A Line Gas Regulator is defined as a pressure regulator placed in a gas line between the service regulator and the appliance regulator.
Line pressure regulators are typically used in a 2 psig gas piping installations to reduce supply pressure to the appliance at the required operating range (typically 10"WC to 11"WC for propane gas).
To select the correct regulator for pressure regulation, the following information muut be established:
* Total maximum flow rate
* Largest single appliance flow rate
Many of you have seen in the specification descriptions of Maxitrol regulators information that includes a "Maximum Individual Load" and "Total Load of Multiple Appliances" ratings (see below).
325-3L, Maxitrol regulator set at 11"WC for LPG service, 1/2" NPT inlet & outlet with automatic vent limiting device for use in 2 psig, SYSTEM MAXIMUM INDIVIDUAL LOAD: 225,000 BTUH, TOTAL LOAD OF MULTIPLE APPLIANCES: 400,000 BTUH
If this is confusing to you, you're not alone. Here are statements from Maxitrol that explains the reason for stating the dual capacities:
* The maximum individual load rating is the single largest sized appliance that the regulator can supply and still provide positive lockup when that single appliance shuts off immediately.
* The total load rating is how much capacity you can supply to multiple appliances on one regulator.
Now let's see if you understand what this means when selecting Line Gas Regulators for your applications.
To test your understanding of what the manufacturer means, test yourself with the following questions. We have provided the answers in a link at the bottom of this article.
1) Which of the following applications would NOT be a good choice for using the Maxitrol regulator Part number 325-3L as described above?
a) 4 appliances with total load of 385K BTUH; appliance 1= 35K, appliance 2 = 80K, appliance 3 = 50K, appliance 4 = 120K
b) 2 appliances with total load of 370K BTUH; appliance 1 = 40K, appliance 2 = 330K
c) 1 appliance with total load of 215K BTUH
d) 1 appliance with total load of 270K BTUH
e) b, d
f) a, c
g) none of the above
2) Which of the following applications would be a good choice for using Maxitrol regulator 325-5AL, (the 325-5L has MAX IND LOAD = 480K, & TOTAL LOAD = 885K)?
a) 1 appliance with total load of 810K BTUH
b) 3 appliances with total load of 750K BTUH; appliance 1 = 350K, appliance 2 = 180K, appliance 3 = 220K
c) 1 appliance with total load of 475K BTUH
d) 2 appliances with total load of 800K BTUH; appliance 1 = 400K, appliance 2 = 400K
e) all of the above
f) a, b, c
g) b, c, d
To see the correct answers CLICK HERE.
As you can see in the information above, it IS IMPORTANT to select the correct Line Gas Regulator (pounds to inches) when selecting one for your system. You must take into account both the total load capacity of your system as well as the requirements of each appliance in your system. Please review all capacity charts and specifications of your Line Gas Regulators to confirm they will work, prior to making a selection.
If you have specific questions on this topic or would like to request a Gastite certification training class, feel free to contact your sales representative or any of our customer service representatives.
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