propane vs butane are they interchangeable
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halfwright
Well-known member
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- Feb 27, 2013
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I do not think that you can buy butane any more. The reason for the change was butane would not change into a gas (boil)at lower temperatures. Some older people,myself included, still call any liquefied petroleum gas butane. They do have a different molecular structure, but will interchange.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
Be careful buying "propane" if you move around the country much (go to higher altitudes, and colder climates), or if you have a generator that runs on propane as not all propane is created equal. See http://www.propane101.com/propanegradesandquality.htm
John From Detroit
Well-known member
I am amazed they made one that takes Butane.
The facts. Butane burns just a LITTLE bit hotter.. generally not so much you will notice
It cost less
And it has a "Vapor Temperature" around the freezing point of water... Propane is closer to -40
What does that mean? It means if the weather out is below freezing your butane powered stuff simply don't work. but it will if it's propane powered down to almost -40.
The facts. Butane burns just a LITTLE bit hotter.. generally not so much you will notice
It cost less
And it has a "Vapor Temperature" around the freezing point of water... Propane is closer to -40
What does that mean? It means if the weather out is below freezing your butane powered stuff simply don't work. but it will if it's propane powered down to almost -40.
I saw my Dad build a wood fire under our butane tank back in the 50's so we could keep the liquid from freezing on nights that the temperature got below 10F. When the liquid butane froze and stopped vaporizing, our butane heaters quit heating!!!
Lou Schneider
Site Team
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Right. Butane stops turning into vapor at around freezing, propane around -40 degrees.
This means pure propane works much better in extremely cold temperatures.
Most propane you purchase is a mixture of propane and Butane, blended so it will stay volatile below the lowest expected temperature in the area where it's sold. There was a minor scandal in Quartzsite several years ago when a propane dealer sold Mexican propane with a high Butane content at a good price. Then people left Quartzsite for colder areas, the fuel stopped vaporizing and all their gas appliances stopped working.
This means pure propane works much better in extremely cold temperatures.
Most propane you purchase is a mixture of propane and Butane, blended so it will stay volatile below the lowest expected temperature in the area where it's sold. There was a minor scandal in Quartzsite several years ago when a propane dealer sold Mexican propane with a high Butane content at a good price. Then people left Quartzsite for colder areas, the fuel stopped vaporizing and all their gas appliances stopped working.
2kGeorgieBoy
Well-known member
Just out of curiosity, what kind and how old is this RV of yours? Are you sure it really uses butane, in this day and age? And how did you determine this? Are you sure the seller wasn't using the terms propane and butane interchangeably?
my husbands family owns the rv his grandmother to be exact but the day we saw the inside she was on vacation. At the moment it is being stored at husbands aunts house. his uncle says it sleeps 8 and that it ran on butane I believe its a midas mini motorhome thats all i know at the moment.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
I suspect he was just using "butane" as a generic term for any LP (Liquefied Petroleum) gas. Few places even sell bulk butane and I know of no RV designed exclusively for it. Most people and many fuel stations say "propane", but that is usually a generic term as well. It's all "LP".
