propane vs. natural gas in a forge????

ryan9977

ryan9977

Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
1,962
hey guys.....can you use natural gas to run a forge or is propane better....i read that propane runs hotter....is this true....any pro's or con's for one or the other.....thanks for any info....ryan
 
Propane is much easier imho. If you were to use natural gas you would have to get it boosted. The gas Co would have to come out and put in a 5psi regulator and you would have to justify it. I have heard some have used the standard psi but it is not efficient. I normally run my propane at less than 5psi and it is easy enough to get. It is getting more expensive but so is natural gas.
 
thanks chuck.....i am just getting into all this....i don't even have a forge yet...lol....i'm gonna get one from ellis though.....i am gonna make a shop out in the garage.....the only reason i asked was my grill is hooked up to natural gas so i thought it might be easier to use that....ryan
 
ryan9977 said:
thanks chuck.....i am just getting into all this....i don't even have a forge yet...lol....i'm gonna get one from ellis though.....i am gonna make a shop out in the garage.....the only reason i asked was my grill is hooked up to natural gas so i thought it might be easier to use that....ryan
Click to expand...

Hi Ryan,

If you decide to go with natural gas, just let me know and we'll change out the burner orifice so it can run on N.G.. Like others have mentioned, propane can be a lot easier...but I'll set it up however you plan to use it.

:)

-Darren
 
Guys, if you are running a blown forge is the low pressure still an issue? I would think it would be more a volume thing with a blown forge, and if the supply line was big enough it would be ok. Never used NG for a forge, so this is supposition.

Steve
 
darren....thanks for responding....if you have access to natural gas why would you not use it.....is it just a temperature thing.....like it won't get as hot......i would think natural gas is asier simply becasue u don't have to fill up propane tanks all the time.....ryan
 
i definately will take some pics....right now it is an empty garage so it'll be a while......i have learned alot reading this forum and others and thank all u guys for all of your knowledge....i also have to thank all the makers i bugged in person and on the phone....ryan
 
ryan9977 said:
darren....thanks for responding....if you have access to natural gas why would you not use it.....is it just a temperature thing.....like it won't get as hot......i would think natural gas is asier simply becasue u don't have to fill up propane tanks all the time.....ryan
Click to expand...

Ryan, Its the pressure that the natural gas is delivered to the home. Not 100% sure but believe its about 2 pounds pressure and most forges need at least twice that to work. As far as the gas itself I think its identical but I have been wrong before.
 
Raymond is right, you need to have high enough pressure to use it effectively with a forge, I guess I just assumed that you did. Check with your utility company to see what you have and the max pressure you can get it at.

:)

-Darren
 
thanks guys....i'll check the presure thing and give u a call darren when i'm ready to buy.....u guys are great!.....ryan
 
The utility company I work for sends gas into the house at 6" pressure on a water column. There are about 26" pressure in 1 lb. So it is roughly 1/4 lb. going into a house. I think this is pretty much the industry standard. Hope this helps.
 
Chemistry question: What is the difference between propane and natural gas?
Propane is C3H8 and natural gas is (mostly) methane, which is CH4.

Ramsey
 
Propane has more energy per pound than natural gas so ya have to have a larger orifice to get the same amount of heat (from nat gas).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top