Propane Tips for Your Fourth of July Parties – PT 5

Propane grills are the grills of choice for discriminating backyard chefs everywhere and this Fourth of July will be no different. Whether you’ll be traveling to the beach or grilling at home, make sure you’re ready for your cookout. Don’t get caught at the last minute. Make sure you remember to plan ahead by stopping by our office on Mercer Street in Dripping Springs to get your propane bottles filled.

After all, you’re probably planning your menu and getting ready for the family cookout.
It’s that time of year where all across America, families will be hosting parties to celebrate Independence Day plus enjoy the time honored tradition of fellowship, fun, and great food.

According to the PBS show Barbecue America, “Propane grills heat up fast so you can get your food on the grill quickly and you are able to manage precise temperatures, providing you the flexibility to prepare a variety of dishes.”

With over 63% of Americans who grill using propane grills, now is the time to share a few good tips for getting the most from your grill on the Fourth of July. Also, keep in mind that if you are shopping for a grill, propane is your efficient and green choice. The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes propane as a clean-burning gas that releases 105 times less carbon monoxide than charcoal.

Green, clean, and tasty! Now more than ever, propane answers the call.

Question: My question has to do with grilling. I have heard that given the fact that propane is safe, that I can actually disconnect a cylinder and change cylinders while the grill is in operation, is this true?

Terry Garnett: No, it’s not true. When you change cylinders, turn the grill off.

Question: Dear Mr. Garnett, We are going camping. Is there a problem leaving our filled cylinder inside our truck?

Terry Garnett: Propane cylinders should never be left inside if they have any product in them. Never put a propane cylinder inside a building, unless it is empty and has never had propane in it.

Question: I understand that propane cylinders have valves and everything like that, and of course, I would think that’s where the leaks would happen, is there any problem if my propane cylinder gets dented?

Terry Garnett: Propane cylinders are inspected when they are filled and they are inspected for dents, abrasions, rusting, pitting and other regulatory conformity. If the licensed personnel filling the cylinder discovers a dent or anything else that presents a safety issue, they will not fill the bottle. The bottle will be condemned.

Question: When I’m not using my grill, it sometimes sits for a long time and uh, is there anything available that I can get to put on the tips there to kind of keep dirt and things out of the grill ends?

Terry Garnett: Just keep your grill covered and you will be fine.

Question: I read that there’s leak detection solution for my propane grill that can be purchased at a local propane gas supplier. What is a leak detection solution?

Terry Garnett: A lead detection solution is basically a liquid that will bubble when poured on a propane leak. When I was kid we used soapy water.

Propane Tips for Your Home and Business – PT 3

This is the third installment of a series of propane tips that will be posted to assist our friends and neighbors in getting the most from their propane energy systems.

Question: My family has just built our first new home. We have been very blessed.  We put a lot of money into this home and we want to do everything top notch.  Now, is there any advantage to finding a more expensive pressure release valve for my propane tank?  Are there different grades of propane pressure release valves?

Terry Garnett: I think what you’re referring to is a Pressure Relief Valve. The propane relief valve is a safety feature on the tank. It is designed to discharge excess pressure in the tank. They are all set to discharge at 250#s PSI. If you have a problem with a relief valve, for example, you don’t feel it’s discharging or it’s discharging to early, have your provider, who is licensed, effect that change.

Question: I’ve read that according to the EPA, that much of the sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere that produces acid rain is attributed to coal fired and electricity generated facilities.  How dangerous is propane regarding the pollution and acid rain in the atmosphere?

Terry Garnett: Propane is a fossil fuel and very environmentally friendly.

Question: Dear Mr. Garnett, I have read that propane is actually used quite a bit in our farming for the irrigation pumps and generators and everything like that.  Is propane actually used, how important is it?  Roughly what percentage is used our farm system?

Terry Garnett: Actually 80%, of our farms use propane in their operations today.

Question: Help me settle a debate with a co-worker, is propane more compact as a liquid or as a gas?

Terry Garnett: Great question, propane is purchased, delivered, and stored in a liquid form.  So what you buy is a liquid.  What you have in your tank is a liquid.  What is utilized is a vapor that’s achieved when propane leaves the system and goes through the regulator.   The expansion rate from liquid to vapor is 282 parts to one, so a little bit of liquid makes a lot of vapor. Propane is more compact in liquid form.

Question: When my propane provider delivers propane in a truck, are they putting a liquid or a gas into my tank?

Terry Garnett: They are putting a liquid into your tank.  What you are purchasing in gallons is liquid gallons.  And what you are using in your home is a vapor.

Question: It’s getting into the season where we like to do a lot of cooking outside and I like to cook steaks on the grill.  I’d like the cooking to move along.  Is there any kind of problem, I mean, if I’m spraying lighter fluid on the grill that’s a propane grill?

Terry Garnett: Probably not a good idea. Remind me to not have you cook for me.