Propane supply to detached garage

[BrianS]

I have a 100 gal propane tank buried behind my detached garage. It feeds the main house via a first stage regulator into 3/8" copper tubing to a Fisher R622 second stage regulator, then into 3/4" black iron pipe. I'm only running a cooktop and my grill on propane at the house.

I plan to add heat to my detached garage, looking at a 60-70k BTU furnace. My plan is to tee off after the first stage regulator, run 3/8" copper tubing to another Fisher R622 regulator at the garage, then 1/2" black iron for the heater.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

 

[cvairwerks]

The line needs to be sized for the required flow rate. Need to see what the heater install book says first.

 

[Adk Mike]

1/2 copper line running off a twin stage regulator from that tank to the heater will run 93,000 Btu’s in 10 feet.
So tap off the first stage and mound a 2d stage on the building if it’s farther than 10 feet.
Inside can be 1/2 pipe for a long ways. I size these every day.

 

[TractorJeff]

100 gallon tank or a 1000 gallon tank buried?
It may make a difference?

 

[BrianS]

1/2 copper line running off a twin stage regulator from that tank to the heater will run 93,000 Btu’s in 10 feet.
So tap off the first stage and mound a 2d stage on the building if it’s farther than 10 feet.
Inside can be 1/2 pipe for a long ways. I size these every day.

Great info, thanks. It is much closer for me to come off the first stage at the tank than to come off the 2nd stage at the house (and it would be much farther than 10 feet). Going to tee off the first stage and mount another regulator at the garage.

 

[Mainiac Mat]

There are tables in the Hot Dawg installation instructions that have the pipe size and flow rate tables. Just make sure you read carefully as the one table is for NG and has a correction factor for use with LPG. You can download the manual if you haven't sourced the heater yet.

I just put a 60K unit it and did so exactly as Adk Mike described, except my tanks are above ground and just on the other side of the wall from where the heater is.

T off the 1st stage regulater. 1/2" burried PVC to the second stage regulator on the house. 1/2" PVC clad copper to the second stage regulator on the garage.

Life is good.

 

[BD1]

Contact propane supplier and avoid any guess work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BrianS]

I went with 1/2" OD copper tubing after the first stage regulator to a new second stage regulator at the garage, then 1/2" black iron into the building.

Can anyone tell me what the grounding requirements are for this setup? At the house there is a grounding clamp on the pipe outside the building to a wire running into the ground. I assume I need something similar at the garage? Do I need to ground the pipe inside the building as well?

 

[yeldogt]

Are you sure it's only a 100g tank ... never heard of one buried ?

FYI -- my studio w/ 38k heater had twin 100's above ground and in PA I had to get them filled (topped up) more then once during the winter. a single 100 is not holding much fuel at max 80% fill and refill at 20%.

I just had a full system installed ---1000g tank and many lines .... the wire was for tracing the pipe in the future

 

[mobetta]

tracing wire for poly pipe

copper wont need any grounding or tracing wire

 

[BrianS]

Yes, I'm sure it is only 100g. The house only uses propane for the cooktop and grill and the covenants required it be buried.

Now I'm wondering if propane is the right way to go. I don't want to refill multiple times per year, once would be ok.

 

[yeldogt]

Yes, I'm sure it is only 100g. The house only uses propane for the cooktop and grill and the covenants required it be buried.

Now I'm wondering if propane is the right way to go. I don't want to refill multiple times per year, once would be ok.

100gallon tank can only be filled to 80 gallons -- and you should call for refill at 20gallons. So you have 60 gallons to work with. My guess -- not enough storage


How big is the building ? Do you rent the tank? I assume you own it rentals don't let you touch.

 

[BrianS]

Building is 24x32. Yes, I own the tank.

I have another thread where I'm debating HVAC system type here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=470173