5 Gallon Propane Tank Weight

Take tank to a Propane Wholesaler who can re-cert it, They can figure it out.

ONE possible issue is contamination.. There are things that can get pumped into the tank that are NOT propane....

Also.. You said you opened the valve and nothing came out.. This is how it should be, there is a 2nd valve, inside the outlet, if there is nothing connected to the tank this valve WILL be closed. Just like a throwaway, the valve is opened when you connect to it.. Also the nut must be tight, if it's loose, the valve closes.

When I was dispensing propane at RV parks, a common remedy for a stuck valve was bouncing the cylinder on the protective ring against something fairly solid. Always worked.

Sounds like you've got a malunctioning valve. The only other explanation I can think of would be the possibility that the tank actually has water in it. That seems remote, though...condensation inside can produce some water, but ten pounds seems like an awful lot unless the tank is very elderly.

The net weight on the tank is 18.9 lbs. The current weight is 28.2 as measured by our bathroom scales. It feels like there is propane "sloshing" around in the tank, although it is hard to be sure. Based on the weight, I suspect there is about 10 lbs of propane still in the tank, about 1.5 gallons. The tank has been sitting for about 6 weeks and would not fire up the BBQ even a flicker. A full tank fired the BBQ right up. Any suggestions as to what to do with this tank?
Thanks Everyone
Bill

20# propane cylinder weighs 38# full
Propane weighs 4.2#/gallon------5 gallons 21#

The outlet on cylinder will not allow propane to flow unless hooked up to hose.
It has a spring loaded shut-off that must be opened by internal 'nub' inside ACME Nut of hose.

dakdave wrote:
weight should be stamped on tank on valve protector

^^^^That^^^^

A number will be preceded by "TW", which means "tare weight".
Which means EMPTY weight!

The typical 5-gallon size weighs a bit under 17 pounds empty, but there can be a difference in weight between two tanks since some older ones are made from heavier materials.



Also:
On Canadian tanks, weight is given in kg's and is preceded only by the letter "W" for weight.

Just opening the valve with nothing hookup should never allow propane to escape.
generally 5 or 30 pound tanks weight pretty much the same within oz's
so you heaver tank is not empty

The "new" valves, nothing will come out. Where we get our filled they use the connector from a defunct grill to check if the valve/tank is functioning or has propane in it.
Last grill, stopped working. Tank was full as checked by retailer.
Went and bought a new tang with gauge(on the wrong side to be of any use.) It worked first time and then it wouldn't work. I carefully cleaned the tank valve where it screws in and the connector. Nothing there to clean. Screwed it back on and gave it a little extra oomph. Works fine now. Nothing wrong with the old tanks. Never had a problem but do now and they held 20 lbs. Aggravating to have to refill as often and for twice the price.

weight should be stamped on tank on valve protector