Steerpike

A friend is moving into a condo that has a restriction on BBQs on the decks. They don't allow charcoal, and they only allow propane BBQs that use '1 lb tanks'. This is actually a California Fire Code -
https://alamedaca.gov/sites/default/...nd_burning.pdf "Exception: One- and two-family dwellings"


This is the type of tank that is allowed:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-P...-16oz/20923696

This is the type of tank her BBQ uses:
(fairly standard portable tank, used for BBQs, outdoor heaters, etc)
https://www.amazon.com/Worthington-20-Pound-Cylinder-Overflow-Prevention/dp/B00JABXZPW

This is an adapter I found on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/DozyAnt-Adapter-Converter-Universal-Disposable/dp/B00KYDJ694/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YJZRFDNJY1FBFGD7SR8F
Does anyone have any experience using a 1 lb tank with a standard gas grill?

Some basic calcs / info I found:
a '20 lb tank' actually weighs about 17 lbs empty. The 20 lbs refers to how much propane it holds, by weight. 20 lbs of propane is apparently about 4.7 US gallons.

What I don't understand is, the reference in the code above to 'water capacity' ... "LP-gas burners having an LP-gas container with a water capacity greater than 2.5 pounds [nominal 1 pound (0.454 kg) LP-gas capacity] shall not be located ... ."

I don't understand what 'a water capacity greater than 2.5 lbs [nominal 1 pound LP-Gas capacity]' really means ... does a vessel containing 2.5 lbs of water weight only 1 lb if filled with LP gas? (same volume?)

Anyway - I guess the only option (if she wants to be compliant) is to use a 1 lb tank, which I'm assuming contains about 1/20th the amount of LP compared to the normal tank. As I understand it, propane weighs about 4.24 lb per gallon, so a 1 lb tank is going to hold about a quarter of a gallon.

scrubbedexpat096

That seems to make sense to me.



However basing this on my knowledge of varying camp stoves uk wise I dont beliy that you can simply screw a fitment adaptor on to the smaller tank and get the same performance.

Over here we would need to use a regulator with the bigger tank, and a different regulator ( or not use one at all) with the smaller tank.

This is because of the pressure difference in the tanks...

This would depend on how the tank is connected to the BBQ.


Is ask neighbors what they use they may be best placed to advise

Steerpike

I bought the adapter in question, and attached it easily to the large outdoor grill, and it worked like a charm! A strong word of caution - you must attach the adapter to the GRILL first, and then screw the adapter onto the 1 lb gas cylinder; otherwise, gas will gush out of the cylinder as the adapter 'satisfies' the safety interlocks that would otherwise prevent this.

I used it for about 25 minutes to do some cedar plank salmon and cauliflower; started out on high, reducing to low mid-way. There's still some propane left. However ... a quick weigh-scale check suggests the cylinder doesn't have much left in it, so it's probably only good for a 45 minute grilling session at most. I'm going to bbq a big hunk of beef tonight and see just how long it runs for ... Note - this is a big-ish, 45000 BTU/hr grill - quite a bit bigger than needed for the purpose. A lower-capacity grill would obviously run longer.

But anyway - I'm now satisfied that this option will work, even though it's going to be relatively expensive compared to the 20 lb tanks (but still only about $2 per meal, which is not exactly a biggie). The other slight problem is these 1 lb tanks are 'disposable', so no commercial place is going to refill them. You can buy adapters to fill them, apparently, but not sure how practical that will be. I'm trying to get away from anything disposable from an environmental perspective. But .... in general, she only grills once a month or so, so this won't be a big deal.

scrubbedexpat091

We used these tanks a couple of summers ago. I would say we got 30 to 45 mins from each tank.

Found it a bit pricey since they cost 6 or 7 CAD$ and they cannot be thrown away or recycled curbside so were a pain to haul to disposal place which at the time was not all that close to home.

steveq

IIRC, I bought my one at Harbor Freight but I can't remember where I put it.
https://www.harborfreight.com/propan...kit-63607.html

Steerpike

Yeah, I saw those - seems like you can fill the 1lb tank from a 20lb tank with that. But the problem is, the condo doesn't allow the 20lb tanks in the first place, so if you are willing to break the rules and have a 20 lb tank around, you may as well hook it up directly to the grill and be done with it! I guess this way you can conceal the 20 lb tank a bit more easily

steveq

You could keep it elsewhere, hell, bury it in the woods or something.