Frozen propane tanks

[bradroy55]

We use a two burner Colman stove for cooking and heat in out shanty, problem is, the one pound tanks we use freeze up within an hour and restrict the flow of propane by quite a lot, causing an extreme lack of heat and flame! Does anyone know if using a 20 lb tank will solve this problem? Or if their is anything you can do to prevent this from happening with the little tanks?
Any help is appreciated, thanks!

[cbice]

Yeah I've had that problem if I'm either outside or in a portable shanty on a real cold day.  I have tried keeping a tank inside my coveralls to keep the chill off and whoever I'm with also keeps one inside their outer layer.  I also keep them inside my truck on the way there.  The ride in the morning will do them in. 

[bradroy55]

It happens in our portable, but usually takes a while, today in the wooden shanty though, they were freezing up in 20 minutes! Makes for a cold day when your propane is running at a drizzle!

[jrkane]

1lb tanks cant handle the draw and the cold at the same time because the lack of a regulator. 

[vtshantyman]

what about wraping them in some thing like a big coozie

[TRT]

Opening weekend we drag a 20 pound tank and full sized grill out (one extra trip)
I think this is out 25th annual trip (brother an I) with 10 guys confirmed at Pinecrest
in Barton. The older I get the more I look forward to the weekend w/buds..

[MikeVT]

Has nothing to do with the regulator.  You need a bigger tank.  Propane tanks freeze up because the metal gets cold from the draw and cannot warm enough to make more vapor, thus no flame.  They cost a bit more, but a 10# tank is more than sufficient and easier to drag on and off the ice.  Just a word from your iceshanty buddy, Hank Hill.

[ICE WANDERER]

           I've had 20lb tanks freeze up, try puting the tanks in a drilled hole, the water will help to warm them up.

[whipplebuck]

Try this  get a sports wrap with a pocket for hot or cold packs then add 2-3 hand warmers in the pocket wrap around the tank  this should fix your problem, little tuffer to wrap on a buddy heater but you should be able to go from there and get it to work...   This is the similar thinking in what we do with our Cordless Drill Batteries that we use to power our hand augers we pack them in a flexible cooler with hand warmers and keep our batteries warm works so much better...

[fishnmachine]

Try this  get a sports wrap with a pocket for hot or cold packs then add 2-3 hand warmers in the pocket wrap around the tank  this should fix your problem, little tuffer to wrap on a buddy heater but you should be able to go from there and get it to work...

...or maybe just an Ace bandage and the hand warmer.....Brilliant!   

[VTer]

so if your in a shanty with a buddy heater, it dosen't produce enough heat to be self warming?

[Lmacvt]

It happens in our portable, but usually takes a while, today in the wooden shanty though, they were freezing up in 20 minutes! Makes for a cold day when your propane is running at a drizzle!

I had the same problem two years ago, and ever since then i carry one or two 1lb propanes in my backpack, wrapped in a towel, and i keep the back pack in our portable shanty to keep it in the heat. Did that yesterday and had no problems.

[sori___]

I had the same problem, couldnt take it anymore so I got a 25lb tank and a heater that mounts to the top of it.  I'll leave other stuff at home before I leave that   Put the tank in a milk crate that fits onto the sled, and warms my 'base camp' clam shell perfectly.. I'd rather have to turn down the heat then not have enough.

[fishingidjit]

Small tanks freeze at the neck,so 1 and 2 # cylinders are the worst!

[BruceLea]

bring a small torch and hit the tank every once in a while.

When its <0, I bring my colman fuel stove--no problems with gasoline

[BillJ]

even the 100 pound tanks freeze when its 40 below and colder.
pour water over the tanks, it doesnt have to be warm or hot water but obviously hotter is better.

ice will form and the tanks will heat up enough to flow.

I often carry a large thermos bottle that I've filled with boiling water at home and pour that on my propane tanks when they start to get sluggish.

the year before the olympics in placid we had a week of 40 below and lowest was 52 below that week over washingtons birthday, even then with a good coating of ice the tanks were sending some propane to us, no one had electricity back then on the lake except for camps on the west side near rt 10.

when water freezes ask yourself where does the heat that was in the water go? some into the air, and some will go into your tanks.

use a duck blind heater for heat, this is a throw away pan with sand in it, pour alchohol on the sand and light, it deserves attention and respect as the flames are invisible to the eye, the sand heats up and will throw warmth long after the alcohol burns away.

my great nephew often carries a 2 gallon insulated Thermos jug with hot water in it and stores spare chunky propane tanks in it in rotation when he is guiding parties that are eating hot meals on the ice.