Propane/butane gas.. whats the difference?

MaureenHB

I have bought a gas greenhouse heater that says it runs on propane gas thinking I could run it on a gas bottle I already had. However now it has come I find I can't connect them as my existing bottle is a blue butane one. Can anyone give me an easy explanation of the difference.. and can I fit a new connector and still run my heater off the butane or do I need to buy a new bottle?

Debt_Free_Chick

Here you go Calor Gas has the answer for you.

"If the appliance states in the manufactures guidelines that it can run on propane and butane then you will need the right regulator for the gas that you are using. You can only interchange the gases if it is stated by the appliance manufacturer."

Is there a label inside the heater stating propane/butane or either? Does the leaflet say anything?

If not, then to be on the safe side, stick with propane.

HTH

Lord_Gardener

Both are liquified gases (under pressure) Propane is C3H8 and is lighter than Butane C4H10. It's worth taking your heater to your local gas supplier who should be able to sort you out re regulators/ compatibility of appliance with each gas.

katskorner

Propane is great in lower temperatures as it doesn't freeze as quickly as butane does. For this reason we have propane as our fuel in our caravan rather than butane. Propane also burns hotter than butane.

andrewmoorcroft

I assume you will want to heat your greenhouse when it's cold. Therefore you will have to use propane in the winter even if the appliance will work with both. The regulator to fit your new propane bottle will be set for this specific gas.
You may be able to use your new bottle for the application that you use your old butane bottle for and therfore only carry one gas type. In view of this it may be worth trying to exchange your blue bottle for a red one otherwise you may have to pay a deposit on your new red bottle.
Last year many suppliers were not charging a deposit on 13Kg+ bottles.
Many local refuge centres may give you an empty bottle if you ask nicely.

chubbybrown4real

Butane if not high purity will freeze around the -10
Propane will freeze around -45°
It shouldnt make much of a differance if your keeping the bottle inside the greenhouse as the heat it produces will keep the area warm and not drop it below the freezing figure.
Calor do have a swop policy on certain bottles and Im sure you could swop your butane cylinder for a propane one,just empty it first ;-)

carlhuk

Better to stick with the propane gas for use outside in cold conditions and if the butane gas cylinder you have is from Calor Gas then you should be able to use this as a depostit for the propane gas cylinder. Another drawback using butane gas for a greenhouse heater other than those already mentioned is that the maximun size butane gas bottle supplied by Calor Gas is 15kg.

www.mobilegas.co.uk

itm2

Is is safe to switch from butane to propane on a barbecue? I've acquired a Calor propane cylinder (and regulator) but I currently use butane with my barbecue. Can I switch over to the propane when the butane runs out?

Also - does anyone know where I can find instruction for removing and installing regulators on butane cylinders?

Penelope_Penguin

itm2 wrote: »

Is is safe to switch from butane to propane on a barbecue? I've acquired a Calor propane cylinder (and regulator) but I currently use butane with my barbecue. Can I switch over to the propane when the butane runs out?

Not without modification, you can't, sorry. A chat with a supplier of your barbeque and they'll give you more help

Penny. x

itm2

Just to clarify: the documentation for the barbecue says that it is compatible with both butane and propane. My question is: having already used butane would it be safe to switch to propane when the butane cylinder is empty?

basmic

Would it be possible to heat a small greenhouse (actually tomato greenhouse) with something like an oil lamp?

I was thinking if I insulated it well enough at winter, it might keep the edge off.