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.

Propane Tips for Your Home and Business – PT 1

Learning how to maximize the efficiency of propane for your home or business is key for optimizing your energy requirements. As the #1 propane provider for Central Texas for over 30 years, Terry Garnett’s Propane receives numerous email and telephone requests for information and propane tips.

This is the first 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: Is it all right if it’s a cold weather snap to use my stove as a space heater, in the short term, if I’m out of propane?  Is that safe?

Terry Garnett: Never use any type of an appliance other than for its recommended and intended use.  It is a safety issue. Please always follow manufacturer recommendations on all gas appliances.

Question: How often should I have my propane appliances tested by a qualified technician?

Terry Garnett: There is no magic number. I recommend having your entire system checked at least once a year by a qualified and  licensed technician. An annual pressure test of your propane lines is a sound investment.

Question: One thing that we are interested in at my home is that we want to have a green environment; does propane contaminate soil or water?

Terry Garnett: Propane is one of the cleanest fossil fuels available today. It is non abrasive to soil and water.

Question: Compared with the tanks that are used for ethanol, methanol, and gasoline, are the propane tanks actually more volatile or puncture prone or how does the safety of a propane cylinder stack up with a gas can?

Terry Garnett: Propane tanks are very safe and their construction heavily regulated. They are not puncture prone, and comparing them to a gas can is like comparing a Volvo to a unicycle.

Question: I don’t really plan on doing any of the work myself.  Is it really important to know where my gas service lines are?

Terry Garnett: It’s always good to know where your tank is and where your gas service lines are.  Know where the shut off to your system is and how to shut it off. Remember ALWAYS locate your gas line before you dig.

Question: We read on the Internet we could buy an electronic leak detector.  Is that a scam or is that really such a thing?

Terry Garnett: There are propane gas detectors, and they are great if you or others in your home have difficulty smelling propane, or if appliances are in little-used areas in your home where the smell of propane might not be detected. Detectors can provide an additional measure of security.

Propane gas detectors are designed to sound an alarm if they sense the presence of propane. Their operation does not depend on the concentration of odorant in the air, just the propane concentration at the detector.

Be sure the units you buy are listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). To be sure propane gas detectors operate properly, install and maintain them as the manufacturer recommends.

But more importantly trust your nose. Never ignore the smell of propane, even if no detector is sounding an alarm to signal the presence of propane. However, if a detector is sounding an alarm, treat it as an emergency and act immediately, even if you do not smell the propane.

Even if you install gas detectors, have a qualified service technician inspect your propane system and propane appliances periodically.

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