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Do you use a free-standing propane gas stove with portable propane tanks?

Post in 'It's a Gas!' started by Nonprophet, Sep 13, 2010.

  1. Nonprophet Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 27, 2009
    517 posts
    Oregon
    We're going to be subletting our Yurt and given that I don't trust people not to burn it down with improper use of a wood stove, I went ahead and picked up a used Dovre free-standing gas log stove. I'm wondering if there are other folks out there who use a gas log stove in a cabin, etc where you're using portable 20lb or 30lb propane cylinders as I'd like to get an idea of how much propane these stoves use in general so I know how many tanks I need to provide the tenants with.

    Thanks for your help!!!


    NP
    Nonprophet, Sep 13, 2010
    #1

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  2. DAKSY Super Moderator

    joined: Dec 2, 2008
    3,984 posts
    Averill Park, NY, on Burden Lake II...
    What's the input BTU rating?
    Divide that number into into 91,500.
    That's the BTUs in a gallon of LP...
    The result will tell you how much LP it'll burn
    in an hour ON HIGH, burning non-stop.
    DAKSY, Sep 13, 2010
    #2

  3. vvvv New Member

    joined: Feb 23, 2010
    1,449 posts
    MAINE
    small propane tank can "freeze up" if propane is extracted at too fast a rate, given time, & this stops the flow
    vvvv, Sep 13, 2010
    #3

  4. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,118 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    How large a yurt and is it an insulated model? Our friends used propane until I got the wood stove installed. I can ask what their consumption was. IIRC, at around 40 outside the place heated up pretty quickly They have an insulated Rainier yurt. If this is being used for an entire winter of heating, I would put at least a 30 if not a 100# cylinder in there.

    PS: Our friend's temporary propane heater was a vent-free unit, not a good idea. The moisture build up in the yurt was significant. They were very happy to switch to wood.
    begreen, Sep 13, 2010
    #4

  5. Nonprophet Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 27, 2009
    517 posts
    Oregon
    Hi BG,

    Thanks for the reply. I picked up a Dovre direct vent 39,000 BTU free standing gas log stove. It vents outside via 6" piping--I hope that is different from what your friends were using? Our is a 30' Pacific Yurts with both wall, ceiling, and floor insulation. If you could ask your friends what their usage was like, I sure would appreciate it!


    NP
    Nonprophet, Sep 14, 2010
    #5

  6. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,118 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    I've asked them about their usage and will let you know. By Daksy's calculation the Dovre stove will go about 2 1/3 hrs on a gallon of propane if it is set to high.

    The unit won't need to be turned up full until it's cold outside. In our friend's yurt it has to get below 40 outside to have a steady fire in their Morso 2110 which is rated slightly higher at 42000 btus/hr max. Otherwise it gets too warm after a few hours of fire. Your Encore was rated 50,000btus/hr, so you can use that as a rough estimate too. Normally our winters can be mild, though we are predicted to be cold this one. If we get a 20 degree spell, it wouldn't surprise me if they had to run it steadily on high and were using 10 gallons a day during that period. It's a good idea to have a backup 30# cylinder just in case.
    begreen, Sep 15, 2010
    #6

  7. pyrotom New Member

    joined: Oct 5, 2010
    37 posts
    Coastal Carolinas
    All above comments are well taken. I don't know much about yurts, but I'd guess it's tough to get one warmed back up if you run out of gas and it's real cold outside!

    If just the pilot light stays on, you can guesstimate it's using 1000 BTUs per hour, so that's 92 hours per gallon of LP. There's about four gallons of LP in a 20# cylinder, so the pilot ALONE will run the tank out in 4 (gallons) x 92 (hours), or about two weeks. Running the Dovre on high will run a 20# cylinder out in 9 1/2 hours.

    The concern about a small tank freezing up is a valid one.

    A spare (or two) is definitely in order, but I think the fear (or reality) of running out of gas in the middle of the night might warrant an investment in a more reliable source of fuel. Like a 120 gallon tank. I think I might even keep a spare around with a big tank. :)
    pyrotom, Oct 7, 2010
    #7

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