>> I used to have a home-brewed "spark indicator" in the dash on one of
>> my cars on the premis that failure to start is either fuel or ignition... :>
>
> What was that? :-?
Just a wire wrapped around a plug wire (coil wire is a better choice)
and fed to a neon. You aren't looking for anything more than "do I
have spark" -- back in the days wit distributors, points, condenser, etc.
>>> Then we replace the empty bottle at a leisure.
>>
>> I suspect folks who use "propane grills" (outdoor cooking) likely only
>> have a single tank (they are large and seldom used... why keep *two*?)
>
> Quite possibly.
It's relatively easy to find a source of refill/replacement. Once out
of my subdivision, it's 1/3 mi to one source, a 5/4 mi the other way to
another source, 2 mi the first direction to yet another, then again at
3 mi, etc.
As long as you aren't grilling at midnight, you can likely find
a refill/replacement.
But, it's not *convenient*.
OTOH, it's not convenient to store an ExTRA 25lb propane tank just
to cover for the case where you failed to check your supply BEFORE
grilling.
>> Growing up, we had oil-fired domestic hot water. The supply was quite limited.
>> And, subject to "dropouts" if someone flushed a toilet, started a load of
>> laundry, etc. It was common sense to ANNOUNCE your desire to take a shower
>> before putting yourself at the mercy of others' "activities".
>
> Oh, yes!
>
> Some modern water flash heaters have automatic regulation. They increase or
> decrease the gas output automatically to try keep the water temperature constant.
No substitute for *mass*, in that case.
> I don't have that in this place. I did a mistake when I purchased the last one
> when replacing the previous (broken) one. It is not only the problem of someone
> using the water at the same time, but that the temp varies a lot if you try to
> use less water.
I'd prefer smaller heaters at point of use (to minimize transport delay).
But, also like the fact that the *single* water heater can be out of the
living space (whereas all points of use are *in* that space).
We tend not to fret our DOMESTIC energy usage (which is likely far
above most folks). We don't consume as much commuting (5000 *shared*
miles on the road) or travel (aside from offsites, we don't do any
long distance traveling -- too tedious nowadays!) so rationalize our
OTHER excesses...
>> Going off to school, we had a 5,000G hot water tank for the dorm. ENDLESS
>> supplies of hot water!
>
> :-)
Yes. Shower sex can be really distressing if you run out of hot/warm water
in the act! :-/
Reply by a a●December 17, 20232023-12-17
The arsehole John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> persisting in being an Off-topic troll...
--
John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
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> NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2023 19:07:47 +0000
> From: John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com>
> Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
> Subject: Re: OT: (consumer) propane tanks
> Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2023 11:07:04 -0800
> Organization: Highland Tech
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Reply by a a●December 17, 20232023-12-17
The arsehole John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> persisting in being an Off-topic troll...
--
John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
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> NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2023 16:20:20 +0000
> From: John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com>
> Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
> Subject: Re: OT: (consumer) propane tanks
> Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2023 08:19:37 -0800
> Organization: Highland Tech
> Reply-To: xx@yy.com
> Message-ID: <vp7unilo3rf62fmaqg30o4cfbrdqerlcte@4ax.com>
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Reply by a a●December 17, 20232023-12-17
The arsehole Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> persisting in being an Off-topic troll...
--
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
> On 12/16/2023 8:39 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> On 2023-12-16 22:29, Don Y wrote:
>>> On 12/16/2023 6:09 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
....
>> You may remember that a carburettor car with the motor soaked in
>> gasoline doesn't start. You had to let the car stand for half an hour
>> before trying again. Or push the accelerator to the end, not moving
>> it, then turn the key, so that it ventilated. After a while you could
>> try to start it for real.
>
> Yes. The idiots who'd pump the pedal endlessly thinking it would
> *help* things...
>
> I used to have a home-brewed "spark indicator" in the dash on one of
> my cars on the premis that failure to start is either fuel or
> ignition... :>
What was that? :-?
>
>>>> On the other hand, a bottle leaking can produce a mixture of gas and
>>>> oxygen that is indeed explosive.
>>>>
>>>> My father, who worked on a refinery, said that the huge empty fuel
>>>> tanks were more dangerous than the full ones. The former had a
>>>> mixture of fuel and air, they could explode.
>>>
>>> When a customer returns a tank for refill, you have no idea as to how
>>> much
>>> propane is present. If it developed a fault with the valve, it may
>>> never
>>> have had ANY gas consumed. Or, it may be bone dry. Or, empty *enough*
>>> that the customer didn't want to dick around with getting halfway
>>> through
>>> a meal prep only to discover the tank was finally exhausted.
>>
>> Here, we have two bottles of butane on the kitchen, one connected, one
>> spare. If the bottle gives way in the middle of cooking, we just
>> switch the bottle, which here is a minute, 15" if you are on a hurry.
>> We have a quick disconnect/connect device :-)
>>
>> Then we replace the empty bottle at a leisure.
>
> I suspect folks who use "propane grills" (outdoor cooking) likely only
> have a single tank (they are large and seldom used... why keep *two*?)
Quite possibly.
>
>> Things get interesting with the shower hot water if the bottle gives
>> way just in mid shower, you are alone, and you have to get out to the
>> garden to switch the bottles with your hair full of shampoo in winter ;-)
>>
>> Yeah, BTDT.
>
> Growing up, we had oil-fired domestic hot water. The supply was quite
> limited.
> And, subject to "dropouts" if someone flushed a toilet, started a load of
> laundry, etc. It was common sense to ANNOUNCE your desire to take a shower
> before putting yourself at the mercy of others' "activities".
Oh, yes!
Some modern water flash heaters have automatic regulation. They increase
or decrease the gas output automatically to try keep the water
temperature constant.
I don't have that in this place. I did a mistake when I purchased the
last one when replacing the previous (broken) one. It is not only the
problem of someone using the water at the same time, but that the temp
varies a lot if you try to use less water.
>
> Going off to school, we had a 5,000G hot water tank for the dorm. ENDLESS
> supplies of hot water!
:-)
--
Cheers, Carlos.
Reply by Don Y●December 17, 20232023-12-17
On 12/15/2023 7:42 PM, ehsjr wrote:
> On 12/15/2023 6:24 PM, Don Y wrote:
> <snip>
>>
>> [I recall, when getting forklift certified, asking the instructor
>> what to do in the event of a fire (cuz you are sitting ON the engine
>> and the fuel source is immediately behind your back). I expected
>> some PRACTICAL sort of advice -- like how to put it out, etc.
>>
>> He ended up saying, "Get as far away as possible. Call the fire
>> department. AND TELL THEM YOU HAVE A PROPANE FORKLIFT FIRE. When
>> they arrive, they will likely park A BLOCK AWAY!"
>>
>> I guess propane explosions are spectacular! ?]
>
> The problem is that propane gas is heavier than air,
> so it doesn't readily dissipate like natural gas would.
Possibly. But, we operated the truck outdoors so
less likely for it to "pool" anywhere. I think the
fear is a hose melting leading to uncontrolled flame...
leading to tank heating... leading to explosion.
In an enclosed space, there might be a different
failure mode.
I'd feel much safer on an electric truck but they are
more of a (daily) maintenance issue (important when
you can't count on having staff available every day).
>> So, anyone know if this is a universal prohibition, a local
>> requirement or just "store policy"?
>>
>
> Dunno.
> Ed