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| Safety -- Make sure you are safe! |
2006-10-06, 10:21am
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No Problem!
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Join Date: Oct 14, 2005
Location: Fernley. Nevada
Posts: 1,130
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Natural gas vs. Propane
I hear alot of folks talking about using Nat gas for their torches..
Just FYI we "teed" into the 1" supply line that goes to the water heater and furnace out in the garage thinking that it would be fine..From what I could gather there would'nt be more than 3 psi after the main meter and regulator, I thought ok but not great. It was exactly that just ok..
It's likely that you would get a fair bit of heat IF you were able to come off of the main with at least 5 psi like Mike suggested in a previous post
The other thing is that natural gas has a lower BTU per Cubc foot etc..than propane and even at 5 PSI it's just not as hot as propane.
So while it is convienient, you may want to think twice before deciding to fully convert your setup. Especially if you are making larger beads or working with boro..Once we got back on propane at 5 psi our production rate doubled.. Maybe 5 psi of natural gas would compare, but certainly not the standard house pressure.
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2006-10-06, 11:23am
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Safety ALWAYS
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Join Date: Jun 10, 2005
Location: Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Posts: 2,401
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What you actually had was about 1/4 PSI, not 3 psi. Household pressure is typically 1/4 to 1/3 PSI, depending on how many other gas operated appliances are running at the same time.
This combined with the lower heat power (BTU) of natural gas, does make for a fairly unsatisfactory setup.
Some people do run like this, but they certainly don't get the full effect of the torch.
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Chaotic Glass: Safety for the glassworker, and random thoughts and opinions on the state of the glassworking world
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2006-10-06, 11:48am
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No Problem!
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Join Date: Oct 14, 2005
Location: Fernley. Nevada
Posts: 1,130
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Yup, that sounds more like it..just like a bbq regulator, squat for beadmaking..
Probably would be alot closer to satisfactory if you were running at at least 3psi then..
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2006-10-06, 12:02pm
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Safety ALWAYS
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Join Date: Jun 10, 2005
Location: Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Posts: 2,401
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yes, exactly.
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2006-10-07, 1:36pm
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Ghost Town Glass
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Join Date: Jun 05, 2005
Location: Comox Valley, BC
Posts: 1,685
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We have been on NG for a year, and are moving and switching to propane. NG has been fine, especially coming off a HH, but when compared to same torch, same O2, with propane, it is much slower. SO I am with you on this one!!! Of course, YMMV!
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2006-10-17, 9:36am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Aug 01, 2005
Posts: 2,159
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It does, to some extent, depend on the torch that you are using. I've run my Betta on tanked propane/tanked O2, NG/tanked O2 and NG/concentrator. Torches that are designed for line pressure NG do pretty well for the most part while most torches designed for propane will give poor performance with this setup.
I have found that the NG/concentrator combo is good only for smaller beads. I can make big beads much faster if I change to NG/tanked O2 and have few performance issues with this setup. The main problem has been getting used to the different appearance of the flame.
Propane is hotter, but in the case of my studio, NG is easier and somewhat safer to use. At some point I'll invest in a booster for the NG line, but that money isn't available yet.
MHO
Robert
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2006-10-17, 10:04am
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Safety ALWAYS
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Join Date: Jun 10, 2005
Location: Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Posts: 2,401
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Robert -- quite honestly, don't waste your money on a booster. I've dropped them from my "line". I believe they are a waste of good money, and should *only* be used in places where propane use is outlawed by city regulation.
The people who need the heat/pressure can get the best results by using tanked propane using 3-7 PSI.
Natural gas is cooler, providing only about 3/4's of the BTU's that propane does at the same operating pressure.
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