OT Furnace Issues Last Night Weird...

Dalet · Jan 21, 2013

I woke up about 5am today and noticed the house was COLD! I checked the furnace and it wouldn't light.
Wow, I thought I was out of LP so I go check the tank, 30%, but the pressure was low, like below 3psi.

I have a 1000gal tank, so 30% should be about 300 gallons, but I called them to fill the tank anyway, maybe that will help the pressure stay up a little higher in this cold? It was -15 last night, as the sun came up the furnace started working again. There just wasn't enough line pressure to let it run.

Anyone else have an issue like this? Should I get a new regulator?

old · Jan 21, 2013

Yep seen that happen before with gas furnaces and regulators can and do freeze up and as the temp goes lower pressure goes down with the temps

Janicholson · Jan 21, 2013

The vapor pressure of propane at -15F is about 12.5 PSI or so. It would take at least a day to get the whole tank at that temp, so it was probably above that temp. But it will stop flowing. We had 47 below in Havre MT one morning and propane stayed liquid and would not come out of the torch tank at all. I would call your supplier to assess the reality of the regulator. Jim

JRSutton · Jan 21, 2013

Interesting.

Used to happen all the time ice fishing with our gas heaters/stoves whenever it was stupidly cold (which of course is when you want them working the most).

Never thought about it happening on house gas - but I guess it's all the same physics at play.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2013

Some people around here had that problem several years ago when the temperature went down to 40-50 below one night. The gas man told them to throw a bucket of hot water on the tank. I guess it worked. Suppose it warmed it up enough to get it moving again. Guess it made a terrible noise when the hot water hit the cold tank and froze instantly.

Mike (WA) · Jan 21, 2013

Yep, too cold. Build a little fire under it- what could possibly go wrong? LOL

"But seriously, folks"- bet you could wrap an electric blanket around it, with a bunch of other blankets over it for insulation, and warm it up some. Or some heat lamps. Or something.

Or how about a 10 or 20 gallon tank in your garage, that you could "T" into the house gas supply line, for just such rare occasions?

State of Jefferson · Jan 21, 2013

I've been having regulator issues the last 6 weeks or so, whenever it's been well below freezing. Set a lightbulb over the regulator, and solved the problem.
This is just on an upright 25 gal tank as my range is the only thing I use LP for.

Ben

rustred · Jan 21, 2013

keep a 100 watt light bulb going under the tank in cold weather, and have the bottom banked up with snow. keeps enough heat to not gel up and loose pressure.

BillyinStoughton · Jan 21, 2013

Being a lifetime HVAC guy in a region with lots of cold and LP, I would bet the culprit may be the regulator though it's impossible to confirm that from here.

What can happen with an LP regulator in really cold temps is that the regulator body is typically aluminum and the stem on the diaphragm inside is bronze. Two dis-similar metals contract at different rates...and you end up with a sticky regulator over time. (Regulator actuation can compound this issue). That would also explain why a little sun shine may have freed things up.

In either case...good luck and stay warm. They are forecasting -11° tonight for us. Uff da.

RayP(MI) · Jan 21, 2013

If there was a little moisture in there, it might have gotten into the regulator. If that's the case, your supplier should be able to put some "dry-gas'" propane equivalent, in it.

Ted in NE-OH · Jan 21, 2013

I would call your supplier, if they supplied the regulator it is their problem and will probably change it out.

John B. · Jan 21, 2013

That happened years ago when I was living at home and about 10yrs old. My dad took some warm water out and poured it on the regulator and everything worked good after that. That was the only time it acted up.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2013

Hot water on the regulator and a hot plate under the tank. I doubt a 100 watt bulb would do anything for the tank. You can wrap the reg" with fibreglass.

JerryS · Jan 21, 2013

A real light bulb might work---those new pig-pecker bulbs don't give off much heat.

ss55 · Jan 21, 2013

A small propane sunflower heater (15,000 BTU) set a foot or more from the big propane tank can throw some heat into the tank to build up some pressure in a short time. I would not leave it unattended.

In the 1970's we had a crop dryer that would have low tank pressure problems on cloudy zero degree days. The supply tank was a ways down hill from the dryer. The local LP gas supplier had a truck travelling in a circuit between neighborhood farms to just pump vapor into the tanks to keep everyones dryers burning.

If you have trouble with water pipes or drain pipes freezing in an outside wall of your house, like at the kitchen sink, consider opening opening the cabinet doors to let more heat get to the pipes. Letting a cold water faucet dip or run a very small stream overnight can also keep the pipes from freezing in severly cold weather or if the heat goes out.

Dalet · Jan 21, 2013

Hey folks, thanks for all the helpful thoughts! I had the tank filled to 80% today, so hopefully I make it through the night tonight. I am hoping with more liquid in the tank it may not get too low of pressure tonight like last night, but it is supposed to get to -16 tonight. :shock:

I will wake up to check it about 3am, as that's when the problems must have started last night. I woke up about 5 and the house was down to 50 something.

The propane guy said that throwing hot water on the regulator should make it through. It's my tank and regulator, but he said if I have problems with it going forward after this extreme cold that I should get a new one.

Dalet · Jan 22, 2013

It made it through the night without an issue. At least it is going to warm up a little now. Should be in the clear.

rustred · Jan 22, 2013

not if you wait till it jells. the bulb has to be left on steady. be suprised how much heat a bulb gives in a confined space.

Dalet · Jan 22, 2013

(quoted from post at 09:53:47 01/22/13) not if you wait till it jells. the bulb has to be left on steady. be suprised how much heat a bulb gives in a confined space.

Propane doesn't gel, it just looses vapor pressure as it gets cold out.

buickanddeere · Jan 22, 2013

Jells? Are you kidding or don"t know any better?

GVSII · Jan 22, 2013

(quoted from post at 13:04:17 01/21/13) I woke up about 5am today and noticed the house was COLD! I checked the furnace and it wouldn't light.
Wow, I thought I was out of LP so I go check the tank, 30%, but the pressure was low, like below 3psi.

I have a 1000gal tank, so 30% should be about 300 gallons, but I called them to fill the tank anyway, maybe that will help the pressure stay up a little higher in this cold? It was -15 last night, as the sun came up the furnace started working again. There just wasn't enough line pressure to let it run.

Anyone else have an issue like this? Should I get a new regulator?

Had the same thing happen to me not with a gas furnace but with a gas kitchen gas range. A pan of warm water poured over the regulator got things up and runing. A very soft click can be heard when the regulator opens up.

GVSII · Jan 22, 2013

(quoted from post at 10:05:21 01/22/13) Jells? Are you kidding or don"t know any better?

Hay B&D get back on your meds. Your nasty attatude showing- again.

OT Furnace Issues Last Night Weird...

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