Propane bleed valve

Strange. Sounds like something is clogged before the valve???

Any other symptoms?

Yes, it sounds like a clog somewhere. Everything works great except for the valve. A little peace of mind would be good when filling though.

The propane pump stops dispensing when an OPD closes a valve. It's been awhile since I looked at a MH propane tank but I don't recall seeing an OPD valve on them. If you do have an OPD valve on the tank, it can also fail. That's why safety conscious propane dispensers always open the bleed valve. Either way, I would have a professional look at it and repair it properly.

The bleed valve purges air and allows propane in the tank. You cannot "top off" your propane tank if the bleed valve is plugged. While filling the tank a couple things could happen. The first is the tank will not allow the dispenser to allow any more fluid in the tank as its preasure matches that of the dispensing unit. The other thing that can happen is you could have something rupture due to this higher amount of preasure. I would take this to a RV shop and get it looked as they have the knowledge to fix thisl.

If the handle on the tank is triangular, you have a OPD valve on your tank. To my knowlegde only the small propane tanks like the ones used on gas grills have the OPD valve. The federal gvmnt required OPD valves on the smaller propane tanks, larger tanks were exempt.

zman-az wrote:
The bleed valve purges air and allows propane in the tank. You cannot "top off" your propane tank if the bleed valve is plugged. While filling the tank a couple things could happen. The first is the tank will not allow the dispenser to allow any more fluid in the tank as its preasure matches that of the dispensing unit. The other thing that can happen is you could have something rupture due to this higher amount of preasure. I would take this to a RV shop and get it looked as they have the knowledge to fix thisl.

If the handle on the tank is triangular, you have a OPD valve on your tank. To my knowlegde only the small propane tanks like the ones used on gas grills have the OPD valve. The federal gvmnt required OPD valves on the smaller propane tanks, larger tanks were exempt.

OPD tanks have been used on some motorhomes at least as far back as 2001. Our 2001 Winnebago Adventurer had one and so does our 2013.

I just wish they would coordinate the gauge readings with the ammount of propane the OPD will allow in the tank. The OPD only allows the tank to be filled to 80% of it's capacity. The gauge then only reads 80% full even though you can't put any more in the tank. I would think if the tank is at the maximum capacity the device will allow the gauge should read full.

Hikerdogs wrote:

OPD tanks have been used on some motorhomes at least as far back as 2001. Our 2001 Winnebago Adventurer had one and so does our 2013.

I just wish they would coordinate the gauge readings with the ammount of propane the OPD will allow in the tank. The OPD only allows the tank to be filled to 80% of it's capacity. The gauge then only reads 80% full even though you can't put any more in the tank. I would think if the tank is at the maximum capacity the device will allow the gauge should read full.

Thanks, I have a 2011 and never paid attention if it has OPD or not, will have to look. I know when I fill mine the bleed screw starts spitting where as the grill tanks usually shut off just as they start spitting. I don't know if OPD was a requirement on RV's or if it was done voluntarily. I do remember our gas company told us the larger tanks may not have the valves.
As far as the gauge my interior display on my 2011 is dead on, never looked at the one on the tank. At least you still have a good idea of what is going on in the tank.

I think the OP is talking about a large ANSI tank here, not a barbeque tank. The bleed is opened during filling so the flow can be stopped when liquid LP gas "spits" from the valve, so the guy doing the filling knows the tank's reached the 80% level point.

It does sound like something might have clogged it bad, so maybe it's time to take it to a gas dealer to have them test the tank and/or repair what's blocking the valve's pipe stub.

Auto Stop fill valves(OPD) have been standard on ASME motorhome tanks for over 30 years
There are 2 items everyone is talking about here and I think some are confused about which is which
1. The FILL valve has the yellow large cap on it and is also the OPD valve
2. The "Bleeder" or also called the 80% valve is the small 1/2 inch knurled nut that usually has the red/silver tag around it.
3. BOTH have to function to be a safe fill and operation
4. When filling the tank thru the OPD connection you ALWAYS open the 80% (bleeder) valve. OPD's can fail or let MORE liquid into the tank than is safe
5. When filling you ALWAYS stop the fill if the 80% valve spews liquid even if the OPD has NOT shut down yet. That 80% is a failsafe on a safe fill.
6. To the OP, IF you have removed the Bleeder assbly and nothing comes out, you either have an empty tank or the bleeder is clogged somehow. Get it fixed. I fail to see HOW you can remove a bleeder valve with ANY liquid in the tank. It would spew hi pressure vapor if any LP liquid was in the tank to vaporize. Doug

You should take it to an authorized LP service facility and have it checked. Don't mess around with LP gas, it is just too dangerous if the equipment is malfunctioning. I would not remove the bleed valve if there is LP in the tank, if the restriction would break loose it will shoot very cold, very flammable liquid out under high pressure!

I am constantly amazed at the misconceptions and misinformation regarding filling ASME tanks.