Propane/Butane conversion

Capn Pugwash

New member
Joined
27 Jun 2006
Messages
602
Location
On Kite - Greece
www.boatbabysitters.com
Bought our boat in USA - it has a propane system but now I am in UK I have been told (by many) that I can use Butane - just need to change the connections to the gas bottle. However, I have also been informed that I may need to adjust the jet apertures on the cooker and that there may be other problems /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Any advice appreciated - anyone experienced this "changeover"?
 

ChrisE

Active member
Joined
13 Nov 2003
Messages
7,343
Location
Kington
www.simpleisgood.com
Depends upon which cooker you have, our Force 10 runs happily on either, with no changes needed. I've heard it said that propane makes for a hotter flame but can't say we noticed the difference.

Check with the manufacturer?
 

charles_reed

Active member
Joined
29 Jun 2001
Messages
10,413
Location
Home Shropshire 6/12; boat Greece 6/12
Visit site
Unnecessary to change anything for burners etc. if you're not using a direct, unregulated system.

Propane has a lower thermal yield than butane, but operates at a higher pressure.

You will have to change the regulator for a butane one.

Going the other way is more problematic as propane flexible piping is reinforced and made from different material to the standard rubber piping used with butane.
 

Bunny

New member
Joined
10 Nov 2006
Messages
169
Location
sussex coast
Visit site
Did the reverse conversion on my boat becuse in the winter the butane froze and we couldnt cook or shower /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 

Jock89

New member
Joined
2 Dec 2006
Messages
226
Location
Presently: Penarth
Visit site
Pugwash you're right, you can use Butane, by changing the Regulator, but no-one would really want to do that would they.? Butane is what's in a cigarette lighter & in Winter it freezes almost solid until you can hardly get anything to come out of the bottle. I know this because I used to have Butane in a Campervan & camped out in Scotland in some very cold weather. Could'nt even make a cup of tea until I thawed the bottle out & increased the pressure inside the bottle. The RED bottle is what you need, not the blue one.
 

bendyone

Well-known member
Joined
19 Jan 2003
Messages
5,406
Location
Oxford
Visit site
[ QUOTE ]
Butane is redily available most commonly as calor Red cylinders and nessacary for winter use, especially away from south coast

[/ QUOTE ]

Butane is in the Blue cylinders Propane is in the Red cylinders also sold as patio gas in Green cylinders
 

Abaker

New member
Joined
16 Jan 2002
Messages
132
Location
Toronto
Visit site
Stay with propane in the red bottles (or your US bottles if you can get anyone fill them). If you're living aboard yearround, butane is useless whenever the temperature in the gas bottle locker drops to zero C or lower because butane requires higher temperatures to vaporize. Propane will vaporize at any temperature you're likely to encounter.
 

scotty123

Well-known member
Joined
18 Feb 2007
Messages
6,582
Location
West London
Visit site
Don't forget that there are regulations regarding messing about with gas on a boat in UK.

Get 'expert' help!

Must be done by a CORGI man, otherwise if there is a problem, like a bang/fire your insurance may be invalid.

Could be expensive if you are in a marina & damage other boats as well as your own.
 

Capn Pugwash

New member
Joined
27 Jun 2006
Messages
602
Location
On Kite - Greece
www.boatbabysitters.com
Whew! Thanks for your advice guys - I take on board (pardon the pun!) the issue with Butane at low temperatures - forgot that one. Getting someone to refill my US bottles may be a problem as they are "unknown receptacles" as far as the UK dealers are concerned. I think I can get an adaptor to link my connection to UK propane bottles. I found this site http://www.brownhills.co.uk/acatalog/Regulators.html
which seems to have just the bit I need.
Good point about the Corgi angle - just not worth cutting corners where gas is concerned. I will keep you all posted, who knows, it may benefit others later!

Ta again.
 

TigaWave

New member
Joined
17 Dec 2004
Messages
2,147
Location
Buckland Monachorum
www.H4marine.com
Sorry to disagree, but there aren't regulations as to who does the work with regards to gas installations/alterations on pleasure and even commercial vessels. Inland water ways may be different but my experience is for offshore vessels.

What you will probably need is a gas safety certificate by your insurance company. They may specify system checked and certificated by corgi registered engineer. This is what I have needed after systems have been altered or installed on coded vessels.

I install the systems myself and then get a corgi to check the installation and pressure check which takes them 15-20 minutes if they can get access to the pipe end fittings.
 

TQA

New member
Joined
20 Feb 2005
Messages
6,815
Location
Carribbean currently Grenada
sailingonelephantschild.blogspot.com
Travelled the Atlantic circuit a few years ago with a Flavel cooker and used both butane and propane interchangeably without a problem. In most places thay just put whatever LPG they had into whatever container people bought along.

The guy in a little fishing village Isle de Margarita off Venezuela was very resourceful as none of his adaptors fitted my bottle. He asked me to leave it with him overnight. As I left I saw him put the bottle in a giant fish freezer. Next day I watched him fill my bottle. He unscrewed the valves on both my bottle and his delivery hose. He then filled my bottle just running in liquid LPG from his big tank. He quickly replaced both valves and weighed my bottle. 6lbs of gas cost about 35cents.

I would like to make it clear that local HSE regs were followed as the smokers were asked to stand upwind while this was going on.
 

Heckler

Active member
Joined
24 Feb 2003
Messages
15,817
Visit site
the std cooker on my beneteau 351 runs happily on propane or butane. have got a propane reg that i use so no probs.
have got several ex bt van cooker grills (flavell) with regs that i will sell for £30 but they are heavy for posting!
stu
 
Top