Balloon gas allows you to seriously save on cooking in a country house. But you must admit, blue fuel is a source of serious danger. The slightest rush of the connecting pipe or a slight malfunction of the hob, and a fire is inevitable.
In the article we presented, we will describe in detail how to connect a gas cylinder to a gas stove flawlessly and efficiently. Let's talk about the rules, the observance of which will ensure safety at the time of connection and during operation. Our tips will help to avoid errors when connecting propane.
Is self-service allowed?
Almost all gas workers unanimously argue that connecting a propane cylinder to a gas stove should be done exclusively with their participation, paying them money to call the master. However, this connection is quite allowed to be done with your own hands at no additional cost.
There is nothing fundamentally complicated in this matter. Connecting the gas hob to the cylinder consists in choosing a place for the tank with fuel and organizing from there an outlet in the form of a pipe or flexible hose to the stove.
The cylinder is independently connected to the stove or with the call of a gas fitter - according to the law, all responsibility for the safe operation of gas appliances lies solely with the owners or tenants of a residential building
To perform such work requires only basic skills in handling wrenches. Plus, you will have to carefully study and fully comply with the fire safety rules for gas equipment.
A household propane tank is allowed to be installed both inside a residential building and outside. But fire regulations recommend that you choose a place to store gas on the street, and not in the kitchen or the back room of the cottage. When outdoors, you will need to install a pipe or hose of a greater length, but then the likelihood of a fire and / or explosion will be less.
Rules for connecting the cylinder to the plate
Requirements for the connection of domestic gas (a mixture of propane and butane) and the corresponding devices are regulated by several documents. The main ones are SP 62.13330.2011 "Gas distribution systems" and "Technical regulation on the safety of home gas equipment."
Plus there are various fire regulations and building codes. Moreover, in certain issues, these documents are slightly contrary to each other.
To connect the stove to the gas pipe in the apartment, you will have to call the master with the organization supplying gas to the house with the conclusion of the contract for the supply of blue fuel. And in a private cottage or in the country, the cylinder can be connected independently
Tank gas has a number of features that directly affect the rules for its use and the norms for connecting equipment. And the main thing here is not methane, as in a pipe, but a propane-butane mixture (LPG) is pumped into the cylinder. Although usually only “propane” is written on the tank.
LPG is obviously heavier than air. When a burner leaks or attenuates, the balloon gas mixture does not rise and does not escape, but descends to the ground.
Therefore, it is recommended that gas cylinders be placed on the street, so that in an emergency gas could not accumulate in the underground or basement to a dangerous concentration. They should also be placed as far as possible from wells and any electrical appliances.
In the event of a gas equipment malfunction, a gas explosion will suffer, at best, a room with a stove and a tank for LPG, but the whole house can also be destroyed by cotton
It is legally allowed to place cylinders inside in summer cottages and on summer verandas, as well as in attached kitchens and dining rooms in cottages. It is forbidden only to choose a place for them in living rooms, at emergency exits, in closed dark corridors and basement or basements.
Another important feature of LPG is the existence of “summer” and “winter” fuel. The first differs from the second in the ratio of propane and butane, as well as the ability to "work" at low temperatures.
The summer mixture can be used in winter with not severe frosts. However, when the metal container is cooled below zero, only propane will be evaporated from it for burning in the furnace. But butane will remain inside in liquid form, taking up wasted space and gradually accumulate.
At the same time, refueling the cylinder, they will refill the LPG only partially. So negligent refuellers often deceive inexperienced owners of gas stoves. Plus, at some point, the accumulated liquid condensate will have to be drained from the tank in order to liberate it for working gas.
Necessary tools and materials
To connect a gas bottle to a portable or ordinary room stove, it is usually enough to have only a wrench on hand. It is needed to tighten the nuts on the eyeliner and the gas valve.
But if you plan to put the cylinder tank with LPG on the street with the installation of a special cabinet there, then you will additionally need:
- a drill for punching a wall under a pipe (hose);
- shovel with a sledgehammer for installation and grounding of the cabinet;
- screwdriver;
- roulette.
No specialized tools are required.
A street wardrobe is best chosen by a specialized company. It should be made of steel with a thickness of 1 mm and covered with a special paint, so as not to rust immediately in the first year of operation, as well as have ventilation holes and a key lock.
To check the tightness of the connections after connecting, it is recommended to use plain soapy water - when the gas escapes, the soap will bubble
Of the materials you will need:
- Jets for LPG.
- Steel or copper pipe or special gas hose.
- Dielectric insert (if a metal supply is mounted).
- Pressure reducing reducer "frog".
- Sealants.
- Crane.
A stove and gas bottle are also required. Cooktops for main methane and LPG are structurally practically the same. They only change the jets.
Household cylinders come in volumes of 5, 12, 27 and 50 liters. When fully refueled, they weigh about 6, 11, 26 and 43 kg, respectively. Plus, there are 220 and 400 ml disposable gas cans used as a gas source for portable stoves and blowtorches, they are connected with a small hose or directly to the device.
The most optimal option for a private house and cottage is a 12- or 27-liter capacity. It will have to be refilled more often than a large analogue of 50 liters, but it’s simpler and easier to transfer such a small piece of iron
Cylinders are available in the market with valve and valve. It is best to choose a valve option. It allows you to drain the condensate without additional tricks and independently.
Choosing a place for the cylinder
It is permissible to place household cylinders for continuous use with a stove directly next to a gas appliance. There are even tiles with the internal location of the tank for LPG. Moreover, all responsibility for the safety of using this option lies solely with you.
Fire regulations recommend that a gas cylinder be placed on the street (this is safer), and from there it must be connected to the stove with a tap
When installed inside the kitchen, the cylinder should:
- at least 1 m from heating appliances and gas ovens, and 0.5 m from the stove itself;
- provide unhindered access to cranes and valves;
- to remain visible and not covered by any combustible finish;
- placed in a place where there is no direct sunlight.
The outlet from the cylinder to the plate is made of steel or copper pipe, as well as rubber, rubber with metal braid or a bellows hose. The tubular product is more reliable, but complicates the relocation of gas equipment. A gas hose is more practical, only one that is suitable for gas should be selected.
Regardless of the material of execution, the supply must be without connections. Connecting it with threaded fittings or a screed with a clamp on the fitting is allowed only at the points of connection of the shutoff valves and gearbox.
If the cylinder is placed on the street in the closet, then the place for it must be selected at a distance (at a minimum):
- from woodpiles with firewood - 3 m;
- from the windows - 1 m;
- from the entrance to the house - 5 m;
- from ventilation ducts in the walls and basement - 3 m.
Also, at least 1.5 meters of cabinets should be moved away from external fans, air conditioners and other electrical appliances on the facade of the building. It is necessary to completely eliminate the risk of sparks near the gas from short circuits in the wiring and any electrical equipment nearby.
Replacing jets in burners
Gas for combustion in the burner enters through special nozzles. For methane, they are connected of one size, and for LPG of another, with a smaller hole.
Blue gas cylinders require jets with a diameter of 0.5–0.75 mm at 30 mbar from the gearbox and 0.43–0.6 at a gearbox pressure of 50 mbar.
If the gas nozzles are not selected correctly, then the gas will burn with a yellowish color and soot due to a lack of oxygen and excessive pressure
To replace the jets, it is necessary to remove the burner body (in some cases the top panel of the stove) and unscrew the hex bolt 7 or 8 mm from the sleeve, with a small hole in the middle. Then the new nozzle is simply screwed into the place of the old one.
Burner Connection Guide
Domestic gas cylinders are commonly used for cooking. But nothing prevents you from connecting a torch for soldering copper pipes to them. A similar tool is used for roofing, searing animals during slaughter at home, etc.
The gearbox for the burner should not be selected as an ordinary household appliance for a stove, but a special one for welding machines. From the first, the pressure will be too small
Before connecting the burner to the gas bottle, carefully examine it and the hose to it. Cylinder gas in the tank is at a pressure of 15–16 atm. If the burner and outlet for such parameters are not designed, then you will have to connect an adjustable gearbox for propane. Without it, according to the rules of TB, it is impossible.
If the gas reducer is not connected at all, then the gas will be consumed too much. Of course, you can adjust its flow valve on the cylinder, but it is difficult to talk about any safety of work in this situation.
The process of connecting the cylinder to the stove:
Rules for connecting a propane cylinder:
Connection of balloon gas to the hob:
To connect a propane cylinder to a gas stove, competence and special skills are not required. All you need is a wrench and common sense. And do not forget, after connecting, before starting cooking, use soapy water to check for leaks at the joints.
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