gas bottle gets cold

[charlie fParticipant @charlief]

I am running a 3" boiler with a graham tva twin. All is well at the start but before long the pressure drops down. I think maybe the gas tank is freezeing.

If I run the condenser exhaust around the tank to warm will this be a safe answer any advice would be helpful

[charlie fParticipant @charlief]

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

I think this is a subject that Richard Simpson is best to advise you on.

He is the author of 'The Boiler Room' of this magazine, What he doesn't know about steam models,isn't worth knowing.

Edited By Kev.W on 22/11/2022 23:02:26

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Hi Charlie, it looks like you might be currently going through the bane of most steam modeller's lives, the cooling effect of gas evaporation.

Could you let me have a little bit more information please such as:

1) Are you using a manufactured refillable tank or a disposable tank?

2) Do you have any form of gas control device such as an attenuator valve or an electronic gas regulating valve?

3) Could you describe your start up and subsequent running procedure from pond side to the water.

4) What model is the plant in?

5) What kind of burner do you have in the boiler and are you able to set it up to give the best flame outside the boiler?

If you have any pictures of the plant they would be very useful to identify possible challenges and possible solutions.

This is a very common issue and can be extremely frustrating however there are a number of things that can be done to help, both procedural and mechanical. I have probably written more articles about this one topic over the years than any other single issue.

Your idea of wrapping the condenser exhaust around the tank does have merit and can be effective but it can also bring new challenges with it. The main one being the exhaust continually spitting dirty water all over your model while in operation as you recondense more of the exhaust steam rather than let it escape as vapour clear of the boat.

Let me know a little more about your set up and I'm sure we can do something to help.

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