaphragm.

Cheap and easy fix.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by Bobitis

I'd say yer regulator is bad. Most likely a stuck diaphragm.

Cheap and easy fix.

Ya, that is what happened to me.

[wv hillbilly]

i'll try a new regulator

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by wv hillbilly

i'll try a new regulator

Get a good one. Not one from a cheap store. Go to a propane supplier and they will have one that flows good. The difference in a cheap-o and a quality will be several hundred degrees. My BBQ would barely go over 400 degrees. I put a good unit in and it will go 700+ degrees. The steaks are spectacular when the temp guage is maxed out and my wife loves them. The fat on a steak will melt in your mouth. Go quality.

[76Highboy]

The quality regulator will have a larger I.D. for the rubber hose. So then it will be hotter which means you don't have to ryn all the burners to get max heat. With my BBQ now I can run 2 burners just fine. Also, because it gets hotter quicker you get the cooking done quicker so you really don't use any more propane then when it had the cheaper regulator. By the way, most new BBQ's have the cheap requlator.

[Bobitis]

Also...

Make sure the rubber parts are compatible with yer gas.

Folks seem ta think that any rubber hose is good to go. I'm here ta tell ya it just ain't so.

The hose and the rubber parts in the regulator need to be compatible with the gas yer running. Propane and natural gas are not the same when it comes to chemical resistivity. Trust me.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by Bobitis

Also...

Make sure the rubber parts are compatible with yer gas.

Folks seem ta think that any rubber hose is good to go. I'm here ta tell ya it just ain't so.

The hose and the rubber parts in the regulator need to be compatible with the gas yer running. Propane and natural gas are not the same when it comes to chemical resistivity. Trust me.

I went to a propane store and handed them the cheap one and they built me what I needed. No reqrets.

[76Highboy]

Also, don't do the propane exchange program. A 5 gallon propane bottle barely has 2.5 gallons of fuel. It's a rip off.

[medalguy]

Yeah, take your own tank to a propane supplier and have it refilled. Cost is a fraction of the "exchange" at retail stores. That's a big money maker for 'em.

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by wv hillbilly

i'll try a new regulator

Just curious do you use propane for your whole house or just cooking out?

I was a charcoal purist for years, then went to the tanks we'll after running out twice on cookouts I switched to natural gas. Just piped it outside and use it 12 months a year.

Plus natural gas is real cheap now.

[wv hillbilly]

Originally Posted by mjp28

Just curious do you use propane for your whole house or just cooking out?

I was a charcoal purist for years, then went to the tanks we'll after running out twice on cookouts I switched to natural gas. Just piped it outside and use it 12 months a year.

Plus natural gas is real cheap now.

just for the grill outside.
i also have an emergency propane heater that is portable

[wv hillbilly]

Originally Posted by 76Highboy

Get a good one. Not one from a cheap store. Go to a propane supplier and they will have one that flows good. The difference in a cheap-o and a quality will be several hundred degrees. My BBQ would barely go over 400 degrees. I put a good unit in and it will go 700+ degrees. The steaks are spectacular when the temp guage is maxed out and my wife loves them. The fat on a steak will melt in your mouth. Go quality.

i'll see ol Hank Hill
we have a welding/ propane store near by i'll deal with them

[cpttango30]

Originally Posted by 76Highboy

Get a good one. Not one from a cheap store. Go to a propane supplier and they will have one that flows good. The difference in a cheap-o and a quality will be several hundred degrees. My BBQ would barely go over 400 degrees. I put a good unit in and it will go 700+ degrees. The steaks are spectacular when the temp guage is maxed out and my wife loves them. The fat on a steak will melt in your mouth. Go quality.

You know what. I bet that is my problem. The factory one would get my grill up to 700+ deg. It went tits up and I replaced it with one of the universals from Home depot, not I am lucky to get my grill up to 400 deg.

[bobski]

oh grills....
i thought you guys were talking home propane tanks.

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by wv hillbilly

just for the grill outside.
i also have an emergency propane heater that is portable

If you have natural gas available get out the black pipe, some unions and a couple shutoff valves and pipe it in. You can also use copper.

We love ours. We also have gas fireplace logs for emergency heat -and- they look nice.

Also propane is nice for emergency heat -but- I never really trust it 100%, especially in garages or enclosed areas, if you get a leak, incomplete combustion and the like it can be dangerous.

Inspect your tanks often....or do what I did give them away.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by cpttango30

You know what. I bet that is my problem. The factory one would get my grill up to 700+ deg. It went tits up and I replaced it with one of the universals from Home depot, not I am lucky to get my grill up to 400 deg.

Yep, take your entire hose to your local, propane dealer and they will match it and you will heat to 700+ degrees and your steaks will be fantastic.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by wv hillbilly

i'll see ol Hank Hill
we have a welding/ propane store near by i'll deal with them

Yep,,,,,, Yep,,,,, Yep,,,, Gotta love old Hank Hill.

[Bobitis]

Originally Posted by mjp28

If you have natural gas available get out the black pipe, some unions and a couple shutoff valves and pipe it in. You can also use copper.

We love ours. We also have gas fireplace logs for emergency heat -and- they look nice.

Also propane is nice for emergency heat -but- I never really trust it 100%, especially in garages or enclosed areas, if you get a leak, incomplete combustion and the like it can be dangerous.

Inspect your tanks often....or do what I did give them away.

Make sure yer valves are CGA rated. MUST be on the handle.
Other certifiers are UL/FM, but the valve must be CGA certified.

CGA = Canadian Gas Association. We used to have AGA (American Gas Association) but caved to the Canucks as their regulation/rules are better. Good job America.

Bad valve, house burns down, no insurance coverage.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by Bobitis

Make sure yer valves are CGA rated. MUST be on the handle.
Other certifiers are UL/FM, but the valve must be CGA certified.

CGA = Canadian Gas Association. We used to have AGA (American Gas Association) but caved to the Canucks as their regulation/rules are better. Good job America.

Bad valve, house burns down, no insurance coverage.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

That is great advice. I stick with the propane bottle that way if we have a catastrophie we can still cook for quite a while. We keep 4 full bottles and rotate them so I guess I am weird. But well prepared.

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by Bobitis

Make sure yer valves are CGA rated. MUST be on the handle.
Other certifiers are UL/FM, but the valve must be CGA certified.

CGA = Canadian Gas Association. We used to have AGA (American Gas Association) but caved to the Canucks as their regulation/rules are better. Good job America. v

Bad valve, house burns down, no insurance coverage.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Hmmm, ours were put in in 1989, all copper outside under our brick patio, I'm not 100% sure but my late father-in-law got all the stuff and he was very sharp.

Still good question, I always liked the old black gas pipe if it was exposed or could come in contact with a shovel!

I'll have to check those regs out.

[Bobitis]

Originally Posted by mjp28

Hmmm, ours were put in in 1989, all copper outside under our brick patio, I'm not 100% sure but my late father-in-law got all the stuff and he was very sharp.

Still good question, I always liked the old black gas pipe if it was exposed or could come in contact with a shovel!

I'll have to check those regs out.

1989 was before the AGA gave up, but the valve should be identifiable as such.

Also, if anyone is interested in hard piping (steel pipe), there is teflon tape made specifically for gas piping (it's yellow). Yes, it makes a difference.

If yer gonna bury it, there are codes that need to be met in order to identify the piping should it need to be dug up.

I'm not trying to be a know it all or a wise butt. I'm just trying to save y'all some probable grief should something happen.

If yer using rubber hose, pay close attention to the chemical properties. All hose is NOT created equal.

http://www.customadvanced.com/chemic...nce-chart.html

[V509]

I just hooked my grill into my house.
I have 3 of the small tanks and it seemed when ever I wanted to grill all 3 were empty

[ryan42]

Originally Posted by 76Highboy

Yep, take your entire hose to your local, propane dealer and they will match it and you will heat to 700+ degrees and your steaks will be fantastic.

you know whats funny,My dad looks exactly like Hank Hill,when he worked in the factory he wore the white T shirt and had black rimmed safety glasses and I aint kidding its Hank Hill.I wouldnt tell him that though.lol