Max and Kate Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Right now we have a solid fuel forge and we where thinking of upgrading to a propane in the next 6 to 8 months. We have a stand on wheels that will work great, it has a shelf below that is large enough for a 20-30 lb. tank. I don't know if this is feasible having the tank below the forge itself for safety reasons. If not how far away should the tank be from the forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeddly Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I'm probably going to be scorned for this, but my propane tank is directly underneath my forge. I have it insulated enough that the underside of the forge is warm to the touch, and the bottle still freezes after several hours of use. Having a potential bomb under such a hot object is generally not a good idea, and I am thinking about moving it off to the side. A good idea is to make a temperature map of your forge and surrounding area. Then place the tank where you feel comfortable it will not blow up. Another thing I do just because is check all the fittings for leaks every time I turn the knob. That might be overly cautious, but think of the consequences if there were a leak. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postleg Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I thought I would just throw this out. I had a 20lb bottle under my 3 burnner forge. I did not have problems with heat but the 20lb bottle kept freezing up while the forge was running. I ended up switching to a 100lb bottle which took care of the freezing but I couldn't fit it under the forge. so now it stands off to the side and works fine. So just keep in mind that the smaller tanks may not work that well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Bascially as far away as you can get it is best but anywhere that it isn't going to get hot is ok but most importantly is to watch out for your rubber fuel hose, if your regulator has one. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefarm39 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I think having the propane bottle under the forge is fine, as long as the supply hose is shielded from the heat. Most gas grills store the propane tank underneath the burners. The 100 lb tank is a different thing, though. Code in my part of the country requires that they be located outside any building and secured so they can't tip over. A little less convenient, but it reduces problems with leaky tanks inside a building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 To protect the rubber hose you can cover it with a TIG torch sleeve, the kind that protect the torch hoses from sparks. Or some hot rod braided stainless hose covering. I know that excessive heat is a problem, but up in N.CA around Tahoe there were some propane tank explosions that I believe were related to the freezing temps, not heat. Cracked lines possibly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefera4m Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Interesting thread. My BBQ used to have the propane tank underneath (changed plumbing to natural gas) but there was three layers of stainless steel with air gaps, between the grill and tank, and of course almost all of the heat goes up. With my own propane forges I have a 6 ft hose and the tank is 6 feet away. That said, the only problem I've seen is where a piece of hot steel sliped out of the tongs (friends tongs), landed on the propane hose and burned it in two. No fire but plenty of messy underwear - mine included I now keep the tank and hose behind the forge and behind the work area to prevent this. Also, my forge is insulated with 1" ceramic wool, 1/2" furnace/refractory cement and a couple of layers of Satanite. Even at welding temps the outer body of the forge is relatively cool - at least it won't burn you. I would suggest that if you put the tank under the forge just provide a couple of barriers of insulation, (stainless steel w/ air gaps, ceramic wool or something similar and keep the hose short. IMHO forges do get hotter that BBQ grills - mine certainly do - and reauire a little more protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max and Kate Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 Good info, will keep these tips in mind, still have plenty of time to research for more info. An outside tank is being considered, the hose would be long. Is there a maximum length for the hose to say a 100# tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Is running the propane through copper piping feasible? Seems like it would fix the hot metal on rubber hose problem then siting your tank would become quite academic so long as it does not get too hot and a well insulated forge should not really put out too much heat underneath. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I use copper line alot. the lines i use are 1/4 or 3/8. its soft copper and i just bend it to shape to run to my forge from a large tank. I flair both ends and have screw on compression fittings. works great to me. also sometimes i will have copper lines that run from the forge and down the side of the cart or table close to the ground, then ill have my rubber hose connect, i do this to keep the rubber as far from the HOT forge as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max and Kate Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 I use copper line alot. the lines i use are 1/4 or 3/8. its soft copper and i just bend it to shape to run to my forge from a large tank. I flair both ends and have screw on compression fittings. works great to me. also sometimes i will have copper lines that run from the forge and down the side of the cart or table close to the ground, then ill have my rubber hose connect, i do this to keep the rubber as far from the HOT forge as possible. Good idea as my cart is on wheels I can store the tank underneath when not in use then pull it out and set it aside out of heat range, using the copper line will keep the hose away and still give me flexibility of tank placement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeddly Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Good idea as my cart is on wheels I can store the tank underneath when not in use then pull it out and set it aside out of heat range, using the copper line will keep the hose away and still give me flexibility of tank placement. I use copper on mine with no problems. Just make sure to use the plumbing goo, and check for leaks often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 If you`re going to be moving the tank around and disconnecting and reconnecting it then all soft copper may not be the best idea.Every time you bend the copper line you work harden it a little bit.After a time that soft copper becomes hard copper and will crack or break. Some of the copper line out there is of questionable quality.The company who installed our oil furnace tried 3 times to flare the ends of the copper fuel line and each time it work hardened and cracked enough to seep fuel oil.The tech finally pulled a new coil of line and flared it no problem.He took a hammer to the first coil so his boss wouldn`t be tempted to send it back out with someone else. Think about using the copper to plumb from the burners to a convenient point on the cart,like behind the forge,and then go with either approved rubber line covered with the TIG sleeve as suggested above or go with an industrial braided line from the cart to the tank.That way you won`t have to worry too much about what`s going to happen when someone either kicks the tank or bumps the cart.You are putting locking casters on the cart aren`t you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max and Kate Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 If you`re going to be moving the tank around and disconnecting and reconnecting it then all soft copper may not be the best idea.Every time you bend the copper line you work harden it a little bit.After a time that soft copper becomes hard copper and will crack or break. Some of the copper line out there is of questionable quality.The company who installed our oil furnace tried 3 times to flare the ends of the copper fuel line and each time it work hardened and cracked enough to seep fuel oil.The tech finally pulled a new coil of line and flared it no problem.He took a hammer to the first coil so his boss wouldn`t be tempted to send it back out with someone else. Think about using the copper to plumb from the burners to a convenient point on the cart,like behind the forge,and then go with either approved rubber line covered with the TIG sleeve as suggested above or go with an industrial braided line from the cart to the tank.That way you won`t have to worry too much about what`s going to happen when someone either kicks the tank or bumps the cart.You are putting locking casters on the cart aren`t you?Locks are in place, already have an idea for securing copper line, tank can be set up without having to connect-disconnect but still have some months to save up for the forge and new ideas may form, do appreciate the input, will consider the braided line also, many good ideas are coming out of this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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