butane & propane heating & cooking questions

[joshb]

My cooker/fridge/ heater run off butane (blue bottles) using a 28mb regulator. last year in Scotland skiing we had an occasion when it got too cold for the gas to work properly, so this year I was planning to use propane ( orange bottles) I am aware i need to change to a 38mb red propane regulator. Will my fridge/cooker/heater at 10mb higher pressure than before? or should i maybe get a post 2004 standard 30mb regulator? Also I would need to remote mount the regulator as space is tight in my gas compartment ( the campingaz cylinders are smaller) is that an acceptable solution? if so where do you get a hose and stuff with the correct connections etc .. cheers

[Bowton Lad]

The flexible gas hose can be bought from good camping retailers eg. Riversway Leisure in Preston & no doubt Towsure in Sheffield & other locations.
At what temperature does Butane stop vapourising? I have heard/read about this problem but no one has actullay come up with a specific temperature. Apparently it has to be very cold but how cold is ''very'', bearing in mind that the gas bottle is usually inside the camper?

[joshb]

I read it starts to have troubles after -2

[VWCamperfan]

Butane about -2
Propane -40

Thats why I use propane!

[dwayne]

It's when it gets close to the boiling point that trouble begins
butane = -0.5 http://encyclopedia.airliquide.com/Ency ... sp?GasID=8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Propane = - 42.1 http://encyclopedia.airliquide.com/Ency ... eneralData" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[lloyd]

It's when it gets close to the boiling point that trouble begins
butane = -0.5 http://encyclopedia.airliquide.com/Ency ... sp?GasID=8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Propane = - 42.1 http://encyclopedia.airliquide.com/Ency ... eneralData" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Keep in mind that tanks will be colder then ambient temp because as gas is used the tank cools.

As for regulator change...
Our camper came with both butane and propane bottles and regulators. Butane reg is 28mb, propane is 37mb. Spec for our Truma heater is 28mb butane/37mb propane. I would assume from that all appliances work on same. At -10 temps it runs most of the time. Yours should say on heater spec plate. We use butane in Europe, but propane here and have no problem with appliances. Can't remember any difference in flame on hob... Took Billy's (stuckin88) (previous owner) advice and only use butane in Europe.

Do know that German propane regulators are higher pressure..50mb I believe.

50 millibars = 0.725188689 pounds per square inch
37 mb = 0.53663963 psi
28 mb = 0.406105666 psi

[1664]

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for this but my understanding was that the mB rating on the regulators was related to the pressure of the gas in the bottle and both regulators would restrict the pressure of the gas to the appliances at approximately the same mB so all appliances could run on both.

[mrted]

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for this but my understanding was that the mB rating on the regulators was related to the pressure of the gas in the bottle and both regulators would restrict the pressure of the gas to the appliances at approximately the same mB so all appliances could run on both.

Thats my understanding too, its the pressure the regulator can cope with, not the output pressure.

John

[lloyd]

Regulator is to lower the pressure coming from tank to what is needed to run appliances/heater. The mb rating of regulator is the pressure it supplies, not the pressure of tank. Higher pressure in tank then in line... much higher. Not sure what the exact pressure tanks hold, but lpg requires 12.2 bar (177 psi) of pressure to keep it liquid at 37.8 °C (100 °F).

[joshb]

yes as Lloyd said the regulator does exactly what is says on the tin. -same as a fuel regulator would with fuel. without it pressure would be way high! I am wondering whether to use a post 2004 spec regulator which can be used with propane or butane. it regulates the pressure to 30mb

[Willoughby]

Hi

In reality Butane starts to give up the ghost around +5°C. Even in a well insulated van.
I didn't have any issues swapping over. I have a standard two ring burner, RM122 fridge and a carver SB1800.

K