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The 30K says I must use at minimum 100lb tanks and a two stage regulator. After back surgery I sold those and started using 40lb tanks and a single stage low pressure regulator.

I called customer service at Dyna and inquired. Great people, but thought I would check here for some of you that may have experience. I called twice, first time they told me I must use 100lb tank at a minimum with 30K. I didn't like hearing that any more than some of you like hearing you must wear a mask. So I tried my 20k set-up. It works just fine.

I called back, they said it will work except when it gets extremely cold and then I better have a 100lb tank. They also said I should use a two stage regulator no matter what size tank. She said even 20 lb tanks will work until it gets too cold.

I did purchase a two stage regulator. I will purchase 1 100lb tank for when it is really cold, or until the smaller tanks quit working I guess. A neighbor will help me set it, a young very stout man! I tried to purchase a 50 or a 100 gallon tank and can not find a provider. I do not have room for a 300 gallon which is the minimum the local provider will set. I am waiting for them to call back if they will come out and fill 100 lb tanks. If they do I probably will get 3 and run two out before calling them to come and fill them.

Questions are, what options have some of you done? Anyone find and use 50-120 gallon tanks? Has anyone used the 40lb tanks and had trouble with them? Is it an outside temperature issue?

Last but not least, she told me I can use my 20s and 40 lb tanks but not the 30lb one. She said with the 30s the tank will feed the fuel as a liquid and not a gas like all of the others. I have never heard that before.

Apologize for the length of this. We a little more than doubled our small cabin size and had to upgrade the A/C and heat. This summer the cabin was very comfortable for us both, I want to make sure I have no problems with the heat. Robin, my wife, is retiring November 18th and intends to spend more time up there with me. Have to be prepared!

Thank you.

I've NEVER had an issue with the cold temps effecting the propane. We're talking temps down in the single digits and that can be both inside and out when I first arrive. The ONLY problems I've had is getting the lighters to work and have to switch over to blue tips if it's really cold.

Of course this propane setup isn't the same kind of draw and use that you are all referring to as I don't run a heater off of it. For that I have a wood burning stove and an old Coleman Kerosene Furnace (that works AWESOME! It uses a chimney and the kero is outside, comes in through a copper line to the furnace).

The type of heater you are talking about are only marginally safe in the first place, so I would do whatever the manufacturer says to do to make sure they operate as designed. In many states they are illegal to use in indoor spaces even though they are sold at most home stores. There is a reason they use two regulators and 100# tanks. Listen to the manufacturer.

I don't know where you get most of your stuff. They cannot be sold in California and I believe Puerto Rico but they are legal every where else for indoor use. They are designed to be vent free and have a low O2 sensor shutoff. They are not designed for permanent supply of heat, but exactly for the type of situation I am asking about.

A two stage regulator is to provide a more consistent flow to the heater, Dyna suggested I use a two stage no matter what tank size.

Ben, thanks for the call this AM. Sounds like no one has had any problems with 40lb tanks so I will probably have a couple 100s but use the 40s as backup as long as I am there on site.

Skook, not wanting to be a jerk here but I believe it was you also that said me using a 1.5% Gly solution was technically illegal. FYI, my next door neighbor sold his family business, Feed Store/Elevator in Grain Field, KS, which they owned for 60 plus years. He laughed when I told him what you said, his reply was there are a lot more illegals then in KS than what he realized. He also drives his golf cart by my clover daily and said I should only use 1% if trying to get rid of the foxtail only. I only tell you this to exercise some caution. IN our litigious society manufacturers will always say we should do things that allow for zero risk. If we followed them all we would never leave the house. FWIW, I have two extra CO detectors in a cabin that is only 640 sf. The number one issue she said I would have with 40s is that there would not be enough volume of fuel to keep it lit. Relax a little.

Habitat, thank you. You probably have 40s, I have 3 of them and 2 20s as well so I am covered with small tanks.

Thanks everyone else!

According to two heating contractors I discussed the vent free heaters with, they are against code. I'll go with their expertise.

It is not a pesticide but a herbicide.

Please know what you are talking about.

John, again skook is not correct. A licensed applicator is bound by regulations and laws that a home owner/land owner is not. Purchase some Gly, it does not say you must use a 2% solution. Where do you guys come up with this stuff?

herbicides (plural noun) a substance that is toxic to plants, used to destroy unwanted vegetation.

"farmers sprayed a protected wildflower meadow with herbicide"

Pesticides are chemical compounds that are used to kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi and unwanted plants (weeds)

"technically" skook is correct on this one minor point, but most use pesticides to refer to killing insects, not plants. He still does not know what he is talking about as homeowners do not have to follow what a licensed commercial applicator does, and I know from actual experience.

And doing this dance with you John gets old. It is not illegal to use a propane heater in the application I am using it for, just as spraying 1.5% gly solution on my own target plants is not illegal. Apparently neither of you know what you are talking about. This is why people don't participate here. The negativity that comes from asking for people's experience on a certain topic, it typically turns into crap like this.

EDIT: And the application I am using this for is providing temporary supplemental heat ONLY while the structure is occupied.

Now my safety soapbox- unvented heaters are not allowed as the sole heat source in any "sleeping area" here in the state of Michigan, not sure on your regs and assume the local inspectors don't care anyway. I would just say to not trust your life to a chinese made O2 sensor, crack a window near where you are sleeping to allow some fresh air at least during the night. Co2 is the silent and deadly killer, happens way more than people know- go to bed, never wake up.

I didn't say it was illegal in your county, I said it was illegal in many states

You said your county doesn't have building codes. All states have building codes that apply to the whole state.

You are the one who keeps making incorrect statements while telling others they don't know what they are talking about.

Skkok, There are no building codes for this type of structure because they are mostly used by people for extra storage. Please get some comprehension skills bud. One last time, there is nothing on the label that makes spraying 1.5% illegal. You are full of crap!!

Drr, agreed with everything you said. Also appreciate the T advice which is what Ben said also.

Yes, please note I said supplemental heating above as we have one large and one medium electric heater. I am aware of the risks, that is why I have 2 extra CO sensors. These types of structures are not sealed tight, it basically is a pole barn with insulation and OSB paneling. We typically heat the cabin before going to bed and put it down to the lowest setting at night. It is normally chilly when we awake because of the "leaking" around all of the joints. Propane is much more efficient at elevating the temperature quickly to a comfortable level as you obviously know as opposed to running a generator with electric heaters, even the 220 I wired directly and run with my 6000 watt running generator. It eats the gas. When I am solo there and my lab is left in the cabin while I am hunting, the electric heater is used to keep it half way comfortable for him. My original post was long enough and I did not feel the need to explain the minutia to see if a 30K BTU heater would run off of 40lb bottles like a 20K had been for me. That was what I was asking. DRR, FWIW, the 20k would run the 20 and 40lb bottles down next to almost no propane left. Why I asked the question is I simply did not want to be left in the position of being caught up there in some bad weather and having the bottles I have quit working. I will be prepared as said with something. A neighbor offered an old 50 gallon bottle that the local propane company is checking out and if in good enough shape will install a new valve and will deliver propane to it. They are not allowed to fill bottles off of the truck like the 100lb and lower that need to be weighed. He also will eventually be able to get me a 125 gallon most likely, and that size or smaller does not need to be 25' from the structure so we will have the room.

And BTW, the second call to Dyna they actually said it would run off of the 20s and 40s. They tell you a minimum of a 100 because of what Drr pointed out above. It had nothing to do with safety, but whether or not it would still burn.

I post this information in hopes others building a new cabin may find it useful. Thanks again Drr.

I never said there were building codes for those kinds of buildings. I just pointed out you were wrong that there were no codes.

There is language on every tag stating that deviating from the label is illegal.

Go find another topic.

Using 1.5 percent is not deviating from the label.

Try answering people's questions instead of offering your opinion on something they never asked about.

You offered absolutely nothing useful on this thread, once again.

Where are you buying your tank from? Cheapest i have found for a 120 is over $600. Thanks.

BTW, hooked two 40s together, 2 stage regulator and it ran fine.

Passin, good point. They are only illegal in CA, not "many" states as erroneously stated. CA made them illegal not because of CO2, but cancer concerns.

This cabin is much better insulated and held the heat so the electric heater seldom came on at night. But it only got down to 46.

Thanks.

I guess mine is more of a shack as well since i have no running water but i did wire it with 100 amp box, 20 amp 12 gauge recepticles (for the heater) and 15 amp 14 gauge wire for the lights. 30 amp twist plug wired to the box. R30 in the ceiling, R13 in the walls. Probably never recoup the cost of the insulation, but it is quiet and cozy.

Have a great Fall TF!

Tanks filled to 85% is for potential expansion gas expansion from rising temps.

Warm = expand, higher pressure Cold = contract, lower pressure

Boyles and Charles Gas Laws