Questions About Propane Gas (fit in, mover, appliances)

[maja]

We just moved into a house that has propane gas which we have no experience with and have several questions. First of all, there are two tanks right next to the house and our mover commented on the fact that he thought that it was dangerous and perhaps illegal to have the tanks right next to the house. He said they were like "bombs" if there were a fire in the house and we should consider having them moved away from the house. Second, we were unable to hook up our gas dryer and were told that we would either need to replace the dryer with an electric one or one that is designed for propane gas rather than natural gas or have the current dryer converted to accomodate propane gas. As I sit here among hundreds of unpacked boxes, and 2 weeks worth of dirty laundry feeling lucky to find even one clean sock, I'm thinking, "Well, maybe if the house blew up, it wouldn't be so bad..." But, then I get grounded and forge on with getting all this figured out...So, any opinions on how dangerous propane tanks are? Do we need to or should have the tanks moved away from the house? Should I replace the dryer with an electric or propane one or simply have it converted to propane and if so who do I call and how much will it cost? TIA

[Bydand]

Convert the dryer to propane. Usually it is just a different jet in the burner, shouldn't be too bad. Talk to the Propane company they should have techs to do that and it shouldn't be too bad cost wise. As for the propane tank exploding, I wouldn't bother moving it. The risk is minute at best, and probably no worse than the thought of having 250 gallons of heating fuel in the basement. Never seen a tank explode, but have seen them blow the relief valve when a fire gets too close. Impressive fire, but not an explosion.

[Maineah]

I'm with bydand here. Your mover must be from the city where metered gas is the norm. There are tens of thousands of propane tanks right next to houses all over New England and very few have ever exploded. We have a 250 pound tank beside our house. Never had a problem with it. We love the gas dryer and I would not cook on an electric stove. The reason they won't hook you up is you need a bigger tank to make gas fast enough for the dryer to use. Dryers need a good volume and a 100 pound tank struggles to make that volume. When I say "make gas" I mean the liquid propane needs to "boil off" which it does readily at room temperatures. Propane is a super cooled ,pressurized liquid, in fact it boils at 43 degrees below zero. When you release gas from the tank the pressure lowers and the liquid inside begins to boil producing the gas we use. You need a bigger tank so the boiling liquid in the tank has enough head room to supply the volume, and pressure, needed for the dryer burner. The few explosions that occur each year usually come from someone storing a 20 pound gas grill indoors and the tank connection leaks or the tank itself is not closed all the way. PROPANE SHOULD ALWAYS BE STORED OUTSIDE! It usually happens in the fall when people put the grills away for the winter. The gas leaks out and stays low on the floor as it is heavier than air. The furnace cycles on and blows the whole house to splinters! It can happen! But it's rare and usually due to negligence.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by maja

We just moved into a house that has propane gas which we have no experience with and have several questions. First of all, there are two tanks right next to the house and our mover commented on the fact that he thought that it was dangerous and perhaps illegal to have the tanks right next to the house.

We have two tanks next to the house [120 gallons each].

Our tanks are 'LPG', I admit that I have never understood the distinction between LPG and propane.

We use gas to fuel our water heater, our dryer and the open hearth fire-pit in our living room. Our first year here we were using that hot water to heat our radiant floors.

... He said they were like "bombs" if there were a fire in the house and we should consider having them moved away from the house.

It is a fairly common sight to see a couple tanks sitting next to a house.

When we lived in Italy, their word for a gas tank is 'Bombola'. During their frequent domestic infighting the tanks are used for that purpose. They are also seen at every home. Small tanks that fit inside the back of small portable room heaters, and larger tanks that sit beside the back of each home.

So long as you do not attach an explosive charge to the side of the tank as a detonator they appear to be fairly safe.

... Second, we were unable to hook up our gas dryer and were told that we would either need to replace the dryer with an electric one or one that is designed for propane gas rather than natural gas or have the current dryer converted to accomodate propane gas. As I sit here among hundreds of unpacked boxes, and 2 weeks worth of dirty laundry feeling lucky to find even one clean sock, I'm thinking, "Well, maybe if the house blew up, it wouldn't be so bad..." But, then I get grounded and forge on with getting all this figured out...So, any opinions on how dangerous propane tanks are? Do we need to or should have the tanks moved away from the house? Should I replace the dryer with an electric or propane one or simply have it converted to propane and if so who do I call and how much will it cost? TIA

Any appliance repair guy will stock the orifice that you need. A few turns of a wrench will remove the current gas orifice and swap it with the appropriate size orifice for your fuel.

It is not a big deal to swap from one fuel to the other.

We also use small propane tanks for our kitchen stove. We like cooking on open flame, and we inherited this stove/oven so we are using it until we get setup with a wood cook stove that my Dw is happy with.

[maja]

Thanks for the feedback. Guess I'll stop digging the trench and give the propane company a call.

[wabanaki]

some people like to bury the tank to keep it out of sight.

Originally Posted by maja

Thanks for the feedback. Guess I'll stop digging the trench and give the propane company a call.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

We have two tanks next to the house [120 gallons each].

Our tanks are 'LPG', I admit that I have never understood the distinction between LPG and propane.

As far as I know LPG IS propane... Liquified Propane Gas

[BoundtofindME]

Originally Posted by starwalker

As far as I know LPG IS propane... Liquified Propane Gas

or liquified petroleum gas

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by starwalker

As far as I know LPG IS propane... Liquified Propane Gas

I believe you are right. Going on memory, I think LPG is the liquid form of propane (with LNG being liquid Natural Gas and a methane base) while propane is the actual gas that "boils" out of the liquid and then is burned.

[forest beekeeper]

When you shift most appliances from using one form of gaseous fuel to another form of gaseous fuel, you commonly need to swap out the jets. One size jet [orifice] or another size.

In our travels, we have had to get our appliance orifices changed to allow continued operation with our appliances.

My Dw's cookstove [which she recently inherited] is old and has variable orifices and an adjustable carburetor for each burner. So it can be fueled using any gaseous fuel. For each burner, I can adjust fuel flow [flame height], and fuel-air mixture [flame colour]. Apparently they stopped making these in the 1930s.