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Old 05-03-2018, 03:06 AM   #1
notanlines
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Propane tank heaters

Our propane generator (Onan) will completely shut down after about 5 hours of running. Of course when the tank thaws life resumes. Has anyone purchased a tank heater they would like to recommend? I have two 40 pound tanks of course, but we don't ever run them both at the same time. I just want one heater. Yes, I did do a site search but all I got was shouting matches over regulators/tanks. Thanks for your time.

Jim
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Old 05-03-2018, 03:37 AM   #2
flybouy
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Jim is it the tank, not the lines or regulator, or shut off valve on the tank that's freezing? Does this happen regardless of the outside air temp? Also, does this happen while running on either tank? Is this a new issue or a new condition (has it run this long before with no issues or is this the first time you have ran the genset this long under that load?) Just thought of one more question, is the tank near empty when it freezes? Lots of questions but trying to narrow down the possibilities in my feeble mind.
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Old 05-03-2018, 04:19 AM   #3
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It is caused by a large amount of propane being consumed by the generator. It is a common problem experienced by RV'ers with propane powered generators. A heater of some sort will keep the problem from happening, I'm just looking to see who has one they recommend.
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Old 05-03-2018, 05:11 AM   #4
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That's what I thought, I've had propane gensets in the past that required a minimum 100lb. tank.
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Old 05-03-2018, 05:56 AM   #5
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RV generators will run just fine even from a 20 pound tank. There are no 100 pound tanks in RV's. Two thirty's or two forty's are standard. Back to the heater. Any ideas?
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Old 05-03-2018, 06:14 AM   #6
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.

Maybe try one of these oil pan heaters. they are primarily used to heat large hydraulic oil tanks in the extreme cold. I bought a 50 watt one for my standby NG generator, works great.

They have many different wattages available.

https://www.padheaters.com/oil-pan-heaters

.
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Old 05-03-2018, 06:23 AM   #7
flybouy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notanlines View Post
RV generators will run just fine even from a 20 pound tank. There are no 100 pound tanks in RV's. Two thirty's or two forty's are standard. Back to the heater. Any ideas?
The gensets that I'm talking about was on construction sites, not a RV. Anyway, for the cost I'd try a water line heat tape for a little over $20 it may be worth a shot.
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Old 05-03-2018, 06:56 AM   #8
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We live in an area where propane "boiling" is a must. If it gets too cold, propane will not vaporize (boil) and won't leave the tank. I think that's the problem you're facing. We use one of these heaters, placed under the tank, magnetically attached to the propane tank rack. It generates enough heat to keep the tank warm. I would not recommend attaching it directly to the tank, it may get too hot.

https://www.amazon.com/Kats-1155-Wat...70_&dpSrc=srch

Another alternative would be to hang a "trouble light" in the compartment with the propane tanks. A 60 watt light bulb produces quite a bit of heat and might be all the "help" your tanks need to stay above the "non-vaporizing temp".....
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Old 05-03-2018, 07:59 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
We live in an area where propane "boiling" is a must. If it gets too cold, propane will not vaporize (boil) and won't leave the tank. I think that's the problem you're facing. We use one of these heaters, placed under the tank, magnetically attached to the propane tank rack. It generates enough heat to keep the tank warm. I would not recommend attaching it directly to the tank, it may get too hot.

https://www.amazon.com/Kats-1155-Wat...70_&dpSrc=srch

Good idea John.


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Old 05-03-2018, 08:15 PM   #10
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There are also heater blankets of various brands similar to this. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...474281c954f765
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Old 05-04-2018, 04:11 AM   #11
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Thanks for all the replies. I ordered the one suggested by Bobbecky and I will report back at a later time with the results.
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Old 05-04-2018, 04:32 AM   #12
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Jim,

Reading (or re-reading) your first post, you said that you have two 40 gallon propane tanks. Is this some "off the RV" setup or did you mean to say two 40 pound propane tanks? The reason for asking is that if it's an "off the RV" propane setup, is the regulator capable of providing the amount of propane (in BTU's per minute) to run all of the RV systems as well as the generator requirement? Even with an onboard propane system, while most RV manufacturers have engineering departments capable of calculating BTU requirements and calling for components to handle that requirement, it doesn't necessarily mean that the guy installing the regulator on the assembly line pulled the correct one per the build sheet. Stranger things have happened.....
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Old 05-04-2018, 04:40 AM   #13
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There is nothing like getting up in the morning and finding out that the terms gallon and pound are not synonymous. I guess the proper term here is "my bad," and has already been corrected. I just don't know what I was thinking when I typed that post.
Thanks for correcting me.
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Old 05-04-2018, 05:09 AM   #14
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You're "forgiven" Jim.... It's not like anyone else has never done the same thing..... likely, "over and over and over" LOL
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