Bottled gas allows you to seriously save on cooking in a country house. But you must admit that blue fuel is a source of serious danger. The slightest burst of the connecting pipe or a minor malfunction of the hob, and a fire is inevitable.
In our article, 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 you avoid mistakes when connecting propane.
The content of the article:
- Is self-connection allowed?
-
Rules for connecting a cylinder to a plate
- Required tools and materials
- Choosing a place for the cylinder
- Replacing the jets in the burners
- Burner Connection Guide
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Is self-connection allowed?
Almost all gas workers unanimously claim that it is necessary to connect a propane cylinder to a gas stove exclusively with their participation, having paid them money for calling the master. However, it is quite possible to make this connection with your own hands without additional costs.
There is nothing fundamentally difficult in this matter. Connecting a gas hob to a cylinder consists in choosing a place for a container with fuel and organizing a drain from there 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 safety of the operation of gas appliances lies solely with the owners or tenants of a residential building
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 the fire safety rules for gas-fired equipment.
A household propane cylinder is allowed to be installed both inside a residential building and outside. But fire regulations recommend choosing a place for storing gas on the street, and not in the kitchen or utility room of the cottage. For outdoor installations, a longer pipe or hose will need to be installed, but the likelihood of fire and / or explosion will be less.
Rules for connecting a cylinder to a plate
Requirements for connecting domestic bottled gas (propane-butane mixture) 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 various fire regulations and building codes. Moreover, in some issues, these documents contradict each other a little.
To connect the stove to the gas pipe in the apartment, you will have to call the foreman with the organization supplying gas to the house with the conclusion of a contract for the supply of blue fuel. And in a private cottage or in the country, the cylinder can be connected independently
Bottled gas has a number of features that directly affect the rules for its use and equipment connection standards. And the main thing here is that not methane is pumped into the cylinder, as in a pipe, but a propane-butane mixture (LPG). Although the container is usually written only "propane".
LPG is obviously heavier than air. When a burner leaks or fades, the balloon gas mixture does not rise or evaporate, but descends to the ground.
That's why gas cylinders and it is recommended to put it outdoors so that in an emergency situation the gas could not accumulate in the underground or basement to a dangerous concentration. They should also be placed as far away from wells and any electrical appliances as possible.
If the gas equipment malfunctions, a gas explosion will damage, at best, a room with a stove and a tank for LPG, but the whole house can also collapse from cotton
It is legally allowed to put cylinders inside at dachas and on summer verandas, as well as in attached kitchens-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 in basements 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 in the ability to "work" at low temperatures.
Summer mixture can also be used in winter when the frost is not severe. However, when the metal container is cooled below zero, only propane will evaporate from it for combustion in the furnace. Butane will remain inside in a liquid form, taking up wasted space and gradually accumulating.
At the same time, filling the cylinder, you will only be partially refilled with LPG. 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 container in order to banally free it for the working gas.
Required tools and materials
To connect a gas cylinder to a portable or ordinary room stove, as a rule, it is enough to have only a wrench at hand. It is needed to tighten the nuts on the supply line and the gas valve.
But if the plan is to put the LPG cylinder tank 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 a street cabinet from a specialized firm. It should be made of steel with a thickness of 1 mm and more 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 lock with a key.
In order to check the tightness of the connections after connection, 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 gas hose.
- Dielectric insert (if a metal inlet is installed).
- Reducing pressure reducer "frog".
- Seals.
- Tap.
You will also need a stove and a gas cylinder directly. The hobs for mainline methane and LPG are practically the same structurally. They only change the jets.
Household cylinders come in 5, 12, 27 and 50 liters. When fully charged, they weigh about 6, 11, 26 and 43 kg, respectively. Plus there are 220 and 400 ml disposable gas cartridges 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 summer cottage is a 12- or 27-liter capacity. It will have to be refueled more often than a large analogue of 50 liters, but it is easier and easier to carry such a small piece of hardware
Cylinders are offered on the market with a valve and a valve. It is best to choose the valve version. It allows you to drain condensate without additional tweaks and independently.
Choosing a place 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 such an option rests solely with you.
Fire safety standards recommend placing a gas cylinder on the street (it is safer), and from there connect it to the stove with a tap
When installed inside a kitchen, the cylinder must:
- stand at a minimum from heating appliances and gas ovens by 1 m, and from the tile itself - by 0.5 m;
- provide unhindered access to taps and valves;
- remain visible and uncovered by any flammable 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 pipes, as well as rubber, rubber with a metal braid or a bellows hose. The tubular product is more reliable, but it complicates the rearrangement of the gas equipment. Gas hose more practical, only one that is suitable for gas should be selected.
Regardless of the material of execution, the connection must be without connections. It is allowed to connect it with threaded fittings or with a clamp with a clamp on the nipple only at the connection points of the shut-off valves and the gearbox.
If the cylinder is placed outside in a closet, then the place for it must be chosen at a distance (at 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, at least 1.5 meters, the 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 the jets in the burners
The combustion gas in the burner is supplied through special nozzles. For methane they are connected to one size, and for LPG another, with a smaller hole.
For bottled blue fuel, jets with a diameter of 0.5–0.75 mm at 30 mbar with a reducer and 0.43–0.6 at a reducer pressure of 50 mbar are required.
If the gas injectors are selected incorrectly, 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 a 7 or 8 mm hexagonal "bolt" from the landing sleeve with a small hole in the middle. Then the new nozzle is simply screwed in place of the old one.
Burner Connection Guide
Gas cylinders in everyday life are usually used for cooking. But nothing prevents you from connecting to them as well torch for brazing copper pipes. A similar tool is used for roofing work, singling animals during slaughter at home, etc.
The reducer for the torch should not be selected for the usual household stove, but special for welding machines. From the first, the pressure will be too small
Before connecting the burner to the gas cylinder, you should carefully study it and the hose to it. Balloon gas in the tank is at a pressure of 15–16 atm. If the burner and the outlet are not designed for such parameters, then an adjustable propane reducer will have to be connected. Without it, according to the TB rules, it is impossible.
If gas reducer do not connect at all, then the gas will be consumed too much. Of course, you can adjust its supply with a 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 plate:
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 competence and special skills. All you need is a wrench and common sense. And do not forget, after connecting, before starting cooking with soapy water, check that there are no leaks at the joints.
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