Dodgy gas

That's a great idea, but wouldn't the weight of the bottle give you a clue?
Kevin

Pour hot water over the side of the bottle and liquid level will be visible in the condensation.

Alan

the bottle is full, its weight was quite noticeable when I collected it, there is no question that there is gas in the bottle, but the gas that has been put in for some reason, will not ignite, I am trying to understand what could have been put in that bottle that the guy filling believed to be LPG, but obviously isn't

As I understand it, your bottle takes the gas vapour off the top of the liquid. In this event you could try cracking the valve on the bottle to decant off the current volume of gas. This may purge out the impurities ... worth a try in any event.

Tikus tanah - LPG comes in two forms - BBQ gas and Autogas. There is no set Australian standard for the makeup of the gases in either case.
They are both a mix of largely propane and small percentages of other gases - but Autogas quite contains quite a % of butane (up to 40% sometimes), which is more petrol-like in performance and energy levels. BBQ gas is generally about 98% propane.
The butane level in Autogas can vary widely, according to the refining source.

The general advice is not to mix the two. This is because of the variability in Autogas, and the fact that propane and butane require different burner jets to burn properly.

In the highly populated areas, BBQ gas is delivered separately into tanks reserved exclusively for BBQ gas refills - and Autogas is delivered separately into Autogas tanks.

However, in country areas, only one gas is delivered to save on transport costs - and it's pumped into both Autogas and BBQ gas tanks if they are separate. In some places, one tank provides both gases.
Thus, country gas deliveries consist of largely BBQ propane, to ensure that it can be used in both automotive and BBQ/household stove/HWS applications.

You may have acquired a gas refill that has been refilled from an Autogas tank that has been filled with LPG that is high in butane levels.
Thus, it will have trouble burning properly in any appliance that is jetted for propane.

I don't really know what you can do about it, except complain to the supplier.

Elgas - Gases - What's what?

Cheers, Ron.

I have a canister stove and if you want the best performance when cold you always chase the ones with the highest Butane so I would assume that it would not make much.

honky

Best to chose one with a remote cannister connected via a hose. Then in the cold you can tip it upside down.

Bob is spot-on, it is possible to have a buildup of carbon in the jets from the small proportion of less-desirable gases in the LPG mix - whereby a jet-cleaning exercise is the order of the day.

Cheers, Ron.

In which case don't poke wire or a needle in there. Blow them out with compressed air.

I once got a dirty load of gas in the bush. It clogged the smaller of the two jets on the stove. There was no hope of getting a small enough wire and I don't have a compressor to suit so I rang the distributor for a replacement. These guys are in the next suburb so it's easy to pop out there. They were no longer made, despite the stove being only 3 years old. This is a common and reputable brand for heaven's sake.

TTD1 - So, if butane burns just fine in propane jets, why do they make jets specifically for "butane" or "propane"?
Not trying to be a smart-a$$, just trying to get to the nub of the situation.

If pure liquid LPG was coming through the jets, wouldn't that make the entire bottom of the stove area light up, as the liquid spread over the bottom of the stove and then vapourised?

Cheers, Ron.

Ron,
Butane is what you see in cigarette lighters and turns to a liquid at 0 degrees C propane turns to liquid a minus 44 degrees C or compressed to about 60psi hence the steel cylinder. Propane is burnt using a regulator in most cases in low pressure appliances.Mixed downt 40 percent the mix will readily burn but perhaps blacken the bottom of pots. Propane is C3H8 Butane C4H10.
In high pressure appliances eg no regulator the jet is what regulates the fuel gas supply to the burner and the calorific value of butane and propane are very close. The one big difference is that when it is cold butane won't vapourise and burn whereas propane will continue to vapourise and supply fuel to the burner even in the snow.
I am sure many people have had those cheap butane stoves on cold mornings not want to light ant reason is the butane won't vapourise .LPG has a very narrow flammability range between 2 and 9 percent so if the mix is not right it won't light.
Ron I spen 20 years solving problems at the place you highlighted in your first post
Regards, TTD