Flame effects - Advice on water bath for propane tanks

[paulthewookie]

Hi All,

This year I'm part of a group bringing some art that incorporates flame effects to the playa. We are currently having issues with our propane tanks cooling off after about an hour of use and then our fireballs don't have any pressure behind them anymore So I'm going to start building a heated water bath to keep those suckers warm so we can keep the pressure up!

We've got six 100 lb tanks so we'll need a decently large tub. Then I'll be looking for an outdoor on demand water heater, a pump to cycle the water and a temperature sensor setup to switch the heater off if the water gets too hot so we don't vent the tanks.

I've got a few questions but also happy to receive any advice from someone who has done this before. I'm looking for those tips to save time and headaches out on the playa!

Any advice on a good kind of on demand water heater to use? I'm not sure how much capacity I'll need both for heat and flow.

Also worried about clogging either the pump or the heater with playa dust that gets in the water. Any experience with this?

How much water do you need around the tanks? How high do you fill the tub?

Like I said any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[Token]

More info please.

6 tanks simultaneously or do you swap out from a pool of 6?

What other heat source do you already have? Engine running somewhere?

after about an hour of use

At this rate you may not need any heating, just a water bath. Worth trying it out first before investing in complicated setup with allot of moving parts.

[paulthewookie]

We have two fire effects that each respond to their own button presses from people wandering by.

Each fire effect has three of the 100 lb tanks manifolded together which flow into an accumulator(100 lb tank converted to one). So it is all 6 simultaneously but in 2 separate systems. No other heat source nearby since they are stationary. Well there will be a honda eu3000 generator but I'm not sure if that is useful other than perhaps providing power to the heater.

I guess I just assumed we would need something to add heat since we want to have them running for about 4 - 6 hours. Wouldn't hurt to try it out though.

[Token]

W Well there will be a honda eu3000 generator but I'm not sure if that is useful other than perhaps providing power to the heater.

Unleash your Google-fu and search for "soil heating cable".

A 48' length is ~ 150W and you can wind it on the tank, then either insulate with a tank cozy or even dunk in a water tub.

No moving parts and the cable is ~ $20 - $30.

[BBadger]

There was an earlier thread on a similar topic.