Next to our barn we had a 250gl tank dropped. The tank has a valve on it with a flare fitting. My plan is to run 1/2 inch copper from the tank, under ground to the corner of the barn. I'll then run 1 inch black pipe along the exterior of the barn with tee fitting space to run and outside grill, inside fireplace and inside hot water heater (master shutoff will be at copper to 1 inch pipe connection). All propane appliances are against the one exterior wall so easy to get to. Each Tee will have a shutoff on the outside and each applicane will have a shutoff on the inside
The grill has a regulator for the portable tank so do I need to remove the regulator when I hook it up to the 250 gl tank? Anything else to think about?
Does your rules allow copper to be used underground for propane? Here that is a no-no. Proper gas rated steel/iron pipe must be used. There are also a number of expensive alternatives to the traditional underground gas pipe.
As for running the grill you remove the grill regulator and hook directly to the low pressure house propane supply.
The big tank should have a two stage regulator. Sometimes there may be one regulator at the tank (hi pressure) and a second regulator (lo pressure) at the house. Everything feeds from there.
Don, Thanks for the quick response. There are no regulations in my area except for septic however I want to do it right.
Beyound steel pipe what are the other options for connecting the tank to the corner of the barn 5ft away. The neighbors house uses copper so that was my first thought. Had decided not to use steel pipe as it requires two 90 degree fittings under ground and wasn't sure if this pipe NPT fittings were OK under ground.
I'm not a propane expert, but I do know some states allow copper for propane and others do not. I believe that copper is a no-no for any natural gas piping, btw. In some places soil conditions are such that the copper corrodes. Glenn's area is one.
Have a look through http://www.propane101.com/ (http://www.propane101.com/)
Underground joints are sometimes wrapped in special protective tape.
I may be getting one of the 200-25- gal tanks one day but have not yet fully researched the sunject. I was going to ask the supplier what was needed; concrete pad size, pipe types, depths, etc. They will have the correct information for the area.
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I've done installations on multiple 30,000 gal tank storage facilities and railcar unloading sites but few residential installs. One thing to keep in mind is not to go UP in pipe diameter down run, Anytime you go to a larger inside diameter there is a chance of freeze up at that point and also causes a pressure drop at that point that will drive you crazy trying to set burner height when another appliance is on the same line.
Copper tubing is probably the most used piping for propane there is. Type "K" is heavy wall and type "L" is medium and the most common used after the low pressure regulator. Coated iron pipe is best under ground and copper is easiest to route above ground because you don't need fittings to change direction. One thing to remember also is that copper is measured outside diam. and iron pipe is measured inside diam. so the thickness of your copper tubing will determine it's inside diameter.
The regulator needs to be two stage (or get 2, a high pressure and low pressure d*) and about 1/3 larger btu capacity than ALL of your appliances COMBINED btu rating. Make sure where you mount the regulator the vent that faces toward the outlet will not get blocked by anything. One of the biggest problems here in Ar. is ICE covers the vent and the diaphragm inside the regulator can't move and you get no gas.
When you leak test your system don't use window cleaner or any soap with a corrosive agent ( most dish soap) such as ammonia because they can corrode copper fittings.
My house is 5/8" copper from the tank mouted regulator thru the main run of the house and 1/2" copper to the appliances. ;)
They require Fletcher Coat (maybe other similar plastic coated steel ) here with all fittings wrapped with 20 mil tape for underground. From the tank is a pigtail then to the regulator beside the tank - now required to be mounted at a 45 with the vents facing the proper direction per the propane co.