I was looking up prices to compare with what the propane co. Says it will cost.
Cambridge-Lee 1/2" X 100' Copper Gas Line - Yellow Refrigeration, PE Coated Coil
Copper gas line for natural gas and propane gas. Readi-Protector polyethylene coated coil.www.acandb.com
80 foot trench for propane line
- Thread starter racerboy
- Start date
My generator is only about 10’ away from the existing 100 gal tank (behind the shed). I am not sure of the dimensions of the bigger tank, but that shed is 8’ long, so if I was swapping out to a bigger tank, I’d like it to be behind the shed as well.
North Idaho Wolfman
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I chose to keep my propane tank down on the bottom of the hill, where it's flat and much easier for a truck to get to it in the winter.
Because it's 250+ feet away from the house It uses a two stage regulator, one at the tank for high pressure up the hill to the house, then a low pressure regulator at the house.
3/4" PE in 2" conduit at 3+ feet deep up the hill, with a wire on the pipe and danger tape half way up buried in the trench.
Bigger is always better when it comes to propane, bigger line, bigger tank.
Propane guy just left. He was really cool. He was an independent contractor so he gave me some tips on how to negotiate the deal. His recommendation was to swap out my single 100gal for a 500gal tank. He said that would be adequate for the generator, range and shop heater. He would run a 1" line from the tank to the end of the trench. He also told me to consider 'tank shopping' if I wanted to buy a tank. The co. he works for is my current supplier, and they only lease them out. I am going to get an estimate from the office, but he told me to go ahead and did the trench and lay the sand so we could get that part inspected before they deliver the tank. I'll keep everyone here updated. Right now we have the remnants of the hurricane pouring rain down on us, but I think it's going to be a bit clearer tomorrow (and around 60 degrees).
Are all your appliances (gen, range, shop heat) on the same line? Or is the house already plumbed? If you already have a line to the house, 1" is way overkill for a 17k generator. You need to calculate the consumption for real numbers. But if the line you are laying down is only for the generator 1" is a waste of cash.
If you run all appliances off if the line you are burying then you will have to get a 1st stage and 2nd stage regulator sized for the total load.
If you run all appliances off if the line you are burying then you will have to get a 1st stage and 2nd stage regulator sized for the total load.
Buried tanks should be dug up periodically to inspect the condition of the sacrificial anodes that are on the tank to prevent corrosion of the tanks. A few years ago I was considering a buried tank and at the same time, I had an inspection of the home. The inspector advised me that the insurance company frowned on buried tanks of any kind. I originally had a 2000-gallon buried oil tank and had that removed, and was planning on putting the propane tank where the oil tank was located. I now have 5 larger tanks that are near the driveway for easier filling by the propane truck. I also got rid of my propane generator and replaced it with a 4-cylinder Lister Petter diesel engine spinning at 1800 RPM.
Agreed. One big tank, trench as needed to get it where you want it. You'll do that work ONCE, while the hassle of multiple tanks is a gift that keeps on giving.
However....if I already had a 100 tank, I would keep it. No harm in having a back up. Pipe it to the grill if you are a heathen and grill with gas 
Big Green Egg for me. lolHowever....if I already had a 100 tank, I would keep it. No harm in having a back up. Pipe it to the grill if you are a heathen and grill with gas
The 1” line would be for the generator, range and Big Dawg shop heater (they I have yet to purchase).
What was your reasoning for switching from propane to diesel for a generator? I would have thought propane would have better storage characteristics.
With respect to long term fuel storage.....Propane is the hands down the winner.
But someone that uses a lot of diesel (replenishing) could keep a good amount on hand with no issues (using additives). A diesel driven gen-set typically being more fuel efficient could be just the ticket for some folks.
In my case, I don't use enough diesel to warrant a large storage tank and in situations where severe weather is the cause of long term outages (like last winter here), neither gas or diesel were anywhere to be had at filling stations for days and days.
Propane on the other hand was readily available, though the trucks to deliver it either couldn't negotiate the icy roads or customer demand created a back log of a day or two. Every mode has its draw backs.
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, depending on the BTU/h of the heater you would want to go 1". I'm a believer in buy once cry once. Don't know what the chances are you'd be on the generator power, heating the shop AND making eggs n pancakes but may as well make sure you can!
Fuel oil isn't a problem as far as I am concerned. My generator gets started once a month either because of the exercise clock or an outage. Until recently diesel was a lot less expensive than propane, and a propane generator will eat up a large amount of fuel every hour. My diesel generator sips fuel so the belly tank will keep it going for a long time. I always have at least 10 gallons of diesel on hand should it get low. I also have a 165-gallon fuel storage tank that I will fill once the price of diesel drops. Had it for a few years, but never got around to filling it, then the diesel prices started to soar.
My other question has to do with my tractor. What RPM should I run it at while digging, and I’ve also noticed that it seems to have lost some of its ‘strength’ to lift bigger rocks with the thumb. I checked the hydraulic fluid and that seems fine, but I’ve notice that when I’ve gone to move some rocks that it can’t lift them but these are the same rocks I moved with the tractor back in the summer. I know that probably sounds crazy, but is there something else I should check? Even the speed it dumps the bucket seems slower.
You might have to check and adjust the hydraulic pressure. When I had my BX22, there were a lot of rocks that I could dig out, but it didn't have the capacity to lift them out of the ground. I would dig a side hole, and relocate them because of their weight.
GreensvilleJay
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rocks ? sigh, you must be real close to where a glacier 'stopped' eons ago ! Have two neighbours down the road, guy to the east live on a sand pit, guy just west ,maybe 1000', WORSE than your place !
I ran tach at 2500-2800 todig and dump HIS 'rock collection' last year. A thumb would have been nice....
Always dig a little deeper( +6" ?), maybe use a 'joint' or something on the BH as a reference so after 3-4 hours 'muscle memory' will automatically do the measuring for you .
Also take breaks otherwise your butt will be sore !
I ran tach at 2500-2800 todig and dump HIS 'rock collection' last year. A thumb would have been nice....
Always dig a little deeper( +6" ?), maybe use a 'joint' or something on the BH as a reference so after 3-4 hours 'muscle memory' will automatically do the measuring for you .
Also take breaks otherwise your butt will be sore !
I don’t have a dedicated standby-generator or Auto-Transfer-Switch… but have a large contractor-type gen and manual patch-cord (suicide cord)… But from time to time I’ve considered going Dedicated…
I didn’t lend too much consideration to the fact that ALL propane would have to be delivered ….and in case of long-term outage or bad weather …that the delivery truck would be the only source…
… BUT… I could probably always obtain diesel on-my-own….and I do already have a diesel storage tank out here which is transportable when I re-fill it.
Thanks for the responses… makes me reconsider the fuel choice.
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Yes, rocks need a backhoe, trenched 3000 feet with a rented sit on trencher when I bought water rights from a neighbor, the rocky areas did not go as well, but much faster and no wear and tear on my backhoe, right tool for the job.