Can I direct exhaust heat through a water bath to prevent freeze-up of my 100# propane tank?
As long as you use water and hot hot air off the furnace there should be no problem. Freezing up is a big problem with small cylinders. I started with one 40lb cylinder, then manifolded it to another 40lb cylinder and when full they still freeze up after about 4 hours. When half full they freeze up sooner due to the lower mass. I once saw some guys cooling their beer in the washtub full of water they had set their propane cylinders in. . . Your 100# propane cylinder may be heavy enough to run most of the day (or as long as you can stand it) without freezing up. I’ve see small farriers forges run all day on a 30# cylinder. The freeze up problem is strictly a ratio of (BTU/volume)/time. I don’t have a specific number for this but then you don’t have a specific number for BTU. I do know (based on gas usage) that my gas forge runs between 30,000 to 40,000 BTU and that two full 40lb cylinders will not keep up after 4 hours. AND a 150# tank running the same forge had no problem at all (the t
