Propane Tank Refilling Denied

OP - I would seriously consider downsizing to 20 lb tanks. Save weight and save $$$ !

Thunder Mountain wrote:
... I looked at my portable tank and saw it was out of date, but he had filled it anyway. Guess he didn't care long as it had an OPD valve.

That has been my experience also.

I was in Arizona this winter, and I needed the big horizontal tank refilled. I also had a portable tank used for the grill that was almost empty. While the guy was filling the big tank, I asked him about the new regulation. He briefed me and said, "If your tank is out of date, take it to a Blue Rhino exchange station. Just make sure the tank you get has current certification." After he left I looked at my portable tank and saw it was out of date, but he had filled it anyway. Guess he didn't care long as it had an OPD valve.

DOT requirement for re-qualification WAS 12 years for 'portable cylinders'

That re-qualification WAS changed at beginning of this year to 10 years after date of mfg.

The MOST common re-qualification is a 'visual' inspection (condition of cylinder, has OPD valve etc)
Visual re-qualification is good for 5 years,,,,,,then another visual/another 5 tears etc
Visual Inspections costs: Free with refill at some places......$35/$40 at other places (no set price guide)

ALL portable cylinders (4#-40#) manufactured since 1998 HAVE OPD valves
By 2002 ALL cylinders would have been re-qualified and new OPD valves installed

Cheaper to have 're-qualification' done then buying new cylinders.
Cylinders can be 40+ years old and still in service

No reason to buy new unless cylinder has been damaged....dented, rusting thru, fire damaged etc.

Looks like my two bottles are ready to be re-certified or replaced... I didn't go out much last season... Hopefully someone local here does that...

I guess mine have the 10 year replacement date... If it is 12 years I'm good for another year...

Roy Ken

the new DOT regulations 12yr etc.. are for portable 'BOTTLES'
yes they are steel, but the DOT calls anything that can be transported a 'BOTTLE'

'TANKS' are the frame mounted ones on MHs or than big thing on legs they are using to fill your BOTTLES

and yes, i would replace them

i only mention this because i ran into a 'grunt' that thought 'bottle' on the paper work pinned up at the fill location meant ALL TANKS, and did not know the distinction between portable bottles and frame mounted permanent TANKS

i know mos people call the 'portable BOTTLES' tanks,and this leads to confusion in some situations

I am a fully licensed, qualified, certified, Canadian propane dispensing technician (read: grunt with a valid ticket). If the propane bottle has been re-certified and is within the Canadian mandated 10 year age limit, the cylinder can and should be refilled. If it is within spec, with a readable and recognized re-certification date and the propane dispensary person declines to fill it, get the name of the place, the license number of said dispenser person and file a complaint. The only time I have refused a re-certified propane cylinder is if I couldn't make out the date or if the date was obviously "fudged" together by somebody with a letter and number die set trying to pull a fast one. Also, some re-certification places, in both USA and Canada, just don't give a monkey's butt care about the quality of their date stamp process which results in poor or unreadable dates. I am pretty sure that what you have heard is perhaps hearsay, rumor or just plain old BS.

Cheers!

Mike

PS; nothing wrong with Flame King propane cylinders, we fill those just fine!

They get mostly 5 stars - I would buy them and since I'm in the same situation, I probably will.

Go on Amazon and check their reviews. I think there's 100 of them.