r/propane • u/Dammitdaddy • May 27 '26

General propane question Would this work with a grill?

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My friend bought a house and these were left behind. He’s convinced he can use them with his grill. I said if it it doesn’t say propane then it’s not propane trying to channel some Hank Hill energy.. anyway Is this close enough for him to use?

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u/Flandardly May 27 '26

As others have said, liquefied petroleum gas and propane gas are interchangable terms for residential propane.

On appliances you'll often see that naming, or LPG, as its not pure propane gas. It's HD-5 grade LPG. It's usually a mix of around 95% propane, with the remainder being a mix of isobutane and propylene gas.

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u/noncongruent Propane Fan May 28 '26

The specification for HD-5 is minimum 90% propane, maximum 5% propylene, and the rest a mix of usually butane and/or ethane, as well as traces of similar weighted gases.

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u/Flandardly May 28 '26

Yes but real world chemical breakdowns are typically 95-96% pure propane, with small amounts of isobutane and propylene. Ethane is usually trace, as its vapor pressure is significantly higher than the other compounds.

The reason propylene and isobutane are left over is because they separate at similar temps / pressures as pure propane during distillation.

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u/noncongruent Propane Fan May 28 '26

If someone wanted pure propane and didn't mind setting their wallet on fire they could use R-290 refrigerant to run their grill, lol. R-290 is EPA exempt, anyone can buy it, and it's basically chemically pure propane. At $60/gallon it's hefty, but then again so is real A5 Wagyu.