Pros and Cons for the Use of Vaporizers on Propane Generators

Vaporizers

• Propane generators use a type of fuel known as liquid petroleum gas, or LPG, a combination of propane, butane and propylene. LPG comes in liquid form, though it must be converted to a gaseous form in order to work with a propane generator. The vaporizer converts LPG from its liquid state to its gaseous state. Vaporizers are connected to either the opening of an LPG container or on a pipe that connects the LPG container to the generator. Without vaporization, propane burners cannot convert LPG into energy.

Benefits

• The primary benefit of vaporizers arises from the fact that a propane generator does not work without gaseous LPG, but commercial LPG comes in a liquid form. Vaporizers perform the essential task of converting LPG from one state to another for the generation of power. Installing a vaporizer on a propane generator also ensures that no liquid fuel leaks from the LPG tank into the generator; propane generators are not designed to handle liquid, and the intrusion of liquid into the system may cause serious damage. Furthermore, liquid fuel may pass from the generator into your home, which creates a fire hazard -- vaporizers prevent this.

Drawbacks

• According to Lazar's Electric Generator Guide, vaporizers are unnecessary in certain generators. Author Lazar Rozenblat asserts that the physical properties of LPG cause the material to vaporize when it passes from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. For instance, if you store LPG for your propane generator in a high pressure container and release it into low pressure piping connected to the generator, it vaporizes due to the change in pressure. Because of this, a vaporizer may prove an unnecessary cost and its installation a waste of time. However, the act of vaporization due to pressure does not guarantee that liquid LPG will not leak from the storage area.

Manufacturer's Information and Codes

• Always read the literature provided by the manufacturer of your propane generator. If this literature requires the use of a vaporizer or if your generator comes with a vaporizer, always use it. Not using the vaporizer may affect generator performance or void your warranty. Also check your local fuel gas code before making a decision on whether to remove or install a vaporizer. The Florida fuel gas code, for instance, requires a device to prevent LPG from assuming liquid form in a heating system. A vaporizer constitutes one such device. In both instances, the use of a vaporizer provides obvious benefits and no drawbacks, other than the cost of the unit.