propane regulator

[epacertified]

On a 333,000BTU pool water heater.what size regulator is commonly used?

How does it size up to a Barbaque grill regulator?

[trouble time]

BBQ regulator is what 60,000 BTU's max. Very Small. I would think you would need a few of them to make up the difference....(lol)

[epacertified]

BBQ regulator is what 60,000 BTU's max. Very Small. I would think you would need a few of them to make up the difference....(lol)

Friend is thinking of using 100lb tank to feed pool heater
told him I would research the regulator he needs

[ascj]

Friend is thinking of using 100lb tank to feed pool heater
told him I would research the regulator he needs

Are you going directly from the tank to the heater? Normally you will a first stage/high pressure regulator with relief .......then a second stage/low pressure regulator to feed the appliance(which has a regulator in it's gas valve).

Where as a grill is taking high pressure right down to low pressure. They can get away with it, due to very low btu rating.

My thoughts......a 333,000 btu pool heater will chew through a 100 pound tank. You did mean 100 pound not gallon right? 100 lb tank will last 6+ hours.(That's if you can keep it from frosting)

[hearthman]

First of all, you will find that after paying for LPG to heat your pool, you will get a solar cover and rely on God to heat it or wear a wetsuit. Even people with NG don't use their pool heaters after a month or two of those high bills. Hey, to each his own.

Like any other gas piping job, you would need to size it. That would mean running a high pressure line from a very large tank such as a 500-1000 gallon tank over to the heater where a medium pressure regulator such as a Maxitrol 325-3 would knock it down to inches of water colum for the heater's gas control. A single stage regulator for 20lb tanks is wholly unsuitable as is a 100 lb cylinder. As noted, it won't last long enough and will frost up drawing off at that rate even on a warm day. If its really cold outside and you're trying to heat the pool, the tank's vaporization rate may not be able to keep up with the demand. That's why I always recommend large buried tanks and put the MP reg. as close to the appliance as possible.

You can get a regulator selection guide from Maxitrol or Fisher to properly size and select what you need.

When piping it, remember to put an approved shutoff immediately upstream of the MP reg. with a sediment trap then another pressure tap immediately downstream of the reg. if there is not one incorporated into the regulator. You need to be able to shut the gas off in the event the reg.'s diaphragm blows. You need the trap per code to protect the regulator from particulates and condensate. You need a means of tapping into the gas line to measure incoming and disharge pressures, whether incorporated into the reg. or separate taps such as a sediment trap's cap or, my favorite, gas cocks with 1/8" NPT taps downstream of the shutoff. You use a 3/16" Allen wrench to remove the plug then screw your manometer's 1/8 NPTx barb brass adapter and connect your manometer. I love these gas cocks as they are all I use.

HTH,

[Jordan B]

A 100 LB or 25 Gallon propane tank wouldn't have enough surface area to produce enough vapor to run a 333,000 BTU Heater. Especially after it started up and ran for a few seconds the tank would begin to ice up because the heater is using the vapor faster than the liquid can produce it.

[meplumber]

Rule of thumb is a single Pig (100 lb cylinder) by is good for 50,000 btu at 0 deg F.

330K would require at least a 250 gal horizontal to vaporize fast enough to sustain combustion. Or you could do 4 Pig's manifolded. I think it is time to call your propane provider and let them point you in the right direction.

You would want to use a first and second stage on 330K. In my experience, a twin won't work, even though you might find a Rego 4400 series with a high enough btu rating.

Good Luck.