Calor gas and cold sausages

Ruffles

Ruffles

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26 Feb 2004
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Boat: Portsmouth, Us: Stewkley
www.soulbury.demon.co.uk
I've just baked 2 spuds in the oven. Oven was working fine. I then put some sausages in about half an hour ago. Just looked and the gas flame has reduced to a dribble. And my dinner isn't cooked!

The bottle is full but obviously cold. It's the usual 4.5 kg calor gas. The outside of the bottle is -1.5C (useful things these IR thermometers). I can't believe it was much warmer when I was cooking the spuds. It was on the boat when I came down earlier today. Is the temperature of the bottle the problem? I could put a hot water bottle on it. Or dunk it in the sea for 10 minutes?

Any suggestions (other than eating in Landers)
 
Switch to propane? But seriously as butane evaporates it cools down rest of tank, hence the -1.5 on IR thermometer but be patient hottie should do the trick.
 
As you draw gas the temperature of the bottle falls. It needs heat to vaporise the gas and that comes from the liquid in the bottle itself, therefore the temp falls unless you can replace that heat. Shutting the bottle in a locker does not help 'cos no heat can get in!

I forget the actual minimum temp at which the gas will boil off (minus a few degrees IIRC) but butane is unusable once down to plus a few degrees C.

Warm the bottle with warm water. Had to do it when camping once. Boiled a kettle of water in the evening while we still could. Put water in Thermos overnight, but bottle in bucket and poured on hot water in order to cook breakfast next morning.

Propane is what you need. That works down to minus Lord knows what
 
Just given it a shake and stuck a HW bottle against it. Oven is now ok. The HW bottle can't have done anything yet so it looks like shaking has done the trick.

Phew!

I've stuck the spare bottle in front of the fan heater. So if you don't hear from me again....
 
parsifal said:
Thanks, Ruffles. (for reminding me why I lay the boat up in winter!)
Click to expand...

Actually, sausage crisis aside, it's very comfy.

I came down to put the dehumidifier on. But the boat's fine in the water. No condensation and bone dry when I arrived. Not so now of course! It's now 18C on board. And raining.

Have to change the oil tomorrow. Anyone know where to get low grade 15W40 on a Sunday in Gosport? My local farm shop were out of stock.
 
Anyone know where to get low grade 15W40 on a Sunday in Gosport?

Hi

Take a wander up Stoke Road. Just past Waitrose is a car parts place. Its where I get my oil.
Other than that you have Halfords at the top end of the high street.
 
Ruffles said:
Why does shaking the bottle help?
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My explanation - which may well be wrong - is that it temporarily increases the surface area of the liqid gas so that it evaporates faster and bulids the pressure back up.

We often had to do this when trying to cook breakfast in our caravan at Woolverstone in cold weather, usually the Easter holiday.

You have to be careful though to keep the bottle upright whilst shaking, if you tilt it too much and liquid gas gets into the regulator life gets interesting :eek:
 
I became suspicious about the bottled gas, I had the same with propane recently, as did a friend. Is the supply suspect? However I did find that the regulator had water in it, turning on and off, finger over the outlet, got quite a bit out, so I suppose it's that.
 
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