100# Propane Tank to House

[walhondingnashua]

I have successfully made it through the winter without having to fill my propane tank (mild winter and ran the wood stove pretty hard). However, I am at around 5% on 500 tank. There will be the occasional night for the next few weeks I will need it and my stove is propane for cooking. I do not want to have the 500 filled right now with prices as high as they are just for these uses. I would like to wait until prices drop to fill the big tank.
I have a 100# tank I use to heat my garage and just had it filled. I would like to just unhook the flexible hose from the house and hook the 100# tank up to get me by. Will I be looking at the same fittings? The 100# tank already has a regulator for the garage heater.
Is what I am thinking here doable? Thanks in advance

 

[begreen]

The 500# tank is probably connected with a copper line with a fitting on the end to mate to the tank's nozzle. To use the 100# tank first compare the nozzle on it to the 500# tank and see if they are the same. To connect with the 100# tank using the flex hose there will need to be an adapter going from the flex hose end fitting to the 500# tank fitting on the copper line.

PS: Thanks for the reminder. I need to check our propane tank.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Before doing this, I’d calculate how long a full 100lb propane tank will run your boiler/furnace. Then consider the tank probably isn’t full.

100lbs of propane can be run through pretty fast.

 

[Ashful]

Careful about your regulators. If connecting upstream of the primary 10 psi regulator (which is usually mounted right onto your 500 gal tank riser), then this could work, but you'll need an adapter or connector hose with NPT or flare on one and and the 100# bottle fitting on the other.

Note that 100# tanks are filled up to something like 170 psi. Your primary regulator at the tank steps that down to about 10 PSI, for the run to your distribution manifold. Then there's a second regulator at the distribution manifold that steps things down to either 2 psi or 1/2 psi, depending on demand vs. line size running to each appliance. You want to remove the regulator from the 500 gal tank itself, and connect to that, not downstream of it. This requires having valves on both sides of the regulator, to prevent evacuating or allowing air into the 500 gal tank, as well as to avoid having to re-prime your entire system off a 100# tank.

Your appliances mostly run below 1/2 PSI (usually 10" - 11" WC), and connecting anything over 1/2 PSI (14" WC) can more often than not damage them. Likewise with your 1/2 PSI or 2 PSI regulators, you will probably damage them if you hook a 100# tank directly to their inputs, without going thru the 10 PSI regulator first.

 

[walhondingnashua]

My 100# tank already has a regulator on it to run it into the garage heater. From what I read, that should do the job to run it into the house.

 

[Ashful]

My 100# tank already has a regulator on it to run it into the garage heater. From what I read, that should do the job to run it into the house.

Depends on the pressure, volume required by appliance, and line size. This isn't something you can just guess at.

What pressure does the garage heater require? What pressure do the household appliances require? What are the BTU requirements and line size for each? If your gas co ran 2 psi from manifold to a given appliance, to make use of a smaller line at higher BTU, then connecting your bottle with a 1/2 psi regulator installed on it won't work.

If you have a pressure gauge capable of reading 5 psi full-scale with 1/2 PSI or better resolution, you could sort this out pretty quick and easy. Just want to make sure you don't damage an appliance with overpressure, or starve another with insufficient supply.

Amazon product ASIN B07ZGH24JQ

 

[EbS-P]

I would keep using wood stove for heat as needed and get a plugin cooktop and a big toaster oven.