Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this?
I have seen and heard of people using a propane torch to heat up their bottles. How dangerous or safe is this? I really dont want to buy and install a heater.
I have a bottle pressure gauge and a new bottle with a blow-off valve.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Not a good idea. A bottle heater places heat evenly around the bottle and from what I have seen they have over temperature protection as to not to over heat the bottle. Besides dealing with an open flame inside your car is not always the best idea.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (tjwong)
buy the heater, a bottle grenading will ruin your day and potentially cost you your life, DON'T do this.
if you want to heat the bottle cheap at the track, get a crab cooker and dunk the bottle in the hot water, that won't hurt it, but a bottle heater is still the best approach.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (Rkreigh)
I understand the advantage of the heater, but I am in Miami. Average temperature is 85! Its just now during January that its tough to get heat into it. In fact, I think that I will have to take my bottle out of the car next month. I will figure out some way to warm it right now just to tune and test. What a pain this Nitrous is, man, I thought it was going to be quick, easy, cheap HP. I dont want to run more wires around my car, or have this 400 watt heater killing my battery. I think this good for the track, but what if somebody on the road would like a......demonstration of my cars performance in direct relation to his cars performance........ :skep: and my bottle is not warm?
Like they say, theres no replacement for displacement!
Nonetheless, I think I will be okay once the weather warms up, then I can really feel whats its all about.
I will for the most simple heater on the market with the least accompanying infrastructure (I dont need a bunch of relays and pressure sensors, and switches and wires in the back of my car) and I will also look for a blanket.
If anyone has any other ideas how to warm a bottle in a pinch, let me know.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Quote:
I have seen and heard of people using a propane torch to heat up their bottles. How dangerous or safe is this? I really dont want to buy and install a heater.
I have a bottle pressure gauge and a new bottle with a blow-off valve.
as stated above, DON'T DO IT!!! then again if you're going for a Darwin award, you will make the list. brian
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (AKRAY4PLAY)
I put mine in the bath tub full of warm/hot water. Then wrap it up in a towel or blanket or whatever to help keep it warm. Even bringing it in the house at night, before you go out will help. Don't give up yet, the fun has just begun. I can't remember for sure, but I didn't think NHRA rules allowed bottle heaters of any kind.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (ANTI VENOM)
heating the bottle w/ a torch can cause hot spots that fatigue the metal and may possibly cause the bottle to rupture. as everyone else has advised, this is not a good practice. if your thinking the bottle might explode, it may, but not because of the nitrous as its not explosive.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (neverendingproject)
If you want to maximize the potential of your nitrous system you have to use a bottle heater, there is no way around this. You might have good bottle pressure on a hot day, and it might start at 1100psi but as soon as you hit that switch the pressure will drop and it will drop big time if you don't have a heater. By the next time down the track, it doesn't matter how hot it is outside, your bottle pressure will probably be down 200-300psi. If you drop 200psi, your A/F ratio will be so off you will be washing your cylinder walls with gas the whole way down the track. If this is done often, it won't be a pretty sight.
I have done the whole blow torch deal at the track. This is only done when you switch bottles and you don't have enough time to heat the bottle with the heater. You shouldn't rely on the blow torch method all the time.
For a novice nitrous user, nitrous is very complicated and tempermental but as soon as you understand how it works it will give you the most rewarding results.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (zelement)
Gus - I have a bottle heater in Houston and understand your concern. As you spray in any temp. the N2O cools off the bottle. Even in the heat the bottle heater is used at the track. I just have an off/on switch, no big deal. Like you said " I thought N2O would be quick and cheap" :skep: No :nono:
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Gus snatch up an NX bottle heater. It works off of a pressure transducer. It monitors the bottle and heats it to 1100psi and then turns off until (thinks) 950psi when it'll turn on again. It cycles over and over to maintain optimum pressure. Other ones go by bottle temp which is not as accurate.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Gus,
What did you do to lower your front end so much? I was trying to figure out how to lower my car but the front end seemed more problematic than the front end...just curious how others have addressed this problem.
CT
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Quote: Get an NX bottle heater it works off of pressure.
I thought that would be great, BUT.....the bottle has to be open for it to work. If its not, It will just apply continuous heat since the pressure transducer sees 0 degrees PSI. This is ok, but if you were on a long trip and forgot about it, its possible you could overheat the bottle and blow a disc.
Every time you get in the car, make a habit of turning the bottle heater on, in case you run into some 'punks', Mustang Cobra, whatever.
I am considering buying some type of a thermostat, like NOS's, system to use for when the bottle is not open. That way it will just keep it at 85F and whatever pressure that equates to.
Also, insulate around your heater. This is crucial, especially in a vert with the top down. Your bottle will heat up quicker.
Even with the insulating blanket, it still takes me a good 10-15 minutes to go from say 800 psi to 1000 psi. Too long. But if it was real fast, Id run the risk of blowing a disc if I turned the heater on.
I believe TNT, Texas Nitrous Technology makes a higher wattage bottle blanket.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (dizwiz24)
The bottle warmer should only be on when your system is armed right? Or you can get a controller box or separate switch. I also thought I saw one system that would shut down once the psi drops to a certain #.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Gus - Arming the system is a seperate issue from heating the bottle.
1. Open the bottle - check the pressure.
2. If needed heat to 1100 lbs
3. Watch the pressure and turn the heater on and off to maintain 1000 - 1100
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (red-y)
I have to ask. My bottle is equipped with a 3000 psi burst disc. This prevents the bottle from exploding. Isn't this a requirement for ALL nitrous bottles these days? The worse that could happen in my case would be the burst disc would do it's job and break, causing my nitrous to vent out through my vent tube. I'd be out $75 but wouldn't ruin my day.
Re: Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this? (GusBustamanteJr)
Quote: the bottle heater should be on only when the system is armed right...
Not necessarily...Although the relay for the heater should only work off a switched on (NEVER continous on) power source. That way you will never foget and leave the heater on after you leave the car...
Maybe in Miami, things are different, but every time I run the car I turn the heater on, system armed or not. Elsewise, you will run the risk of running into someone with your bottle pressure not up to par.
Unfortunately, a bottle heater can take 15 minutes to bring a bottle up to temp.
Its not like you can just wait until you run into a mustang, turn the system, on turn the heater on, and BAM you are up to pressure.
If you dont always have the heater on (obviously if you are going on a trip longer than 30 minutes, turn it off after 20-30 minutes), youll get caught with your pants down sometime due to low bottle pressure. I guarantee it.
Corvette Store
Propane torch to heat NOS bottle - How dangerous is this?
