Board logo

Propane bottle fitting help please
Antnicuk - 7/12/10 at 08:45 PM

Hi all,
I have just bought a space heater to keep things above freezing in the workshop. I also managed to get hold of a propane bottle that is full but the bottle has an unusual male fitting with a course thread with only a couple turns. The space heater has a regulator with the conventional male fine thread rounded type. I think the bottle came from a forklift if that helps.

Can i buy a converter or or a regulator to fit so i can use the bottle?

arcwelding01 - 7/12/10 at 08:55 PM

Hi mate you have got an flt cylinder it has inside wot they call a dip tube so it's liquid take off only you shouldn't be able to get an adaptor and if you do please don't use that cylinder on your space heater.

Sorry that's not wot you wanted to hear but best be safe,
Cheers
Martin.

Antnicuk - 7/12/10 at 09:01 PM

oh, thanks for that, how would the dip tube work then, most propane forklifts i have seen have the bottle horizontally in the back. I should have mentioned the bottle is a calor gas bottle.

arcwelding01 - 7/12/10 at 09:13 PM

Yeah is dose not really matter who's it is the cylinder is designed for liquid take off not vapour one tip though with space heaters the bigger or more cylinders you have the more efficient it will burn.

Bigheppy - 7/12/10 at 09:13 PM

If the bottle you have is for use on a forklift, basically the dip tube goes to the 'bottom' of the bottle and supplies LIQUID to the engine, the type of bottle used on a space heater supplies gas which has been changed from the liquid in the space above which is why the cylinder must be upright.

Antnicuk - 7/12/10 at 09:26 PM

thats very strange, i have heard that the bigger the bottle the better, ie, if the bottle is twice the size, it will last more than twice as long. Not sure how that works.

BenB - 7/12/10 at 09:57 PM

Surely if it's got a dip tube so it takes the liquid from the bottom rather than the gas from the top you can just tip the tank upside down and you get the gas from the bottom (now the top)

BES are good for these kind of gas connectors...

slingshot2000 - 7/12/10 at 10:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by arcwelding01
Hi mate you have got an flt cylinder it has inside wot they call a dip tube so it's liquid take off only you shouldn't be able to get an adaptor and if you do please don't use that cylinder on your space heater.

Sorry that's not wot you wanted to hear but best be safe,
Cheers
Martin.

You are getting this kind of advice from somone who sells welding equipment and therefore may be qualified to give warning against the use of propane gas bottles as you suggest, but you still want to go ahead and ignore this advise?



[Edited on 7/12/10 by slingshot2000]

v8kid - 7/12/10 at 11:09 PM

It's the darwin principle at work!

Prob would try it meself tho

slingshot2000 - 8/12/10 at 12:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by v8kid
It's the darwin principle at work!

Prob would try it meself tho



But we are letting them breed, we should make them drive around without seatbelts. but insist that they have a r6''razor sharp needle sticking out from the middle of their steering wheels !!

rachaeljf - 8/12/10 at 04:14 AM

Antnic, you should find an arrow painted on the bottom of the bottle with the words "this way up" or similar. This ensures the dip tube is at the bottom when it's fitted to the fork lift. As I recall from my school days, letting liquid get through to a gas burner can give spectacular results. Please take the experts' advice and use the correct bottle!

Regarding the bigger bottles lasting longer, when there is some liquid still in the bottle the gas pressure will be more or less constant as the liquid level drops down. This is the vapour pressure of the fuel in question, which varies only with the ambient temperature. When the liquid phase finally runs out, a bigger bottle, being a bigger reservoir, will last a bit longer before the gas pressure drops too low to be useable.

Cheers R

BenB - 8/12/10 at 09:41 AM

I'm not saying he shouldn't take the experts advice, just curious why flipping the tank upside down won't have the desired effect.
I'm uber cautious. As they say, be extra careful when doing stupid things.

rachaeljf - 8/12/10 at 12:31 PM

Ben, what you say is correct I suppose. One could stand the offending bottle upside down or on its side with the arrow pointing the opposite way. The only issue is that the bottles are easier to stand upright than upside down, and they can roll if they are left on their side.

It seems easier and safer to go and swap the bottle for the correct type, assuming he came by it "legally"!

Cheers R

Antnicuk - 8/12/10 at 07:33 PM

thanks guys, dont worry, i have heard enough, i wont be using the bottle, i have just built the workshop, i dont want to blow its bl00dy doors off just yet! thanks for the info.
It also makes sense that the bigger bottles last longer in comparison.

Its definitely legal, well from my point of view it is, i won it on ebay! seemed like a genuine seller. Never mind. I might see if a gas bottle seller will exchange it for a normal type and i just pay for the gas, at least i dont have to pay a new deposit of £30 odd quid.

907 - 8/12/10 at 10:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Antnicuk

I might see if a gas bottle seller will exchange it for a normal type and i just pay for the gas, at least i dont have to pay a new deposit of £30 odd quid.




My local Calor dealer takes any Calor bottle.

I have changed a Butane (blue) Super Ser cylinder for a 47kg Propane (red) with no charge.

Cheers
Paul G