A couple of Questions that i need an answer too

[kholmes]

Have a Sabre 33ckts which is not relevant to my questions. We live in Saskatchewan, Canada and have winterized the rv. We are going on a 3 month rendezvous down in ARIZONA leaving sometime around the end of the year. Last year when we were heading down,we stopped and stayed in n Salt lake City and planned on dewinterizing their. We tried to start our furnace and could not get the propane to flow to start burners or furnace. We left CANADA and it had been fairly chilly, minus 20 to 25 degrees Celsius for a short time. So my question is does propane freeze up or become thicker in real cold weather and does it prohibit it from flowing?? I was wondering if using a battery blanket or something like that to warm up tanks would make a difference or are their other options?? Do I need to do something specific to the tanks prior to winter?? Also the 5er will be sitting for another 8 weeks or so. Would you recommend keeping it plugged in to my 30 amp service . Thanks

[Iwannacamp]

I am no expert...
Propane can get too cold for usage.
Wrapping the tanks with a propane heating blanket is doable.
I put an electric heater in mine for a month to protect from extreme cold(a lot warmer than yours) and my shop electric bill went up about $50 that month...after that the 5er was on its own.
Mine stays plugged in all the time.

[Scrapper]

Very cold temperatures won't let the LP vaporize into a gas as well as warm weather.
Saying that, it needs to be above -44F or -42C to vaporize. Remember you have to open the LP tank valve slowly or the safety valve will shut off mistakenly sensing a ruptured line.

[SailorSam20500]

And remember that as the liquid propane vaporizes, it further cools the remaining liquid. So the colder it is, the slower it vaporizes. Slow vaporization causing insufficient gas to run the appliances.

Regarding power, only issue I know of is keeping the battery(s) charged (unless you are using the trailer). Though in cold weather the self discharge rate slows down. So if yours are fully charged and full of water to begin with, there is minimal need for further charging. You might want to plug in a day or so before leaving to top off the charge.

[old40ford]

There could also be a problem with your supplier. If moisture is in it that will freeze at the regulator and no more flow. The suppliers are supposed to add something to the large supplies of propane to prevent this, but, sometimes it can happen. Happened to me back in 1993.
good luck
John

[Scrapper]

Water is one by-product of burning LP, all LP has a small amount of water in it, the other is a waxy (paraffin?) substance that can build up in your heater and stove control valves. The waxy stuff usually takes several years to cause a problem. Another problem with cheap made regulators is they can get water inside causing the regulator to freeze up. Taking off the regulator and warming it up you can get the water to drip out if this happens.

Where I worked we used propane heaters in some areas and the main problem in the winter was the water collecting in the low points of the lines would freeze. Just like your plumbing if some water is left. Another problem was dirt & dust getting on the burner orifice.

[jtesta1]

The regulator will freeze long before your tank will freeze.

[Cold Lake Kid]

I think jtesta1 has the problem ID'd
I used to Ski-Doo in Quebec in winter and the cabin/cottage we used used propane for lighting and cooking. Two large, top feed tanks, located outside, provided LPG even on the coldest days, which sometimes reached -35 and -40 (On those days, we stayed in, read, drank tea and coffee and watched the stove burn wood.)

[D W]

Originally Posted by Cold Lake Kid

I think jtesta1 has the problem ID'd
I used to Ski-Doo in Quebec in winter and the cabin/cottage we used used propane for lighting and cooking. Two large, top feed tanks, located outside, provided LPG even on the coldest days, which sometimes reached -35 and -40 (On those days, we stayed in, read, drank tea and coffee and watched the stove burn wood.)

LOL! In Alaska we refer to "watching wood burn" as survival TV.