question about using methane

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I was reading the classifieds in the back of the recent Countryside issue, and came across a web site, www.backyardmethane.com and the way the site talks, one could build a real inexpensive backyard methane generator to use for heating water, for a stove, etc...is it really as 'easy' as the site says? Anyone out there have any experience useing methane instead of propane? Thanks! I'd hate to buy his book if he is all wet about the subject...LOL

-- Joe (threearrs@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002

Answers

Methane, for all practical purposes, is natural gas and as such is not as hot a fuel as propane. Beyond that what you're likely to get from a home made methane generator is a lower grade of methane, not that there's anything wrong with that necessarily.

Pipeline quality natural gas must contain at least 97% methane and it has a btu value of 1000BTU/CU' whereas the lower grade will be more like 500 btu/cu'. Keep this in mind when doing the conversion because you'll need to run higher pressures and may need to enlarge orifices in the gas appliances you want to run.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), May 09, 2002.


Storing up the gas to use is where most people have a small problem. Well a large explosion is very possible and that is no small problem.

-- David in North Al. (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), May 09, 2002.

I once watched an educational TV show about some foreign country... they had a type of sewer holding tank and large plastic bags/tubes run into the kitchen from the outside tanks (it was an extremely simple construction). Their cooking stoves were powered by this gas. I'd imagine this would be a very dangerous setup unless engineered properly.

-- Bert (bert@sesamestreet.com), May 09, 2002.

I too saw something, I think in India, where sewage was made into methane one a single household basis, and was piped into a very simple stove. I don't think you are going to be firing up the pizza oven with it, but the info for this design must be out there somewhere. Good luck, and keep us posted with a "Simple Methane Generator!!!!" (or something of that nature) post.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), May 11, 2002.

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