Most dacha settlements, especially in the outback, far from large metropolitan areas, have not yet been gasified. Therefore, a gas cylinder in the country is a necessary thing. Especially where there are power outages. In this article we will try to figure out how to choose and properly connect a gas cylinder. And also in what cases it makes sense to use it, and in which it is better to look for a cheaper alternative to gas.
Content:
- Acquisition
- Modern steel cylinders
- Composite gas cylinders: expensive, but reliable
- Installation Rules and Safety Measures
- Features of use in the cold season
- Liquefied gas for domestic needs: scope
- Gas for heating: pros and cons
- Gas for a generator: cheaper than gasoline, but still expensive
- Gas stove in the country - the best choice
- Gas burner - a budget option
- Refueling gas cylinders: what not to do
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Acquisition
The first question is which bottle is better to use.
Some still use old Soviet-style steel tanks. Either because they were inherited from my grandmother, or because you can buy such a cylinder for a penny or even exchange it with Uncle Vasya's neighbor. But keeping such a monster in the house is not worth it.
And not just for aesthetic reasons. Any metal, as you know, is subject to corrosion, and if the cylinder is already thirty or forty years old, you yourself understand, no one can vouch for its reliability.
Such rarities belong in a landfill or in a museum, and not in a house where people live
In some states of the former USSR, for example, in Latvia, their use is generally prohibited or allowed after mandatory verification and certification. Therefore, we advise you to abandon the use of such cylinders and replace them with modern, safer analogues.
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Now welded steel gas cylinders of a modern design with a volume of 5 to 50 liters are also produced. However, they have almost the same drawbacks as their older counterparts.
The disadvantages include the following:
- Corrosion susceptibility
- Sensitivity to temperature changes
- Potential Explosivity
Fifty-liter steel cylinders of large volume cannot be placed in the house. They must be installed in special cabinets outside in a place protected from direct sunlight. It is allowed to install small volume tanks in the room.
In any case, they must not be installed closer than 1.5 m from the stove.
Steel cylinders of large volume are allowed to be placed exclusively outside the premises in special cabinets
However, they are in demand due to their availability and relatively low price.
If this is your choice, be sure to follow these guidelines:
- Place the cylinder in a room with a stable temperature away from heat sources and direct sunlight
- Place large volume cylinders outdoors
- Regularly check the cylinder itself and the gas line for leaks.
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Composite gas cylinders: expensive, but reliable
You can purchase more reliable composite tanks for blue fuel. Their main advantage is that they are considered non-explosive and can be placed indoors. The composite cylinder is made from fiberglass and epoxy resin materials and is housed in a protective cover that can be easily replaced if necessary.
Their merit includes the following:
- Light weight, almost two times less than that of a steel counterpart
- High safety - they do not explode even at a temperature of +100 degrees
- Bypass valve that releases excess gas if the pressure inside begins to rise
- Transparency of the walls, allowing you to control fuel consumption
Modern composite cylinders can be safely used right in the kitchen
Their main and, in fact, their only serious drawback is their high price.
There are also metal-composite cylinders whose safety indicators are average between the previous two types. But for country needs they are of little use and in general they are practically not used in everyday life. Therefore, we will not talk about them.
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The gas mixture is heavier than air. Gas, in the event of a leak, always accumulates at the bottom. At the same time, its smell can not be felt until it reaches an explosive concentration. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to place gas cylinders in the underground, basements, cellars, pits in the yard or near the house.
This applies to all types of gas containers. If composite cylinders do not explode by themselves, this does not mean that they cannot pass gas, which, having accumulated in a significant amount in the same basement, will not explode from an accidental spark. In the case of outdoor installation, metal cabinets with holes at the bottom for ventilation are used.
The gas pipeline is mounted from steel pipes with a wall thickness of at least 2 mm. Pipes passing inside the walls are placed in a shell of soft material and foamed with mounting foam. Connecting gas stoves and other appliances can be done with specially designed hoses.
The reducer is connected to the gas pipeline with a rubber-fabric sleeve (durite hose).
It is better to entrust the installation of the gas supply system to specialists
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Features of use in the cold season
This situation often occurs. Gas tanks stand outside in metal cabinets. Everything was fine in the summer, but when the temperature drops, a problem arises - the gas does not enter the house.
The reason here is this:
Household cylinders are filled with a butane-propane mixture. The boiling point of butane is about 0°C. The boiling point of propane is 40°C. As a result, at low temperatures, the gas burns unevenly and interruptions occur.
There is only one way out - to maintain the temperature necessary for the evaporation of butane. Of course, this does not apply to containers that are in a room where the temperature is positive. But those that are located on the street have to be purposefully heated.
One of the options may be blowing warm air from the room: fan through an air duct leading into a gas cabinet. It is also possible to heat the cylinders according to the principle of a warm floor by placing a heating element in the floor of the cabinet. However, the main thing is not to overdo it and not overheat!
There are also nuances of refueling cylinders in the cold season, but we will talk about this separately.
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We figured out the balloons. Now let's look at the application. Let's start with what they can be used for, but not worth it.
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Gas boiler connected to cylinders
Gas boilers are now used everywhere because they are simpler and more convenient than solid fuel boilers, and cheaper to operate than electric ones. But this is where there is a centralized gas supply. But what about in our case?
The main questions that arise for any summer resident who thinks about a liquefied gas heating system:
- Is it possible to effectively heat a house by powering the boiler from a cylinder?
- How long can the boiler work on one cylinder?
Let's figure it out.
So, how much gas is in the tank?
- Cylinder with a volume of 50 liters. The cylinder contains 21.5 kg of gas*.
- 27 liters - 11.4 kg*.
- 12 liters - 5.3 kg*.
- 5 liters - 2.3 kg*.
*Data taken from the markings on the cylinders. In reality, the numbers may differ.
How many cylinders will be required for continuous stable operation of a gas boiler?
- The average gas consumption for the boiler is 15 liters per day per 100 sq.m. heated area.
- About 22 kilograms of gas is placed in one 50 liter tank, which corresponds to about 35-42 liters.
- That is, one such tank is enough for two days.
Constantly using liquefied gas for heating makes sense only if you have a gas station nearby or have several filled containers in stock.
For long-term uninterrupted operation of the heating boiler, you will need a whole battery of gas cylinders
In addition, in any case, the cylinders will have to be transported to the gas station, and these are additional costs for gasoline plus the time spent.
Therefore, heating with liquefied gas may make sense in the following cases:
- A small heated area of the house and the house is well insulated, which will reduce gas consumption to a minimum
- In the short term, your holiday village is planned to be gasified, so the use of liquefied gas is a temporary measure.
- Gas heating is used for a small amount of time and works in conjunction with other heating equipment
- You have access to very cheap, or even better, free gas, which, of course, is extremely unlikely
By and large, it makes sense to use bottled gas for heating only occasionally: you have arrived at the dacha, it is cold in the house, there is no time to chop wood or just laziness, and the room needs to be warmed up. But in this case, the installation of a gas boiler is impractical.
If during the cold season, arrivals at the dacha occur infrequently, you can purchase and install gas heaters in the room. You can warm up in just a couple of minutes. At the same time, save on the installation of the heating system and fuel.
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The same applies to the use of gas for electricity supply.Of course, a gas generator in operation is cheaper than a gasoline one, but it still consumes a lot of fuel. When you connect the generator to the gas pipeline, this is one thing, but when you use it with a cylinder, the gas again will not last for a long time.
If you have a gas generator, you can’t do without one cylinder either.
Therefore, this option can be considered as a forced short-term measure - the light went out, but you urgently need to charge the battery, turn on the refrigerator, etc. The constant use of a gas generator on liquefied gas is costly, as is the case with heating appliances. However, if you already have a need to purchase a generator (frequent power outages in your village), then it makes sense to get gas instead of gasoline or diesel.
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The gas stove is probably the most common cooking appliance.
Of course, you can use electric stoves. But, if the electricity in the country suddenly turned off, you can’t do without a gas stove. Well, not to cook food on a fire in the XXI century? This, of course, is romantic, but not always practical.
Gas stoves on liquefied gas have been used in summer cottages for a long time. They do not consume much fuel, so one gas station may well be enough for the summer season. You can find out how much gas your gas stove consumes by examining the technical documentation attached to it.
For instance:
- Your four burner model has a maximum gas flow of 486 g/h.
- That is, if all four burners are burning at full power, then a 50-liter cylinder will last for 44 hours of continuous use.
- Of course, if fewer burners are turned on, then the gas consumption will decrease.
When choosing a stove, there are no special requirements for it for use in country conditions. Choose a stove according to your preferences. If you do not plan to live in the country all the time and will cook infrequently and a small number of dishes, the choice of a portable desktop model with two burners would be ideal. It is easy to connect, small-sized, it can be easily rearranged to any other place or transported in a car.
Portable gas stove - the best solution for giving
If you live outside the city all the time, for example, in the summer, then it makes sense to purchase a full-fledged stationary stove that also includes an oven. But keep in mind that using the oven will significantly increase gas consumption.
In a conventional gas pipeline supplied to a home stove, column or boiler, the pressure of natural gas is about 0.05 atmospheres, and in a high-pressure gas cylinder up to 200 atmospheres. By default, the reducer must be installed if you buy a regular gas stove, and not specifically designed for use with a gas cylinder.
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For infrequent use in the country, gas burners are great. This is an option for those who do not have the desire or funds to buy a gas stove with a cylinder. The advantages of a gas burner are as follows:
- Low price compared to a full-fledged gas stove
- No need to buy a bottle separately - it is already included in the kit
- No need for connecting hoses, reducers
- Light weight, compact size and high mobility
Gas burner - an economical option for giving
But you need to be aware that a gas burner is more of a tourist option. In the country, this is more of a situational replacement, for example, an electric stove in case of a power outage
Constantly cooking food on it will be problematic for the following reasons:
- One burner
- The design is not designed for the use of large-capacity dishes
- Small amount of fuel (3-5 liters)
Therefore, if the house does not have an electric stove, a burner is not the best option. You can boil a kettle or fry scrambled eggs, but it’s not enough for a full-fledged cooking.
Refueling gas cylinders: what not to do
Regardless of which gas equipment from the above you use in the country and how many liters of gas you have in stock, sooner or later the blue fuel in your storage will run out. Its stocks need to be renewed from time to time. How and where is it right to do it?
There are several ways:
- Buy a new already filled cylinder
- Fill up the gas bottle yourself
- Exchange an empty bottle for a full one
- Contact a gas station
We will not consider the first two options.
Buying a new bottle every time is irrational. This option is only suitable as a last resort, when you urgently need to replenish fuel supplies, and it is not possible to do this quickly, or the cost of a trip to the nearest gas station exceeds the cost of acquiring a new cylinder.
The first option is too expensive for the household needs of a summer resident, and the second is fraught with various bad consequences both during refueling and after it. If everything here were as simple as they say, all gas-powered cars would long ago be refueled from a gas stove, and gas stations would go bankrupt and close.
Refueling by exchange
Here we immediately run into a problem. The service for the exchange of empty cylinders for filled ones is not available everywhere. If there is an opportunity to use such a service, the consumer himself is not always ready for such conditions. Suppose you have recently bought a new cylinder, and at the exchange point you are offered to exchange an old one that has been in use for several years.
- You get a filled tank immediately, you do not need to wait until it is filled
- Exchange is not available everywhere.
- You get someone else's balloon in return
Refilling your own cylinders
Refueling of the cylinder on special equipment
The procedure is simple: you leave your cylinder at the gas filling station and after some time you pick it up already filled.
- You keep your balloon
- May have to wait 1-2 days
An ordinary gas station is not the best place to fill household cylinders
Formally, gas stations do not provide such a service, because they do not have the appropriate equipment and licenses. But in practice this often happens.
Why shouldn't you fill up gas at a gas station?
- At such gas stations, cylinders are not checked for defects and gas leaks.
- The gas used for cars is technical gas, which is not recommended for domestic use.
- At car gas stations, gas is pumped in what is called “to the eyeballs”, which is unacceptable for household cylinders, especially in winter (this will be discussed separately).
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Features of refueling in the cold season
Liquefied gas tends to change volume significantly with temperature changes. It contracts in cold weather and expands in warm weather. That is why any cylinder, no matter how strong it may be, will burst if it is filled outside at a temperature of -20 degrees, and then brought into a room with a temperature of +20.
The composite tank will not burst, but it will begin to actively dump excess gas through the bypass valve, which is also not good. That is why gas is filled to 85% of the volume, so that there is room for the so-called "steam cap". At car filling stations, this norm is ignored, since there is no equipment to control the volume of gas filled.
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