propane - hookup bbq bottle to house?

[guitfit]

I'm buying a house with an empty 250gal propane tank. I don't want to fill the tank before I own the house, and I don't want to take cold showers until the propane man comes by and fills my tank.

Is it possible to hookup a small 5gal bottle for a couple days using the same fittings attached to the big tank? The "inner thread" on both tanks look similar, and I want to be sure there's not a problem with pressure or the regulator.

thanks!

-edfardos

[hallerb]

small tank cant suppy enough flow. If I were you I would at least partially fill that tank to check for leaks and malfunctions before purchase.

you CERTAIN that heater is good?

[guitfit]

Okay, I could only use one appliance at a time for a while, and probably not use the heater. Would it be sufficient for a water heater? That's the important thing.

I did my inspection a couple of months ago and everything worked. The tank has drained since then (water heater was left on, house is vacant).

So the threads and regulator should be compatible, and I can operate the water heater? If the bottle gets cold, i'm probably overdoing it correct?

thanks again,

-edfardos

[bob kater]

[Stormin Mormon]

I've never personally done it. But I've heard of it being done. Have fun.

Be gentle with the copper tubing, it folds flat or breaks easily.

[Tom G]

Call the Realtor and/or seller and tell them you need to be able to check the furnace and water heater and stove during the walk thru. You're willing to reimburse them at closing for the cost of , say 100 gallons of propane if they go ahead and have it put in. Or have the thing filled and reimburse for the whole tank. After all, you intend to fill it if you go through with the closing and move in. If you find that the above appliances don't work and the seller is not willing to repair or replace them, you don't close and thus don't pay for the propane. Around here, it's customary to settle up at closing for fuel oil or propane left by the seller. Or the seller has the tanks pumped.

Tom G.

[hallerb]

I seriously doubt even a 20 LBS tank would supply a water heater. Might cause it damage if the pressure or flow drops too low.

I used for a time a propane bullet heater at a fire damaged house it was under construction.

I couldnt use a larger heater because they required a BIG tank, the heater had a warning label on it attempting to run this on less than a

100 pound tank can result in a explosion.

something similiar occured in this area today, low natural gas pressure caused a furnace to explode, the gas company had to turn off service to a entire town till it was fixed, very disruptive with temperatures below freezing.......

Your spending how many thousands on the home, spend the bucks for propane and work something out wih the seller.

a 5 pound tank is too small to do anything, its about the size of one used on a propane torch

[J.A. Michel]

Get the tank filled. What you propose is a hassle and won't really work anyhow.

[Philip Lewis]

we use a 20lbs tank on a water heater every year. serves showers for ~10-15 people for a day or two.

Of course, we know nothing about the OPs situation and equipment, so we can't really say if it'll work.

I suspect the guy meant 5 gallon tank, which would be a reasonable eyeball aproximation of a 20lbs tank.

[Toller]

Around here propane tanks are filled prior to the house being sold. That avoids arguing over how much propane is being sold with the house. Maybe the custom varies.

[zxcvbob]

Yes, it should work. (Two tanks would be better.) It will also allow you to test the gas appliances. Someone else already mentioned this; don't ruin the copper tubing when you move the fitting to the little temporary tank.

Best regards, Bob

[guitfit]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll use it strictly for hot water and watch the temperature of the tank (see if it gets cold).

Again, this is just for a couple of days, and it'd be nice to know it'd work in the future if I accidentally drain the big tank again.

The house we're buying is "as-is" and was inspected by a licensed inspector. Everything worked during inspection, the bottle simply drained between then and now. The seller is buying a home warranty with the house, so that covers the hvac and appliances.

thanks again!

--edfardos

zxcvbob wrote:

[m Ransley]

A 20 lb propane tank powers a 150,000 btu roof torch fine . so fine to the point the tank can freeze so I see no reason you can not do it, I think the tank holds maybe 280000 BTU so it will work for a long while.

280000 Btu will heat alot of water, enough for one person for maybe 20-40+ showers

[Goedjn]

Why not?

>

[George]

Just being curious. How are you taking showers in a house you don't own yet?

[BobK207]

I was waffling on whether the 20 lb'r would work on a water heater

so I found a site that gives btu draw capacity as a function of tank size & out side temp

checkout

as a kid I had the brilliant idea to supply a gas bbq off a hand torch cylinder

didn't work, needless to say.

even at 70F a 20 lb'r is under capacity for 150,000 btu torch.....the fact that the tank freezes up is an indication of under capacity.

OTOH a 20 lb'r will supply ~40 kbtu/hr easily

so most medium (~40 gal) sized water heaters would be fine

but a 75 gallon unit could be a problem depending on local temps

btw rule of thumb for propane water heaters

40 gallon, 40,000 btu/hr 75 gallon, 75,000 btu/hr

higher btu/hr, higher recovery rates....lower, lower

cheers Bob

cheers Bob

[gerry]

Have it filled, check everything and pay for contents at closing.

Who own's the tank? In many locations the propane supplier owns the tank. Work it out wit5h them to fill, inspect and be sure it is full at closing.

gerry