Propane problem

[waksupi]

I got a propane stove a few weeks ago, and like it. But I have a problem. I've filled a 40 pound tank TWICE since I got it. I've used soap solution looking for leaks, and did the sniff test. Where is my propane going???? I didn't soap the whole tank, maybe the tank is bad? Brand new! I know darned well the pilot lights aren't burning that much.

[poppy42]

Does it have a pilot light?

[Hossfly]

Usually if a leak on the tank outside the stink will attract a large # of flies. If your looking for leak in the piping system, block it off and install a guage after the regulator, shut tank off with this pressure on guage and it should hold. Just narrows it down. Or regulator diaphragm may be leaking, they don’t sell them anymore just regulators which aren’t very expensive.

[condorjohn]

I have a propane stove and water heater. If I'm careful about hot water use I can go 12-14 days with a 20lb
(5gal) tank. If I bake something in the oven the gas goes fast. Less than a week.

[alfadan]

If its a buried line it may be leaking.

[gwpercle]

Propane stove ...pilot light for top burners and another pilot light for oven ?

A typical propane pilot light will use 8 gallons of propane a month

A 40 lb Propane Tank Holds 9.4 gallons of propane .

If you have one pilot light it's burning 8 gallons per month leaving 1.4 gallons for cooking on the stove .
If you have have two pilot lights they are using 16 gallons and your tank only holds 9.4 gallons .

Pilot lights burn a lot more propane than you think ...

With a 40 lb. tank , a pilot light and using the burners ...refilling every two weeks seems just about right .
Check for leaks and hope my info is wrong but if no leaks ...do something about the pilot light !
Gary

[fcvan]

Wow, my last propane stove and oven had electronic ignition, and that was in a travel trailer. Mom and dad, and even I had a camper that required a match to light, didn't run out of propane in a 20 pound tank ever. I rarely shut things down, this sounds like a leak.

[retread]

Check the tank by submersing it in water.

[hc18flyer]

I can't imagine a new stove without electronic ignition? How much piping is involved? Maybe they aren't filling your tank full? You should 'know' if your tank is leaking. Tom

[rancher1913]

you can figure the btu's that your stove is using and figure the btu's in the tank, that should tell you if its a leak or actual usage

[waksupi]

Propane stove ...pilot light for top burners and another pilot light for oven ?

A typical propane pilot light will use 8 gallons of propane a month

A 40 lb Propane Tank Holds 9.4 gallons of propane .

If you have one pilot light it's burning 8 gallons per month leaving 1.4 gallons for cooking on the stove .
If you have have two pilot lights they are using 16 gallons and your tank only holds 9.4 gallons .

Pilot lights burn a lot more propane than you think ...

With a 40 lb. tank , a pilot light and using the burners ...refilling every two weeks seems just about right .
Check for leaks and hope my info is wrong but if no leaks ...do something about the pilot light !
Gary

Any suggestions on what to do with the pilot lights, rather than shutting the tank valve every time? Not good!

[Mal Paso]

Propane stove ...pilot light for top burners and another pilot light for oven ?

A typical propane pilot light will use 8 gallons of propane a month

A 40 lb Propane Tank Holds 9.4 gallons of propane .

If you have one pilot light it's burning 8 gallons per month leaving 1.4 gallons for cooking on the stove .
If you have have two pilot lights they are using 16 gallons and your tank only holds 9.4 gallons .

Pilot lights burn a lot more propane than you think ...

With a 40 lb. tank , a pilot light and using the burners ...refilling every two weeks seems just about right .
Check for leaks and hope my info is wrong but if no leaks ...do something about the pilot light !
Gary

I had no idea, you appear to be right. I do know that the top of my propane heater is warm just from the pilot and I have to turn the pilot off in warm weather. Makes a big difference.

I cursed the Communists that wouldn't let me have a pilot stove but I found this battery spark stove and maybe that's better. 3 years now on the first set of batteries.

You can usually turn off the top pilots with the adjusting screw on the pilot line(s) and use a match. Ovens are difficult due to the safety valves.

[MUSTANG]

Our LPG cooking range has battery power ignitors - no pilot lite. As a last measure (after other thoughtful postings are considered); I would conducer an additional LPG pipe run to front of stove and then back to complete circuit. Would use a manual gas cutoff valve positioned where one could easily access it each time the stove is used.

268585

Valve is $10.00 at Home Depot.

Not ideal; but would address the excessive propane usage ( 40 Gal propane Tank @ 9 gallons = $1.60 gallon X 9 Gal = $10.50 per tank. More than the cost of the valve.

What brand of stove did you purchase? Is there a conversion kit to Battery Operated electric ignitors in lieu of the pilot lites?

[Txcowboy52]

Believe it or not, I have seen all sizes of propane tanks with leaks in them, from very old to brand new. Best why is to pressure check the system and check all the threads on the tank, all the welds. Submerge the tank in water .

[rbuck351]

I thought those pilot lights had an auto shut off if the light went out to prevent gas flow if the light should get blown out or go out for some other reason. You then have to hold down a red button to relight the pilot and wait until a heat sensor gets hot for the gas to remain flowing after the red button is released.
I think I would blow out the pilot and use a long stem lighter

[gwpercle]

To conserve propane can you convert the stove to match light... my grandmother's stove was lit from a big kitchen match ... the big box was placed in a kitchen match box holder and hung on the wall .
The other option is electronic igniter .
Pilot lights were phased out as an energy saving feature ...
and I don't miss them !
Having to re-light all the pilot lights ...stove had two , water heater and gas furnace , every time the gas was shut off was a pain . And it cost a lot of money for all that wasted gas .

[waksupi]

To conserve propane can you convert the stove to match light... my grandmother's stove was lit from a big kitchen match ... the big box was placed in a kitchen match box holder and hung on the wall .
The other option is electronic igniter .
Pilot lights were phased out as an energy saving feature ...
and I don't miss them !
Having to re-light all the pilot lights ...stove had two , water heater and gas furnace , every time the gas was shut off was a pain . And it cost a lot of money for all that wasted gas .

Any details to converting to match light?

[Mal Paso]

The top burner pilots can usually be shut off with the pilot adjustment, turn clockwise. Small screw on the tiny pilot lines.

Oven with a recent safety system, shut the gas off for 5 minutes and don't light the pilot when you turn it on. Make sure it's not a really old system where the pilot has no safety and runs anytime the gas is on. Make Sure The Pilot Is Really Off. LOL Relight and shutoff is clumsy but can be done.

[Winger Ed.]

Any details to converting to match light?

Some have a little gas line that just goes to the pilot.
Follow it back, remove the line and any decent hard ware store should have a plug or cap for it.
I've heard of cutting it and soldering the end, but I'd get the plug if I was doing it.

The official red neck method of leak detection is to get a spray bottle of water with some dish soap in it.
Spray it generously over the suspected area and watch for foaming bubbles.

[waksupi]

Some have a little gas line that just goes to the pilot.
Follow it back, remove the line and any decent hard ware store should have a plug or cap for it.
I've heard of cutting it and soldering the end, but I'd get the plug if I was doing it.

The official red neck method of leak detection is to get a spray bottle of water with some dish soap in it.
Spray it generously over the suspected area and watch for foaming bubbles.

I sprayed everything down a few times, just to be sure I hadn't missed anything.

[waksupi]

The top burner pilots can usually be shut off with the pilot adjustment, turn clockwise. Small screw on the tiny pilot lines.

Oven with a recent safety system, shut the gas off for 5 minutes and don't light the pilot when you turn it on. Make sure it's not a really old system where the pilot has no safety and runs anytime the gas is on. Make Sure The Pilot Is Really Off. LOL Relight and shutoff is clumsy but can be done.

I take a look for that tomorrow, thanks.

[.429&H110]

Redneck? I was partnered with a guy that found propane leaks with his lighter. Really. Little leak little flame, big leak big flame. He'd put it out with a spray bottle of soap. I couldn't get him to cut it out, was how he did it. Speedy. That's why he needed new partners sometimes.
If a tank is in the sun, it can poop a little out the relief valve, but only at noon when yer not looking. You will see reliefs covered with foil, ducktaped around them, foil split. And +1, pilots burn a lot of gas, especially turned way up. If a little bitty pilot will work, go for it. You don't need a blowtorch. The burner passages get full of goop, don't send gas over so the pilot gets turned up. My grandmother would turn on the oven, wait a bit, throw in a match. Whoompa. Go gas, go boom. YMMV

[Winger Ed.]

Redneck? I was partnered with a guy that found propane leaks with his lighter.

He took redneck to the next higher level.

I used to know a guy that worked with a old electrician for a few weeks who could tell the AC voltage in a wire,
or tell if it was 'hot' by swatting his hand over it real quick.

The stress of watching the old guy was too much, and he quit after a few weeks.

[Jeff R]

My LP supplier has a propane leak sniffer. It's like a mini metal detector, but with a short sensor probe instead of the long tube that holds the sensor. It starts buzzing when it detects gas, and can detect really low concentrations.

[MT Gianni]

Rick, on an old stove it should lead somewhere to a tube coming off the manifold that has a mini screw. That is the pilot adjustment. turn it in until it bottoms. The oven will not work without a pilot lit in most cases and it would not have a shut off other than at the valve. Under the knob with a strong light you should see an indicator screw that points to 3 positions. Left might be NAT, up off and right LP. They may be reversed. If it isn't too much hassle turn the screw to off then back to LP if you want to bake. The danger is wearing out the knob enough it no longer fits or breaking it.
One gallon of LP is around 92,000 btu's per hour. Most top burners are close to 9,000 so running one burner for ten hours burns one gallon or so of LP. A new tank will absorb odorant but odor should be noticeable after the second fill if you have a leak. Don't forget to soap the regulator all over.

[waksupi]

Rick, on an old stove it should lead somewhere to a tube coming off the manifold that has a mini screw. That is the pilot adjustment. turn it in until it bottoms. The oven will not work without a pilot lit in most cases and it would not have a shut off other than at the valve. Under the knob with a strong light you should see an indicator screw that points to 3 positions. Left might be NAT, up off and right LP. They may be reversed. If it isn't too much hassle turn the screw to off then back to LP if you want to bake. The danger is wearing out the knob enough it no longer fits or breaking it.
One gallon of LP is around 92,000 btu's per hour. Most top burners are close to 9,000 so running one burner for ten hours burns one gallon or so of LP. A new tank will absorb odorant but odor should be noticeable after the second fill if you have a leak. Don't forget to soap the regulator all over.

To light the oven pilot, the knob needs pushed in as it is lit. Could I assume that if I don't push the knob in and light it, there would be no gas flow?

[Mal Paso]

To light the oven pilot, the knob needs pushed in as it is lit. Could I assume that if I don't push the knob in and light it, there would be no gas flow?

Correct but double check. On those there is a thermocouple that when hot generates electricity that holds the pilot valve open.

[farmbif]

I had a situation with 40lb tank yesterday. it has sitting full outside for at least 2 years. I hooked it up to water heater line opened the valve and went inside to get hot water back on. heard a hissing sound, went out back and found gas leaking from the tanks valve stem fiddled with a bit and got it to stop but don't trust it and will have valve replaced when its empty next time i go to the gas supply place.

[waksupi]

Correct but double check. On those there is a thermocouple that when hot generates electricity that holds the pilot valve open.

Good tip. I turned off the tank after I got the top burner pilots turned off. I may have not waited long enough for the thermocouple to cool, only a couple minutes, before I turned on the tank and did a relight on it as a check. I'll give it a go. Making progress, though!

[GregLaROCHE]

Soapy water works pretty well for finding leaks, so if you didn’t find any, it’s probably the pilots burning up the gas. Secure them by turning down the adjustment screws or disconnecting the pilot line and plugging it. Then get yourself one of these type lighters. They normally even work when out of gas. The electrical spark lights the propane burner directly.

You will have to turn on and light the pilot for the oven when you want to use it.

https://www.amazon.com/BKOU172-Utility-Lighter-Assorted-Colors/dp/B00XTAM6PA

[waksupi]

Alright, I let the thermocouple cool. Gas flow is off to the oven now, pilot is out, so I'm good to go.

Thanks for the help everyone!

[gwpercle]

All you need now is a Fulton 44B Match Box Holder , www.fultoncorp.com
Go to site and enter matchbox holder or scroll down to bottom of products list ...it looks just like the one my Grandmother used .
Hang it on wall next to stove , insert a box of kitchen matches and save a bunch of propane and money !
Gary

[Mal Paso]

All you need now is a Fulton 44B Match Box Holder , www.fultoncorp.com
Go to site and enter matchbox holder or scroll down to bottom of products list ...it looks just like the one my Grandmother used .
Hang it on wall next to stove , insert a box of kitchen matches and save a bunch of propane and money !
Gary

If only matches worked any more. Last wooden matches I bought were AWFUL. They changed the formulation and 1 in 5 light until the striker goes. I threw the rest away.

BBQ lighters are the way to go. About $1 ea at Costco and they still light stoves after the butane is gone.

I hate it when THEY break something that works just fine.

[waksupi]

All you need now is a Fulton 44B Match Box Holder , www.fultoncorp.com
Go to site and enter matchbox holder or scroll down to bottom of products list ...it looks just like the one my Grandmother used .
Hang it on wall next to stove , insert a box of kitchen matches and save a bunch of propane and money !
Gary

I got one of these for the camper this summer, and it works good, without needing to dispose of the used match. They are supposed to get at least 500 lights before needing recharged. I'll get another.
Will probably need something else to light the oven pilot though, as I am not sure if this would get enough heat to the thermocouple to make it kick in.
I do have an old wall match holder, from a farm store in Iowa. 3 digit phone number on it, so it's fairly old.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6VFPC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Lloyd Smale]

something is sure leaking. No way that just a pilot light was use that much gas. Weve got pilot light on our water heater and 2 on or range top and one in the oven and one on the gas heater and one on the fridge at camp and we switch to a 100lb tank after deer season in case we have a leak so we dont drain the 500gallon hog. The 100lb tank is used by whoever goes to camp during the spring and summer too so the water heater range and fridge even get fired up on occasion and its seldom that we need to switch tanks. Before we had the 500lb tank we used only 100s. Deer season is 2 weeks with an additional one week of muzzle loading. Typicaly around 8 guys there on any given day. We cooked, refriderated, took showers and heated the camp on a 100lbs a week. if the 8 gallons a month was true we be using almost 50 gallons a month. thats two 100lb tanks. Hes using 10 gallons a week!!! No way a pilot light is using that quantity. even if it did he should have only used 4 gallons or one 40lb tank in a two weeks. He used twice that. Even in my deer blind i use one of those little buddy singler burner heaters. Blind has no insulation and i leave the heater on from opening morning till the end of season (2 weeks) and use two 20lb tanks a season and have gas left over.

[jonp]

Propane stove ...pilot light for top burners and another pilot light for oven ?

A typical propane pilot light will use 8 gallons of propane a month

A 40 lb Propane Tank Holds 9.4 gallons of propane .

If you have one pilot light it's burning 8 gallons per month leaving 1.4 gallons for cooking on the stove .
If you have have two pilot lights they are using 16 gallons and your tank only holds 9.4 gallons .

Pilot lights burn a lot more propane than you think ...

With a 40 lb. tank , a pilot light and using the burners ...refilling every two weeks seems just about right .
Check for leaks and hope my info is wrong but if no leaks ...do something about the pilot light !
Gary

I use a smaller tank at my hunting camp. With a propane fridge and pilots on the stove I use about one tank a month. A BBQ tank will last 1-2 weeks depending on if I use the oven.
If the lines to your tank are buried, dig them up. There should be no connections underground. Inspect that line for dings, dents and the like. Get some of the propane detection liquid like this https://www.amazon.com/Rectorseal-65554-8-Ounce-Bottle-Locator/dp/B002YFHXY0?dchild=1 or https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-8-oz-All-Purpose-Leak-Detector-302092/100151681?mtc=Shopping-B-F_D26P-B-D26P-26_1_PIPE_AND_FITTINGS-NA-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-New_Engen&cm_mmc=Shopping-B-F_D26P-B-D26P-26_1_PIPE_AND_FITTINGS-NA-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-New_Engen-71700000072651806-58700006352277098-92700057314827028&msclkid=dd8f41dcbb081dbf557f1eaa456c98e3&gclid=CJDO35vXlewCFZfxswodC08K9Q&gclsrc=ds
Spray all of the joints and connections. A small, pinhole leak may not smell that strong or be lost in any breeze but will leak a surprising amount of gas over time

[.429&H110]

Yankees are too cheap to buy leak detector we mix propylene glycol with Dawn and a drop of motor oil. All weather proper slime. A little goes a long way. Works fine on freon, too.
Could I make a pitch for a new range connector?
Old ones were cheesy, cracked easily.
New ones are expensive but much better made.

[GregLaROCHE]

All you need now is a Fulton 44B Match Box Holder , www.fultoncorp.com
Go to site and enter matchbox holder or scroll down to bottom of products list ...it looks just like the one my Grandmother used .
Hang it on wall next to stove , insert a box of kitchen matches and save a bunch of propane and money !
Gary

It’s getting harder to find full size kitchen matches, let alone strike anywhere ones.

[MUSTANG]

Check out the Dollar Stores. They often carry the old wooden kitchen matches still.

[Mal Paso]

You can't buy the old kitchen matches anywhere. Hazmat got em.

Dawn Will Corrode Stainless Steel. Plumbers who give a damn use commercial leak detector.

[MT Gianni]

You can't buy the old kitchen matches anywhere. Hazmat got em.

Dawn Will Corrode Stainless Steel. Plumbers who give a damn use commercial leak detector.

The other option is a fresh water rinse after the leak is repaired.

[Mal Paso]

The other option is a fresh water rinse after the leak is repaired.

Yes but those compression caps will suck it up by capillary action and you can't wash that without taking it apart. That's right where a supply tube will rot through. I was a dyed in the wool soap tester until I noticed what it was doing to my Stainless Steel dispenser. At the same time, maybe I mentioned it, a master interior plumber friend said the same thing.

[GregLaROCHE]

What if you use Ivory soap? Would it still attack the stainless as much as a detergent. I think dish detergents have an anti foam agent added. Plane Ivory soap always worked better for recharging kids bottles of bubble blowing liquid. Should make bigger better bubbles where leaks are too.

[Mal Paso]

I was told no soap by someone I respect. I did a google search and most are still using soap. My direct experience was with Dawn, it rusted it's own dispenser in a fairly dry environment.

I bought a quart of a commercial leak detector in a spray bottle. It's an inert polymer.

Do Not check Oxygen with Soap. In my Google Search I found soap has animal fat and Dawn has petroleum that can auto ignite.

[.429&H110]

I think you are correct about glycol/dawn being corrosive, the yankees I worked for wouldn't care about that. A/C work, we washed off silver solder flux, and likely got the dawn off too.

I don't do propane anymore because:
West Lebanon NH one January an optimist built a block supermarket in a tent. We rented him 4 giant heaters and four 1000 tanks. One morning one of the heaters went down so John (remember John, the guy with the lighter?)and I drove up. As John walked through the snow, I saw his boots smoking. So were mine. Then I smelled it. "Propane, get outta here!" We hurried over to the Super's shed called the fire department. Advised the Super to leave town. One of the Lulls ran over one of the rubber airhose the optimist strung to the tanks, buried under the snow, to the liquid withdrawal port so there was most of a thousand gallons of liquid propane under the snow. The tanks were filled before dawn, one was empty. Fire department washed away the snow, propane went everywhere on a cold morning. Found your hose. Nothing lit it. If that gas had gotten into the tent with the heaters...

I know God is saving me for a better purpose. We drove into a puddle of propane. The truck should have lit it. John might have been smoking. Crazy careless cheap yankees.

[GregLaROCHE]

What a story! I guess it just wasn’t your day to die.

[Geezer in NH]

I myself would get a gasfitter in and get it repaired so my house and family does not blow up.

40 pounder tank? do you expect it to off gas enough in DEC-March to use?

Do it yourself is fine but sometimes professional's are cheaper in the long run.

[Handloader109]

I've a four burner range. pizeo lighters on the burners. We use less than100 pound tank of propane a year. And my wife cooks two meals a day plus breakfast about 3 days a week. I've used BBQ grill20 pounders for between a month and two depending on who filled them

[Lloyd Smale]

I think you are correct about glycol/dawn being corrosive, the yankees I worked for wouldn't care about that. A/C work, we washed off silver solder flux, and likely got the dawn off too.

I don't do propane anymore because:
West Lebanon NH one January an optimist built a block supermarket in a tent. We rented him 4 giant heaters and four 1000 tanks. One morning one of the heaters went down so John (remember John, the guy with the lighter?)and I drove up. As John walked through the snow, I saw his boots smoking. So were mine. Then I smelled it. "Propane, get outta here!" We hurried over to the Super's shed called the fire department. Advised the Super to leave town. One of the Lulls ran over one of the rubber airhose the optimist strung to the tanks, buried under the snow, to the liquid withdrawal port so there was most of a thousand gallons of liquid propane under the snow. The tanks were filled before dawn, one was empty. Fire department washed away the snow, propane went everywhere on a cold morning. Found your hose. Nothing lit it. If that gas had gotten into the tent with the heaters...

I know God is saving me for a better purpose. We drove into a puddle of propane. The truck should have lit it. John might have been smoking. Crazy careless cheap yankees.

Maybe if i experienced what you did id think differently about gas but truth be told many more people and homes are destroyed by wood stoves in a year then propane. If you doubt it ask the insurance companies why they charge more if you burn wood.