Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdog
I'm new to propane gas user, with new home purchase this past June,
coming from oil heat, and concerned about my propane usage ?
I have a 2200 SF house, which is 14 yrs old, very well insulated, Marvin windows, gas furnace with separate hot water heater.
We keep the thermostats at 68 degrees in the main living area durning the day, then lower to 65 degrees at night. The upstairs bedrooms are kept at a constant 65 degrees.
I had 356 gal delivered on 12/6 to fill the tank (500 gal in ground, they only fill tank to 80-85%) and another 193 gal delivered today (12/27), which means I've burned about 10 gal per day ! The gas delivery driver did note that the gas regulator was covered with frost/ice, and the same with the gas hose line to the house ( Is this normal ?)
10 gal propane usage per day seems rather excessive !
Furnace was turned up in Sept., and assuming all was good?
Does 10 gal per day seem like a normal usage ?
We don't keep the house really warm, but comfortable, it's not like we're sitting around in our underwear, and wife is compiling she's always cold.
Thanks,
Bigdog
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You really should have somebody who knows this stuff to take a look at your setup. There are a few things I do know only because I did a ton of research into this stuff when I re-did the propane service to my camp.
First thing you need to do is find out what the draw is off your system based on the consumption of all of your appliances. The next thing to do is to ensure you have things plumbed appropriately so that you can move sufficient volume based on the total maximum consumption of all your appliances. This includes ensuring that the diameter of the feed lines is correct.
Next is to look at your regulator which should be a two stage. Regulators also need to be capable of handing the flow demand. If you are icing up that indicates to me you either have a possible leak or your demand is exceeding the flow capacity. Flow and or draw of each appliance is measured in inches of water column per PSI of flow. Regulators are sized for the amount of flow they can handle. Furthermore there is a bleed off on the regulator if the pressure in the system builds up to high and it will actually "vent" mechanically if it needs to.
With a tank as large as you have, that should provide ample surface area for boil off to create the gas needed to feed the house, however, the colder it gets the more difficult it is for the liquid to boil off and produce gas and less pressure. It is actually possible to freeze up a tank under the right conditions. Keep in mind like any fuel there is humidity and condensation that can occur in the take so that when present can restrict or all out block flow should it get cold enough. Temps below zero is where this can really become a problem.
That's about the extent of my understanding so the bottom line is if you are building ice on your regulator and supply line that could indicate a problem, one that is probably best diagnosed and handled by somebody that knows what they are doing.
I can tell you that when I did my system over, I chose to plumb the house with 1/2 feed lines, one to my heater and a separate one to my range in the kitchen, they are fed off a manifold coming out of the regulator. The regulator I chose was a dual stage that was capable of handling a flow approximately 3 times my actual draw (at the moment) thinking if I add any other appliances I have some capacity to accommodate that need. I am somewhat restricted in the fact I draw off of two 100 pound bottles at the same time so the surface area for boil off is limited. That said I have operated both the heater and range in temps well below zero and never had any sign of ice build up.
Take this for what it's worth, I am by no means a professional and did after installing everything have it checked by a licensed gas guy who not only gave the system a second leak test (I did the first) but also confirmed that my install and choice of materials used was well suited for my needs.