Steve Watkins Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 I want to convert my propane forges to natural gas, and need some guidance, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Welcome aboard Steve, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might discover a member lives close enough to have experience with things in your area. Just off the top. You'll need commercial connection, domestic Natural Gas (NG) delivery is in ounces of pressure and low volume. You'l need to check with: local, regional and national building codes and the gas company to find out if you CAN be supplied in the quantities and pressure you'll need. Then IF there is a large enough main close enough YOU get to pay for the tap and line to your location. This is not a casual undertaking. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 One thing that you will have to consider is that propane has about 2.5 times the number of BTUs for the same volume as natural gas. Also, natural gas is delivered at a lower pressure than bottled propane. So, you will have to deliver a lot more natural gas to your forge to get the same heat as propane. At a minimum you will need larger orifices in your burners. This is what is done in converting other propane appliances such as stoves and furnaces from propane to natural gas. That is about as much as I can give you. There are other folk here who are WAY into the design and building of gas forges and will be able to comment on design issues other than burner orifices for propane vs. natural gas. Yes, natural gas is cheaper than propane but when you compare it by BTU or therm the difference is a lot smaller. BTW, if you are getting your propane at a big box store or other retailer you are paying a LOT more than if you get it from a real propane supplier. This can be an issue in large urban areas because there is little use of propane except for BBQs in urban and suburban areas. So, no bulk propane suppliers. In small town or rural areas more folk use propane for heating and cooking. So, more demand and more suppliers. In rural areas I have been able to buy propane at a third to a half of what my urban friends have to pay. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Watkins Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 Thank you guys for the input! You have given me much to research and think on. More to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Along the same line, propylene can be purchased in refillable cylinders from welding supply stores for about one-third more than propane in urban areas, and has bout one-third more heat; no, this doesn't equal out, because, this allows the wise to turn burners down lower, reducing the amount of heat wasted out of the exhaust, while depositing more heat on internal equipment surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Welcome aboard Steve, have you read the Read This First thread up in the blue banner? It is full of tips that will help in getting the best out of the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Naturally Aspirated forge burners tend to use the higher propane pressures to drive the air entrainment. Using lower pressure natural gas may require quite a bit of burner modification. Now for a forced air burner it's more of a dump more gas into the air stream and adjust gas and air to get a good burn. I've seen some very simple forced air burners using NG! (One used a 1960's hair dryer for the air supply, melting brass for a casting class I took!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Watkins Posted July 6, 2020 Author Share Posted July 6, 2020 Thanks f On 7/5/2020 at 11:20 AM, Frosty said: Welcome aboard Steve, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might discover a member lives close enough to have experience with things in your area. Just off the top. You'll need commercial connection, domestic Natural Gas (NG) delivery is in ounces of pressure and low volume. You'l need to check with: local, regional and national building codes and the gas company to find out if you CAN be supplied in the quantities and pressure you'll need. Then IF there is a large enough main close enough YOU get to pay for the tap and line to your location. This is not a casual undertaking. Frosty The Lucky. or the info!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Your wel . . . come. (sorry, couldn't help myself, I LOVE typos, they make such good straight lines.) Keep us in the loop if you change over please. We love pics. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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