This time of year my family and I like to sit out on the screened in porch for dinner, but in the evenings it is rather chilly. We have a heat lamp that runs on those small disposable propane bottles, but they are rather expensive compared to the free propane we get at work. We own a warehousing business and use propane trucks to move product.
What I am looking for is an adapter and a hose that will fit the input on the heatlamp, and attach to a propane cylinder under the table.
Practical problems with the disposable cylinders:
1. They don't last very long. Maybe 1.5 hours on High setting?
2. They tend to freeze up due to their small volume and rapid depletion.
3. Freeze up reduces the flow of gas to the lamp. Heating with warm water or your hands will help restore gas flow, but who wants to babysit the thing? When the bottle freezes the heater is barely able to produce much heat.
4. Bulk gas is cheaper, and lasts a long time between needing attention.
5. Larger gas cylinders don't freeze up much even when attached to a large grill.
It is for these reasons that I was inquiring about an adapter. Does anyone know of any, if they exist? Would it be possible to make one for a few bucks?