Filling propane tank for generator

[Donald]

I see a 48 gallon propane tank a neighbor wants to sell cheap. This is the normal kind of tank a propane company fills at your house. I assume I will not have a problem having a company fill it at my house. It does not have to be a tank of theirs?

This should get me some hours on my generator.

 

[Chris142]

Before they fill it they will want to test it.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Before they fill it they will want to test it.


I was told they just visually observe it for major rust, dents and missing parts. Unlike a scuba tank where they hydro test it.

 

[JimPghPA]

Be sure it is 48 gallons and not 48 pounds.

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BTU heat content of a gallon of propane is less than that of a gallon of gasoline. And your generators engine (unless it is designed to run on propane from the initial design or you had the compression ratio modified for propane) will NOT produce full power, so the generator will be limited to something like 80 percent of rated power.

The heat content of a gallon of propane is 0.765 x that of a gallon of gasoline. So 48 x 0.765 = 36.72 gallons of gasoline.

So expect 48 gallons of propane to run you generator for the same amount of time that 36.72 gallons of gasoline would.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Be sure it is 48 gallons and not 48 pounds.

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BTU heat content of a gallon of propane is less than that of a gallon of gasoline. And your generators engine (unless it is designed to run on propane from the initial design or you had the compression ratio modified for propane) will NOT produce full power, so the generator will be limited to something like 80 percent of rated power.

The heat content of a gallon of propane is 0.765 x that of a gallon of gasoline. So 48 x 0.765 = 36.72 gallons of gasoline.

So expect 48 gallons of propane to run you generator for the same amount of time that 36.72 gallons of gasoline would.


Its a Winco 5KW but 2X as heavy duty looking as my 5KW Powermate. I am sure it was propane from the factory.

It physically looks larger than my 100 lb tank (22 gallons), so I believe its 48 gallons.

 

[SrDriver]

Aunt in Wisconsin rented a 200 gallon tank from the gas company for only $13.00 a year. Check and see what rental costs are there. You will need a much larger tank than what you are looking into.

 

[rjundi]

It is a liability for a place to fill a tank not owned by them. Make sure it is relatively new, my company replaces there tanks quite often.

 

[Chris142]

I delivered propane back in 03 and they were constantly pulling tanks and replacing them with tested ones.

 

[hsd]

In my area the tanks need to have a current inspection based on the date stamped on the tanks. If its expired they wont refill them, so usually its better to "rent" the tanks from the suplier.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Aunt in Wisconsin rented a 200 gallon tank from the gas company for only $13.00 a year. Check and see what rental costs are there. You will need a much larger tank than what you are looking into.


Why do you say larger. Are you referring to vaporization rate in cold weather or going through it quickly?

The Winco manual says 1.7GAL/HR and they suggest a 125 gal tank for vapor withdrawal at -18C.

 

[Corvette Owner]

I rent my propane tank for my gas logs/fireplace. Tanks need to be tested every 10 years.

My rent is $15.90 every 3 months.

 

[tom slick]

The propane dealer that delivers propane to my house will fill my BBQ tanks with no problem. I just leave the empty tank next to my large tank and they fill it.