Guest KeithR Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 i have been a user of propane, mainly because it doesnt freeze and my locker holds 2x13kg bottles. however i now find that butane 15kg bottles are the same size as the propane 13kg. am i correct in assuming the weight refers to the gas density, not quantity. also, as butane burns hotter than propane, is there much gain per bottle, in usage of butane over propane?? further, if the butane bottle is switched off and the motorhome pipes emptied of gas, is freezing still a problem? if a van is in use in freezing weather, is the butane still likely to freeze?? i didnt want to sound like a technical neanderthal, but if you dont ask, you dont get to know!! i know there are many experts out there, i just hope you can stop laughing long enough to answer??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pat Price Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Butane will not freeze solid under ordinary cold conditions. It just is too cold to turn the liquid into gas. Happened to us driving through France over Christmas. We thought we had run out. Turned out the half full bottle wouldn't gas up but the full bottle did thank goodness! Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mel E Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Propane and Butane have different calorific values - i.e., they produce different amounts of heat per gram of gas. So you basically get the same amount of 'hotness' from a 15Kg Butane as you do from a 13 Kg Propane. There's no free bonus from switching to Butane, and, as Pat points out, Butane stops turning from liquid to gas below freezing, so no heating, hot water or cooking!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I,m sticking my neck out here but lets try! Propane 13kg bottle. Propane has a density of 0.505 KG/Litre = 25.74 litres. It has an energy density of 22.8 millijoules/litre so in total = 586 MJ Butane 15 Kg bottle. Butane has a density of 0.573 KG/Litre = 26.17 litres. It has an energy density of 27 millijoules/litre so in total = 707 MJ. The bottle of butane should provide more energy than a bottle of Propane. Or a bottle of Propane will only provide 83% of the heating of the bottle of Butane. This is why traditionally butane has been the choice of campers. BUT Butane stope evaporating when the bottle gets cold. Propane does not, it works all year round. All figures taken of the internet! I never passed a single exam in maths. Comments please on a postage stamp! Do I get a star or detention? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KeithR Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 thanks very much folks, this forum is better than mastermind! i think the message is stay with propane, as we usually go away spring and autumn? but i may try a swap for the summer as i may go to slovakia (a slovakian motorhomer said you an park anywhere). You get a star from me clive. Just mention maths and my brain shuts down. KeithR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Ha, Having looked again I now wonder if MJ is Mega joules and not milli joules, but whatever the conclusion is the same. Keep warm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KeithR Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Well spotted Clive. I think the standard is capital M for mega, and mini m for milli. anyway, going to bone up on morocco, might go there!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest enodreven Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Hi, on the same subject has anyone heard of garages mixing the gases ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest enodreven Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 And i was always given to understand that kWh ? the capital "W" was there because it is the persons name ? i don't know how true this is and whether it is carried over into other SI unit descriptions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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