Propane Tank

We used one to burn weeds and brand cattle for years. We are just tough New Mexico Cowboys is all!

ScottG wrote:
The techs probably couldn't find it because it's so unusual for a tank itself to leak.
Frankly, I wouldn't think to look there either.

I recently inherited a tank that expired in the early 70's!
It was still perfeclty good and I gave it to a buddy to use with his weed burner.

Any tech worth being called a tech should know better than to overlook all weld seams as a source for a leak. Very small, nearly microscopic pinholes are difficult to locate and will sometimes be intermittent due to changing temperatures and therefore tank pressures. When all other possible points of a leak are exhausted we can't overlook the area around and under the mounting straps for our fixed tanks. This is a point of collection for entrapped moisture and often develops rust under the straps resulting in leaks. The brine solutions used to treat winter roads in many states has made rust a much bigger problem for tank life on RV's that see winter road use.

RE: your inherited tank, since it had an expiration date, actually requalification date, I will assume that it was a cylinder, not a tank. A significant difference. Tanks built in the 1940' are still in use frequently, where cylinders over 30-35 years old are fewer and fewer. Many of the older cylinders were lost to scrap during the transition to the OPD valve required by the government a few years back.

I had a propane leak. I found it with a bright flashlight at night. It was easy to find the leak even though it wasn't in the tank itself.

ScottG wrote:
The techs probably couldn't find it because it's so unusual for a tank itself to leak.
Frankly, I wouldn't think to look there either.

I recently inherited a tank that expired in the early 70's!
It was still perfeclty good and I gave it to a buddy to use with his weed burner.

Those tanks(ASME) weigh over 50 to 80 lbs EMPTY, How does your buddy use it for his LP weedeater????? Doug

The techs probably couldn't find it because it's so unusual for a tank itself to leak.
Frankly, I wouldn't think to look there either.

I recently inherited a tank that expired in the early 70's!
It was still perfeclty good and I gave it to a buddy to use with his weed burner.

In all likelihood the leak was due to a poor weld on the seam rather than any road debris. We had a defective tank on our 2001 Winnebago Adventurer. It turned out to be a bad weld at the blow out plug seam. The seams are robotically welded, and apparently the welder stopped about a eighth of an inch from where it should have.

We chased the leak for over a year with no results. On occasion we could smell the gas but could never find the leak using soapy water, a sniffer, or any other method. It was only a pin hole size leak that was intermittent. Apparently from time to time crud would cover the hole and the internal pressure would hold it in place. After a days drive there would be enough jostling that the crud would be displaced. We would smell gas when we set up camp, then it would disappear when another piece of crud migrated to the hole and plugged it.

We finally found it one 4th of July weekend when camped in a state park. The smell just wouldn't go away and it made us a bit nervous with all the fireworks going off in the campground. On this occasion I took a bottle of soapy water and sprayed the entire tank liberally. It didn't take long for the leak to become obvious.

We called a local gas company to come out and drain the tank, but since there was no liquid fill port it would have needed to be transferred in a gaseous form to several empty tanks. The technician tried draining it that way but gave up after he'd filled half a dozen tanks and barely touched the volume in our tank. He had us drive several miles to a field. Once well into the field he attached over 100 feet of hose to the gas fill port and slowly drained the tank. I think it took over an hour to empty it without raising the concentration levels to the point an errant spark would ignite it.

The tank was replaced under the manufacturers warranty. Ours was a Manchester tank that was guaranteed for 10 years against defects. Your tank should have a data plate welded to the side near the fill port. That plate will give the date of manufacture, serial number and other information pertinent size and warranty information.

Wshiley wrote:
How many of you had a propane tank go bad. We have chased a propane leak for years with many different technicians giving their two cents. Replaced the fill valve. Replaced the regulator. Replaced the gauge. And now replaced the internal pressure valve. Of course each time the tank would need to be purged. Apparently we have finally solved the leak by replacing the entire tank. Apparently where the tank sits behind the front wheel stones fly up and chip away at the tank seems. A pin hole has been the cause for years. Not sure why the technicians couldn't find this originally but most chase propane leaks with soapy water and not the proper tools. So if you have a propane odor make sure they check with all the correct tools.

While you had a bad tank, the stones and driving conditions did NOT cause your pinholes. Those tanks are designed and built with HEAVY gauge steel. What you had was a faulty weld that was leaking. LP leak detector fluid would have easily found the leak. As to replacing all the other parts except for parts ON the tank, a simple LP Manometer test would have shown that the LP regulator and hoses from the regulator were OK. You don't state what Year model RV which would help put your problem in perspective. Doug