How to connect a gas cylinder to a gas stove: standards and connection guidelines
Bottled gas allows you to seriously save on cooking food in a country house.But you must admit that blue fuel is a source of serious danger. The slightest break in the connecting pipe or a slight malfunction of the hob, and a fire is inevitable.
In the article we present, we will describe in detail how to connect a gas cylinder to a gas stove flawlessly and efficiently. We will tell you about the rules, compliance with which will ensure safety at the time of connection and during operation. Our tips will help you avoid mistakes when connecting propane.
The content of the article:
Is self-connection allowed?
Almost all gas workers unanimously claim that connecting a propane cylinder to a gas stove should be done exclusively with their participation, having paid them money for calling a technician. However, this connection can be done with your own hands without additional costs.
There is nothing fundamentally complicated about this issue. Connecting a gas hob to a cylinder involves choosing a place for a container with fuel and organizing an outlet from there in the form of a pipe or flexible hose to the stove.
To perform such work, you only need to have basic skills in handling wrenches. Plus, you will have to carefully study and fully comply with fire safety rules for gas-powered equipment.
A household propane cylinder can be installed both inside and outside a residential building. But fire safety standards recommend choosing a place to store gas outside, and not in the kitchen or utility room of the cottage. If installed outdoors, you will need to install a longer pipe or hose, but the likelihood of a fire and/or explosion will be less.
Rules for connecting the cylinder to the stove
The requirements for connecting bottled gas for domestic use (a mixture of propane and butane) and related devices are regulated by several documents. The main ones are SP 62.13330.2011 “Gas distribution systems” and “Technical regulations on the safety of household gas equipment”.
Plus there are also various fire regulations and building codes. Moreover, on some issues these documents slightly contradict each other.
Bottled gas has a number of features that directly affect the rules for its use and standards for connecting equipment. And the main thing here is that it is not methane that is pumped into the cylinder, as in a pipe, but a propane-butane mixture (LPG). Although on the container they usually write only “propane”.
LPG is obviously heavier than air. When a burner leaks or goes out, the balloon gas mixture does not rise or evaporate, but descends to the ground.
That's why gas cylinders and it is recommended to install it outside so that in an emergency the gas cannot 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.
It is legally permitted to place cylinders inside in dachas and on summer verandas, as well as in attached kitchen-dining rooms in cottages. It is only prohibited to choose a place for them in living rooms, near emergency exits, in closed dark corridors and basement or basement rooms.
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 also be used in winter if there is not severe frost. However, when a metal container is cooled below zero, only propane will evaporate from it for combustion in the stove. But the butane will remain inside in liquid form, taking up wasted space and gradually accumulating.
At the same time, when filling the cylinder, you will only be partially topped up with LPG. This is how careless gas station operators often deceive inexperienced owners of gas stoves. Plus, at some point, the accumulated liquid condensate will have to be drained from the container in order to simply free it up for the working gas.
Required tools and materials
To connect a gas cylinder to a portable or regular indoor stove, as a rule, it is enough to have only a wrench on hand. It is needed to tighten the nuts on the inlet and gas valve.
But if you plan to install a cylinder container with LPG on the street with the installation of a special cabinet there, then you will additionally need:
- drill for punching a wall under a pipe (hose);
- a shovel with a sledgehammer for installing and grounding the cabinet;
- screwdriver;
- roulette.
No specialized tools are required.
It is best to choose an outdoor cabinet from a specialized company. It must be made of steel with a thickness of 1 mm and covered with special paint so as not to rust immediately in the first year of operation, and also have ventilation holes and a lock with a key.
Materials you will need:
- Jets for LPG.
- A pipe made of steel or copper or a hose special for gas.
- Dielectric insert (if a metal supply is mounted).
- Pressure-reducing "frog" reducer.
- Seals.
- Tap.
You will also need a stove and a gas cylinder. Hobs for main methane and LPG are practically no different in design. They only change the jets.
Household cylinders come in volumes of 5, 12, 27 and 50 liters. When fully charged, they weigh about 6, 11, 26 and 43 kg, respectively. Plus there are disposable gas cartridges of 220 and 400 ml, used as a source of gas for portable stoves and blowtorches, they are connected with a small hose or directly to the device.
Cylinders are offered on the market with a valve and valve. It is best to choose the valve option. It allows you to drain condensate without additional tricks and independently.
Choosing a location for the cylinder
Household cylinders for permanent use with a stove can be placed directly next to the gas appliance. There are even tiles with an internal LPG container.In this case, all responsibility for the safety of using this option rests solely with you.
When installed inside the kitchen, the cylinder must:
- keep a minimum distance of 1 m from heating appliances and gas ovens, and 0.5 m from the tiles themselves;
- provide unobstructed access to taps and valves;
- remain visible and unobstructed by any flammable finish;
- placed in a place where there is no direct sunlight.
The outlet from the cylinder to the stove is made of a steel or copper pipe, as well as a rubber, rubber with metal braid or bellows hose. A pipe product is more reliable, but makes it more difficult to rearrange gas equipment. Gas hose more practical, you just need to select one that is suitable for gas.
Regardless of the material used, the inlet must be without connections. It is allowed to connect it with threaded fittings or a tie clamp on the fitting only at the connection points of the shut-off valves and gearbox.
If the cylinder is placed outside in a closet, then a place for it should be chosen at a distance (to a minimum):
- from woodpiles with firewood - 3 m;
- from windows – 1 m;
- from the entrance to the house – 5 m;
- from ventilation ducts in the walls and basement - 3 m.
Also, cabinets should be moved at least 1.5 meters 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 appearing near the gas from short circuits in the wiring and any electrical equipment nearby.
Replacing jets in burners
The combustion gas in the burner is supplied through special nozzles.For methane they are connected in one size, and for LPG in another, with a smaller hole.
For bottled blue fuel, jets with a diameter of 0.5–0.75 mm at 30 mbar from the gearbox and 0.43–0.6 at a gear pressure of 50 mbar are needed.
To replace the jets, you need to remove the burner body (in some cases, the top panel of the stove) and unscrew a 7 or 8 mm hex “bolt” with a small hole in the middle from the seat sleeve. Then the new nozzle is simply screwed into place of the old one.
Burner connection guide
Gas cylinders are usually used in everyday life for cooking. But nothing prevents you from connecting to them as well torch for soldering copper pipes. A similar tool is used for roofing work, singeing animals during slaughter at home, etc.
Before connecting a burner to a gas cylinder, you should carefully examine it and the hose to it. The bottled gas in the container is under a pressure of 15–16 atm. If the burner and outlet are not designed for such parameters, then you will have to connect an adjustable reducer for propane. According to TB rules, you can’t do without it.
If gas reducer do not connect at all, the gas will be consumed too much. Of course, you can adjust its supply using the valve on the cylinder, but it is difficult to talk about any safety of work in this situation.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
The process of connecting the cylinder to the stove:
Rules for connecting a propane cylinder:
Connecting bottled gas to the hob:
To connect a propane cylinder to a gas stove, you do not need to have any competence or special skills. All you need is a wrench and common sense. And don’t forget, after connecting, before starting cooking, use soapy water to check for leaks at the connections.
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