Propane Cylinder Size – Choosing

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Propane Cylinder Size – Choosing

This topic has 10 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 22 May 2010 at 18:08 by Les Jones 1.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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21 May 2010 at 17:50 #51941
Steven Vine
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@stevenvine79904
I need some help deciding on the right size propane cylinder to use for general silver soldering jobs in the home workshop.

I will be using the Sievert PMPX kit. I envisage having to use the 4 bar 12kw, 25kw, and 43kw burners at 4 bar on occasion. The first job will be a simple 5 inch copper cornish type boiler. Other jobs are likely to be silvering solder parts, to fist size lumps of mild steel.

I already have a 15kg Butane cylinder. I was hoping to do a direct exchange (without having to buy another agreement) for another Group A Calor cylinder, either the 3.9kg propane or the 13kg propane.I fancy the 3.9kg because it is portable, but was wondering if it is too small and would suffer the inconvenience of quickly running out of gas?.

The 6kg propane cylinder looks ideal, but it is in Group B and requires another one off £30 agreeement charge, so I am discounting that one at the moment. (unless this is THE one to get?)

What cyclinder size are you using in your home workshop? What cyclinder size can you recommend? Is the 3.9kg cyclinder too small? Should I get the 6kg size? Is the 13kg overkill?. Have you experienced freezing with the small size cylinder, or the bigger cylinders come to that?

Many thanks in anticipation of your reply.

Steve
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21 May 2010 at 17:50 #5072
Steven Vine
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@stevenvine79904
21 May 2010 at 19:05 #51943
Les Jones 1
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@lesjones1
Hi Steve,

I wave just done a search on the web for maximum take off rates. I found that a 13 kg propane cylinder has a maximum recommended take of rate of 15 KW Even a 47 KG cylinder is only recommended for 34 KW I have used a 3.9 KG cylinder with a blow torch for many years but I think the largest burner would be about 10 KW. You could try to find a 6 kg cylinder on Ebay to save on the deposit.. It might be worth considering using insulating fire brick or ceramic fibre blanket to insulate the boiler rather than use 43 KW of heat. There has been on ongoing topic on silver soldering boilers but I can not remember the thread title. There is some useful information there if you can find it.

Les.
21 May 2010 at 20:15 #51945
Les Jones 1
Participant
@lesjones1
Hi Steve,

The title of the thread I mentioned in my last reply is “Boiler making hearth”
Les.
21 May 2010 at 20:32 #51946
dixie
Participant
@dixie
Hi Steve Dont know if it is just with the local supplier here but the last time I needed a refill was told 8.2kgs is now the smallest produced. Still quite portable.
22 May 2010 at 11:27 #51973
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
It is possible to feed say two or three or more bottles via a manifold, there by getting a high rate of feed from smaller bottles. Ian S C
22 May 2010 at 13:19 #51980
KWIL
Participant
@kwil
If you put the empty one on the manifold and invert the large one that is full above the manifold, the lower one refills miraculously so it would appear.
22 May 2010 at 13:40 #51982
Steven Vine
Participant
@stevenvine79904
Thanks Dixie. Prompted by that I rang a local supplier and they do the Calor 3.9kg/6kg/13kg etc. These sizes are listed on the Calor site. Looks like that supplier near you may have chosen not to stock the sizes, or maybe it is not Calor?
22 May 2010 at 14:09 #51984
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
KWIL, thats how I fill my small cylinders, the local filling station charges $NZ7 min for small cylinders, even if you only get$5 worth of gas.Ian S C
22 May 2010 at 15:06 #51987
Steven Vine
Participant
@stevenvine79904
Hi Les

Thanks, I looked at those take off rates as well, and that was
when I started to get confused about this. If a 47kg cylinder will only
do 34kw, then what the hell do you need for a 43kw burner? I think I am
missing
something here. Although not recommended by Calor, maybe the 3.9kg
cylinder will deliver enough for a 43kw burner, but will go cold
and lose pressure, or run out quickly.

I’m now thinking, maybe I will get a 3.9kg cylinder to start with and see if
that 10kw burner will do me. If I have to I can then try bigger burners on it and see what happens . If the cylinder proves too small then I can always exchange it for a 13kg.

That link was interesting, and lead to some backyard hearth photos with 13kg bottles on a big burner, and what looked like a 3.9kg cyclinder on a 12kw burner. Thanks.

Any other comments will be welcomed.

Steve
22 May 2010 at 18:08 #51993
Les Jones 1
Participant
@lesjones1
Hi Steve,

To get more than the maximum output of one cylinder you need to connect a number of cylinders to a manifold. Even if you can get the 43 KW output from a 3.9 kg cylinder (Possibly by putting it in a tank of warm water.) then it will not last very long. look on the web to convert 43 KW to KG per hour of propane. It would not be very good to run out of gas part way through the work on your boiler.

Les.
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