My neighbour has a Calor propane tank that is currently disconnected but it 's full of propane. Calor will remove the tank but won't reimburse him for the gas. His gas supply is now from 19kg propane bottles. If he buys a flex i connector to connect the tank to a bottle, is there any reason why he won 't be able to fill his propane bottles from the tank? I assume the pressure in the tank is not higher than the bottles so I can't think of a problem.
The problem is that it is very easy to overfill the bottle, and can very quickly damage the tap on the bottle. Self filling is one of the leading reasons why I now have to check that the valve on *every* bottle I buy does actually turn off the gas. It also bypasses the routine checking that Calor do on their bottles.
Also, the gas tank will have a takeoff point at the top, to deliver gas to the pipework, whereas to refill a propane bottle, you need a liquid feed, so it won't work anyway.
Odd. FloGas would repay 50% of "new" value for any gas remaining in the tank when they took our old one away. I'm sure Calor said they do likewise.
The tank has a high pressure takeoff point (with the reverse thread) exactly the same as the one on the top of the bottle. The regulator has been removed, so I should think it should be possible.
I guess the best way to prevent overfilling would be to do it on a set of scales and only put about 10kg in.
So how does overfilling damage the valve?
Regarding the inspection, I suppose he could buy a bottle every so often.
The high pressure takeoff at the top of the tank will only supply gas, the only way to get the liquid feed you need to refill a propane bottle is to be draw the liquid from the bottom of the tank.
From memory, I believe that propane bottles are filled with liquid propane under a high pressure, and that then evaporates into a gas as the valve is opened to feed the appliances. What you would be try is simply transfer gas from one container into another at a relatively low pressure and no means of venting the inert air from the bottle whuch isn't going to work successfully.
Just out of curiosity, why can't the original tank be reconnect and the gas used?
Its mopre the repeated filling that does it.
If he were to refill once, then return the bottle as normal in exchenge for a full one, then there shouldn't be a problem, assuming, as I said in my other reply, that he can actually get a liquid feed from the tank. As Calor go to some lengths to ensure that no liquid can accidentally come out of the tank via the mormal route, I cant see it working.
When you fill you car with LPG, the tank in the filling station is designed to supply liquid, not gas, otherwise you'd only get a few yards before running out.
OK. Looks like it might be a nonstarter then! The tank is a long way from the house and all the steel pipework is all corroded so not easy to reconnect it.
His easiest solution would be a find a way to temporarily connect and use the content in the normal way. To transfer propane you would need to draw it from the bottom of the big tank so that you get the liquefied PG gas and not gaseous phase PG. With a bottle, one can do this by inverting it. Probably not so easy with an installed tank.
How "full" is full?
Do they remove the tank for free? Maybe they use the gas recovered and resold to cover that cost.
As others have said both connections only deal with gas to make an effective transfer you need to move the liquid. This has to be done under high pressure to keep the liquid liquid, that's always assuming you can get at the liquid gas in the bulk tank, which I doubt.
As you say further on both the bulk and small bottles have the same connector why not just connect the bulk tank in place of the bottle until it runs out? Is the old old LP pipe suitable for HP (still leak check it mind). How far is it? Long lengths of new high pressure hose are frowned on but ...
Simplest answer would be to find someone to reconnect it.
Tim
I agree, A temporary low pressure pipe wouldn't be that expensive to hook up.
Why use bottled gas anyway? Bulk is cheaper.
BTW you can buy refillable propane cylinders, and get them re filled from the same place that refuels LPG cars.
Mike
OP says the regulator has been removed...
Of course one could get another and run new temporary LP hose to the system and bypass the regulator there. Probably better than a long HP run.
If the tank caught fire, would the house insurance cover the gas?
Or wait until the spring and attach a hose to the tank for use with a garden flame-thrower etc.
Owain
I don't think I'd like to find out what happens with a thousand litres of LPG goes up.
The problem is the gas is stored as a liquid. It is used domestically by gassing off the propane with a top connection.
To get the liquid out to fill a cylinder you need either a dip tube or a bottom connection which you won't have.
Liquid ((for ICE fuel tanks etc) is usually transferred by means of a pump to speed things up. In this case the special tank with bottom connection is provided.
The normal flexi connector BTW is for gas, not liquid transfer. For liquid you need a special high pressure hose and connectors.
He would need a pressure reducing valve on the tank.
The problem is that the tank is about 200m away from the house and there is a road in between! Replacing the pipework, even temporarily would require digging up the road and about 30m of tarmac.
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