calor gas

[annieigma]

Hi All,
Does anyone know if there is any difference in calor gas heat. I am using a brand that is called "flogas" it doesn't seem to heat things up as well as the ordinary calor gas brand. I have a range cooker and a large bottle lasts about 10 months, which is excellent, but seems to be lacking heat, takes ages to boil a pot of water, and I can't fry in a large steel frying pan as it never gets to the sizzling state.. the flame is blue and high, could there be anything else causing the poor heat, like the regulator valve etc.??
thanks,
annie.

[DTCwordfan]

It may be more rich in butane which doesnt quite have the calorific value of propane, though there isn't much difference with butane.It may be nearly all butane in there. Calor and Shell use a mixture with propane, (usually 60 butane 40 propane in summer) increasing the propane content even higher in winter (60-70 propane)as the boiling point of butane is only -4 degrees C......

I bet you paid less for the bottle that you have, as butane is often "long" as a by-product from refining in summer months....

[DTCwordfan]

and yes, check your line for leaks (smell will tell you as the gas is stenched with a nasty mercaptan as naturally it is odourless) and that the burner is properly sitting in its frame and the mesh is not damaged or coked up......

[Graham-W]

The calorific values are almost identical. Butane is 49,510 kJ/kg compared with 50,350 kJ/kg for propane. However, litre for litre, butane gives 12% more heat than propane. The main reason for using propane is that butane stops gassing at a much higher temp. than propane. Propane works at temps as low as -42 degrees.
If you are used to using butane and have switched to propane that could be the difference.