The boiling point, or the temperature at which each gas vaporizes, is the most significant difference between propane and butane. Propane has a low boiling point of -43.6 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing it to vaporize as soon as it is released from its pressurized containers. Butane, on the other hand, boils at 30.2 degrees Fahrenheit, or barely below freezing.
There have been several times in our country’s history when temperatures have dropped below -43.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the most notable of which was the record -69.7 degrees Fahrenheit set at Rogers Pass, Montana, in 1954. Even in the coldest of climates, propane will almost certainly be available.
However, if butane were the major fuel source, you could theoretically find yourself without gas for heating or cooking in some sections of the country.
Is it possible to use butane instead of propane?
The majority of appliances can run on either Butane or Propane, but the cylinders have different regulators, so double-check what size is required first. Because propane has a higher pressure than butane, a butane regulator will not work on a propane cylinder and vice versa. Butane may not give off vapour at low seasonal temperatures, often below two degrees Celsius, due to its lower boiling point. Propane can be used all year.
Propane or butane gas: which is better?
The boiling point of propane and butane differs significantly. Propane is utilized in homes with outdoor storage because it can withstand significantly lower temperatures. Butane, on the other hand, should be kept indoors because it doesn’t work as well in colder temperatures.
In the United Kingdom, for example, January 2021 was the coldest January in over a decade.
***. Butane, which has a boiling point of -2C, would not work properly outside in these conditions, whereas propane would.
Both fuels can be kept in a variety of methods when it comes to storage. You may learn more about the various storage options here, or you can look for the gas bottle you require here.
Is propane and butane propane the same thing?
Propane vs. Butane: What’s the Difference? C3H8 is the chemical formula for propane. Butane’s chemical formula is C4H10. Propane has a far longer shelf life than butane, especially in colder climates. Butane vaporizes to its boiling point of 31 degrees Fahrenheit.
Is it possible to use propane or butane on a grill?
If the “3 Cs” (convenience, control, and clean) trump the big C (charcoal) in your mind as our lives become busier, a Gas BBQ may be for you.
Gas BBQs are easier to prepare for cooking and clean up than charcoal BBQs. But that’s not the only thing that makes this new flame so appealing. Gas BBQs come in an ever-expanding range of sizes and types, and because to their popularity, features that were once reserved for just the most expensive models are now standard on versions that won’t break the bank!
Gas grills (also known as bbq grills) are a type of “Grills”) have a quick start-up time and reach optimum cooking temperatures in about 10-15 minutes. They also have unique characteristics that allow you to cook evenly throughout the whole grilling surface of the BBQ.
Temperature control dials and, in most cases, a hood-mounted thermometer will allow you to effortlessly modulate your BBQ heat and create distinct cooking zones on the grill for searing, grilling, or warming dishes.
Finally, because there are no burning coals or ash to clean up, cleaning up can be quicker and easier than with a charcoal model – but a Gas BBQ will require cleaning from time to time!
We have Flogas Bottles with LPG (Liquid Propane Gas) tanks for refills and new gas bottles in stock.
Nowadays, propane (also known as butane) is most usually used in gas grills “patio gas”), butane on occasion, and natural gas on rare occasions. Although not all manufacturers advocate it, some do provide natural gas converters for their grills.
Propane is normally delivered in a RED cylinder (as seen above), and it’s common to pay a deposit or hire fee for the cylinder when you initially purchase it.
You’ll normally just exchange for a full one after that, paying only for thegas. The size of the cylinder depends on the size of your BBQ and how frequently you cook.
Regulators connect the BBQ hose to the gas cylinder and control the gas pressure going into the burners on most gas grills.
Many, if not all, gas BBQS can now run on either propane or butane, depending on the type of regulator valve installed, however most come standard with a RED propane regulator. The butane regulators are BLUE (as seen on the gascylinder below). The clip-on regulator valves come in a variety of colors and sizes. Internal valves on blue butane valves are standard at 21mm. Propane is slightly larger, measuring 27mm. That implies you can’t connect a propane cylinder to a butane regulator or the other way around.
It’s just a fancy way of saying “propane.” It works in both BBQs and patio heaters (which are increasingly being used in tandem) and at all temperatures. It’s an excellent all-around bottled gas.
While this is going on, “Continue reading if you’re a “Gas-Geek,” but the rest of you can skip to the next paragraph!
Propane (or C3H8) produces about a quarter less energy than Butane (C4H10), which would appear to favor the latter. However, butane does not perform well at lower ambient temperatures. As a result, when it’s cold outside (or wherever you’re barbecuing), thebutane will cool down and partially remain liquid. When the cylinder reaches a temperature of less than 10 degrees Celsius, it will supply less gas pressure to the BBQ, and to make matters worst, the more you use the gas, the colder the cylinder will become. If you use it too quickly, the gas pressure will drop dramatically, affecting your cooking. You might not want to barbeque when it’s cold outdoors, but it’s become an all-year activity for many, and the flames don’t go out in the winter for many. Maybe that’s why propane is becoming increasingly popular. Butane burns hotter than propane at the same temperature, thus propane regulators release the gas faster to compensate. Many people will tell you that propane burns hotter as a result of this.
The weight of the gas in the bottles varies from 3.9 kg to 13 kg, but keep in mind that this is the weight of the gas in the bottles, not the total weight. The overall weight will be roughly three times that of the gas, thus a 13kg bottle may weigh up to 40kg! BP has been marketing its products “Glass-fibre reinforced plastic cylinders known as “Gas Lights.” They’re translucent, so you can see how much gas is left in the container, and they’re also much lighter than the older-style steel ones, weighing roughly half as much.
Finally, gas cylinders and bottles must be kept upright. The liquid gas must be at the bottom of the container. It’s possible that if you turn the cylinder on its side, liquid gas will be forced out. One reason why BBQ gas pipes always appear to be on the short side is because they are.
The part where the gas flame comes out is called the burner. Stainless steel, cast iron, or cast brass burners are perfect for gas BBQs because they provide the best quality and longevity. The cook-burners box’s should run the length of it and, more importantly, provide separate temperature control. You’ll be able to cook different things at different temperatures this way. BBQs with only a few ingredients “Low, medium, and high settings rarely provide adequate control and, regrettably, may cause burners to live up to their names! The BBQ’s burners are (obviously) essential. As part of a larger warranty, be sure the manufacturer offers a 5- to 10-year warranty on them.
Grates: Just like in the kitchen, the surface on which you cook your meal is crucial. Great grates (pardon the pun!) make a significant difference. Thick stainless steel rods or cast iron grates retain heat better, sear food nicely, and generate great grill marks. Wide, closely spaced bars generally perform better than thin, rounded rods.
Add-ons: Side-burners for preparing and warming side dishes, as well as motorizedrotisseries for slow-cooking meats or vegetables, provide you a plethora of alternatives when it comes to outdoor cooking.
Infrared Burners: If you’re a fan of restaurant-quality steaks, these burners are a must-have! Infrareds employ a gas flame to generate heat “Superheat” an aceramic, glass, or metal plate to 700 degrees Fahrenheit! It’s never been easier to achieve that searedon charcoal the exterior and scarlet to pink on the inside appearance.
Smoker-boxes: OK, some people still argue that gas BBQs don’t taste as good as their charcoal counterparts! Meats and veggies can be infused with the rich flavors you crave using a smoker box packed with wood chips. Give the skeptics a taste test to see if they can discern the difference!
Ignition: On a GasBBQ, an electric starter will occasionally fail. If a good, old-fashioned match or lighter is necessary, be sure your BBQ has a manual ignition hole!
Is the patio gas butane or propane?
If you possess a gas grill and are unsure what type of gas to use, we’ve put up a guide to help you find the proper BBQ gas bottle for your needs.
Butane and propane are the two kinds of this gas. Butane comes in blue cylinders and is great for camping, single-burner cooking, and indoor portable warmers. Propane, on the other hand, is a commercial heating and large appliance fuel that is also perfect for heating and cooking in catering vans. It is stored in red cylinders. Patio Gas is propane, which is perfect for outdoor living appliances like barbeques and patio heaters and is stored in green cylinders.
This is designed specifically to power outdoor appliances such as BBQs and patio heaters, and it has the added bonus of being compatible with the 27mm clip-on regulator. It also has a Gas Trac Indicator, which can help you figure out when your gas supply is going low. Patio gas is available in 5kg and 13kg bottles.
Propane cylinders are available in a wide range of sizes, ranging from 3.9 kg to 47 kg. To connect this bottle to your barbeque, you’ll need a screw-in high-pressure adjustable propane regulator.
A ‘clip on’ regulator is put onto the top of your gas bottle, while a’screw in’ regulator is screwed into the top. The sort of propane bottle you’ll need is determined by the regulator that came with your barbeque.
A regulator is always used to connect the gas bottle. This is a critical safety feature since it regulates the pressure at which the gas is transported from the bottle to the device. It’s critical to make sure your appliance has the correct regulator for the gas bottle you’ve chosen. A green Patio gas bottle can be used with a clip-on regulator, however a red propane bottle will require a screw-in regulator.
This is mostly determined by the number of burners on your gas grill. A 5kg patio gas bottle is appropriate if it has between one and three. If you have a larger barbecue, such as one with four burners or more, a 13kg bottle is advised. We offer a useful tool called ‘Which gas bottle do I need?’ that can inform you which gas bottle is best for your BBQ.
For more information on BBQ bottles and to place an order, go to our online store (subject to availability). Alternatively, you can use our Retailer Finder tool to locate a Calor retailer near you.
Is butane safer to use indoors than propane?
Outside, a winter storm is raging when you are suddenly engulfed in an eerie, silent darkness. After getting a flashlight, you realize that your hungry family will be hungry in a few minutes. What will you do for dinner if you don’t have access to electricity?
Preparing to cook safely indoors may be simpler than you think. You can cook securely indoors with a range of excellent indoor cooking gadgets and fuels. For indoor use, the challenge is to employ a mix of the proper gadget and the right fuel.
These are our top picks for safe indoor cooking solutions when the power goes out.
- In the cooler months, a wood-burning cookstove is an excellent option for cooking indoors.
- Propane can only be safely burnt indoors in an equipment designed for that purpose.
- Candles are an emergency fuel source that can be used to heat food slowly and safely inside.
- Although conservation tactics are not a substitute for actual gasoline, they can considerably extend the life of the fuel you already have. They’re worth looking into.
Emergency Powerless Cooking Advice
Reduce the number of options on the menu! Any crisis carries with it a slew of problems that will eat up a lot of your time. Simple, nutritious, and comforting meals are ideal. Emergency choices include heating canned foods or boiling water to make mashed potatoes from potato flakes.
Keep a supply of shelf-stable foods on hand that you can eat without having to cook. Due to the inability to refrigerate leftovers, prepare only the amount of food that will be consumed immediately.
Fuels that Produce Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is your adversary, and it must be avoided at all costs. If there isn’t enough oxygen for full combustion, any flame can emit carbon monoxide. Some carbon monoxide-producing fuels can be safely burned indoors by venting combustion products to the outside (think fireplace chimney).
When burned, carbon monoxide is produced by charcoal, coal, gasoline, diesel, Coleman fuel (white gas), kerosene, natural gas, fuel tablets, and wood. We strongly advise that these fuels be used only in properly ventilated appliances or outside.
Make sure your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are working in your home. When burning anything, we recommend maintaining a carbon monoxide detector with a digital display nearby that will alert you to low levels of carbon monoxide.
Wood Burning Cook Stove or Fireplace
Historically, a wood-burning cookstove was a central fixture in every home. The stove was the only device for baking and cooking, and it warmed the entire house.
Our way of life has changed dramatically, yet if you’re fortunate enough to have a good wood stove, it will come in handy when calamity comes.
Our wood-burning stove is one of my favorites. I agree that the ashes are a little dirty, and the stove requires some attention in order to maintain a consistent temperature, but the wonderful warmth is well worth the effort. Our model features a 5-gallon copper water reservoir, which keeps us in hot water for a long time.
Alcohol My favorite fuel for indoor cooking
Because it burns cleanly, ignites easily, and stores indefinitely in a well sealed container, alcohol is an excellent cooking fuel. It does not burn as hot as certain other types of fuel. It is not, however, explosive like some other fuels.
With a little ventilation, pure forms of alcohol can be safely burned indoors. Some types, such as methanol (wood alcohol), can be dangerous if absorbed via the skin or inhaled, therefore use cautious.
Carbon monoxide can be produced when any fuel is burned in an oxygen-depleted environment.
Denatured alcohol is a good alcohol fuel that can be found in the paint area of most hardware stores. Denatured alcohol is recommended as a fuel by most alcohol device makers.
Ethanol, often known as ethyl (Everclear), is a grain alcohol that contains roughly 95% alcohol. It’s an excellent cooking fuel. Be careful not to burn yourself with Everclear because it produces a practically undetectable blue or clear flame.
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is an approved alcohol fuel. It is available in a variety of strengths. The higher the alcohol concentration, the better it burns. There are three types of rubbing alcohol available: 70 percent, 91 percent, and 99 percent strength. Isopropyl alcohol burns with a yellow sooty flame and not as cleanly as other types of alcohol.
Alcohol Cooker
I’d want to try the Dometic Origo 1500 Single Burner or 3000 Double Burner, which is a non-pressurized free-standing alcohol stove. It boils 1 quart of water in 6-8 minutes and produces 7000 BTUs per burner when powered by denatured alcohol. 6-8 hours of cooking time can be obtained from a quart of alcohol.
Alcohol Space Heater/Stove
The Dometic Origo Heat Pal 5100 is a single-burner stove with a safe, non-pressurized heat source. This stove is great since it can be used as a heater as well as a single burner stove.
The Heat Pal can contain 1 gallon of alcohol and burn for up to 5 hours. It’s small and light (5.10 pounds), but it produces up to 5200 BTUs. This stove was meant for use on ships, but it’s also great for cooking inside during a power outage.
Alcohol Burners
A portable folding stove is placed beneath a small metal burner that has been filled with alcohol and lighted. Vapors exit through a ring of microscopic holes, resulting in a lovely, even fire. Depending on the stove and type of alcohol, two ounces of alcohol will burn for about 10-15 minutes in a stove.
To put out the flames, smother them. You can lose your eyebrows if you blow on them. The lid should not be replaced until the burner has totally cooled. As the lid cools, it will become increasingly difficult to remove.
Boy Scouts and trekkers typically utilize alcohol burners or stoves since they are tiny and portable. A brief search on the internet will turn up alcohol burners constructed from soda cans. Brass, titanium, and aluminum-alloy burners are all high-quality options.
A military surplus merchant can sell you an alcohol burner that is military-grade. These burners are virtually indestructible and extremely easy to operate.
The FireCone is an unbreakable alcohol burner with a distinctive design. It is made up of a base and a cone that create movable inlet ports for greater versatility. This is yet another product that piques my interest. Let me know what you think if you’ve tried the FireCone.
Canned Heat
The alcohol burner is a disposable form of canned heat. Caterers regularly use these little metal cans under chafing dishes to maintain hot items at serving temperature. An cheap option to provide 72 hours of emergency indoor cooking fuel is with a case of SafeHeat and a folding camp stove.
The burn time of the can varies by brand and ranges from 2 to 6 hours. The 6-hour cans are my favorite. The fuel inside canned heat is flammable alcohol or petroleum gel that takes a long time to burn.
The can produces a visible flame as well as a significant amount of heat. The heat and flame are directed straight up with little spread, concentrating the heat in one area and necessitating regular stirring to avoid burning the food.
With proper ventilation, canned heat can be safely burned indoors. It keeps well and can be used to safely heat food indoors in the event of a power outage. A portable folding burner, chafing dish (similar to a double boiler), or fondue pot are commonly used with canned heat.
Because canned heat is such a great fuel for indoor cooking, we like to get a little creative with it. The amount of heat produced is determined on the number of cans utilized. In an EcoQue portable grill, formerly known as Pyromid, we can use up to four cans of SafeHeat.
We made a little stove out of a portable, counter-top charcoal barbeque and three cans of canned heat. It was a great success. Note: The manufacturer suggests using no more than two cans at a time. You do so at your own peril!
We buy canned heat in bulk from Amazon or from warehouse shops’ catering area. They come in 12-piece flats that stack neatly for storage. The shelf life varies by manufacturer and can last anywhere from a few years to indefinitely. Cans should be stored between 40 and 120 Fahrenheit, upright and away from heat sources, and damaged or dented cans should be discarded.
In our piece Canned Heat – Safe Fuel for Indoor Emergency Cooking, we go over more about cooking with canned heat.
Butane
Butane is extremely flammable, colorless, and liquefies rapidly. It creates both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide when burned. It is necessary to ensure adequate ventilation. Butane does not operate well at temperatures below freezing.
Butane cylinders must be kept away from open flames and heat sources at temperatures over 32F and below 120F. They pose a significant threat. Because butane is heavier than air, it can pool and cause an explosion if it leaks.
Butane is a practical fuel. It’s a little pricey, but it works well in a variety of situations. At near-freezing conditions, butane does not evaporate effectively and may splutter or misfire. A butane canister has an eight-year suggested shelf life.
Butane burners are popular among caterers because they are light, convenient, and safe to use indoors with proper ventilation. The majority of stoves have excellent flame control, and many include an automatic piezo-electric igniting system. At maximum output, one eight-ounce butane canister can last up to 2 hours, and on low, it can last up to 4 hours.
For more information on utilizing butane stoves indoors, see our post Butane Stove: Portable and Convenient Power Outage Cooking. Many butane burners are only meant to be used indoors in a well-ventilated location. If you’re going to buy one, be sure it’s rated for indoor use. Additional information can be found in the previous post.