30 lb vs. 20 lb propane tanks

just use one of each :h

Lots of cars crash everyday too, but we still all drive.

As for the tanks sizes, I have 30s and wish they were 40s. I often bring several extra 20 gallon tanks along to use on our extended cold weather trips, and sometimes gotta make run into town to refill them.

JJBIRISH wrote:


If you never heard of an accident you haven’t paid attention… but you have well described the need for properly trained and qualified fillers… we just don’t need immature foolish kids doing jobs that require due diligence and responsible workers…

there are plenty of readings of untrained or improperly trained workers causing accidents… it’s the reason for requiring the training today….

At least eight injured, five critically, as explosions rock Blue Rhino propane gas plant in Florida

Three workers were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center early Tuesday, while one person injured in the explosion was in critical condition at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Other injured workers drove themselves to hospitals.
Five workers walked up to a command center with skin hanging off their arms, torso and faces, a fire official said.
Early in the morning of August 10, 2008, a fire and series of explosions disrupted the Downsview neighborhood of Toronto. In the video above, the shock wave from the explosion is clearly visible. One Sunrise employee was killed in the explosion, and a firefighter died of cardiac arrest the following day. An investigation revealed the cause as a leaking hose used during an illegal tank-to-tank transfer of propane.

On the morning of January 30, 2007, a gas company worker encountered a problem while transferring propane from an old tank to a new replacement tank behind a rural convenience store and gas station. A component on the older tank broke, allowing propane vapor to escape. A fire crew from the Ghent, WV, volunteer fire department and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene. Within minutes, propane had seeped into the convenience store. It exploded with such force that the a fire truck and ambulance were flipped over, five homes were damaged, and windows were blown out at the Ghent Elementary School. Four people were killed and five others were seriously injured .

Propane from a single grill-type 20-pound cylinder leaked into the space beneath a restaurant, which had been built over a swimming pool. While preparing for the evening meal on July 28, 1997, a spark from a vacuum cleaner ignited an explosion that killed the restaurant’s manager and a 25-year-old woman who was there interviewing for a waitress job. Five others were seriously injured.
On the day of the accident, Ostenrider took his propane tank to the Citgo Service Station to have it refilled. A Citgo employee overfilled the tank because he believed it had an automatic shutoff device,.

You've just pointed out some propane related explosions, None of them were at a propane filling facility. The last incident would be pure speculation it would be impossible for them to tell that the tank had been overfilled after the explosion and fire. The poor guy who filled the tank probably just agreed with whatever they said. He probably filled 20 tanks or more that day and had no idea what tank they were talking about.

VoodooMedicineMan wrote:
The Menards near me got rid of the tank exchange and put in a bulk fill. I don't like the tank exchange as they short you on product by only filling to 15 lbs.

That is very common across the industry. It is better to have them filled to get the best deal. That is another reason I like the higher capacity. It means that I don't have to fill them as often.

The Menards near me got rid of the tank exchange and put in a bulk fill. I don't like the tank exchange as they short you on product by only filling to 15 lbs.

smkettner wrote:
6) cost

That is the simplest answer and probably the most accurate. The manufacturers are known to cut corners where they can. I have two steel 30# tanks and I will change to two 40# aluminum tanks with the gage port when I get the chance. I like extra water, and fuel, because I also like to boondock.

Nvr2loud wrote:
It is a little more simple then any of the above answers....

Bulk propane filling is being slowly phased out in Canada and the United States. The preferred 'safe' way for filling propane tanks now is the exchange program where the empty tank is returned to the propane yard and inspected / tested / refilled there.

Due to many accidents at the local gas station with LP tanks and filling stations, lack of proper inspection of customer owned tanks, and loss of too much propane vapor into the air.... many safety organisations are attempting to ban such stations. In Canada it is the TSSA that is making it very difficult to have a propane tank refilled by the customer, they make the annual fees and insurance costs way too high for most businesses to justify. Now we have to bring our nearly empty (never fully empty) tanks in for exchange and pay for a new full tank (always losing just a little bit of money)

The 30 lb tanks are not typically available for exchange, just the 20 lb tanks.

I have never heard of this can you point to any information backing up you claim of favoring the exchanges… there are new filling stations all the time installed around here…

jspence1 wrote:

Nvr2loud wrote:

Personally I've never heard of an accident when filling a propane other than during the certification class. I worked for 6 years on weekends with the most immature foolish kids I have ever known (I was one of them) filling hundreds of tanks and not a single accident filling a propane tank. with the exception of some "burns" when filling cars and not using gloves to close the vent when it was full. This was a long time ago and perhaps the kids filling have got dumber but I highly doubt it.

If stations are stopping the filling of the tanks it's likely due to them being sick of the wasted time trying to explain to customers why they can't fill their 20 year old tank that is completely covered in rust with 3 bullet holes in it.

If you never heard of an accident you haven’t paid attention… but you have well described the need for properly trained and qualified fillers… we just don’t need immature foolish kids doing jobs that require due diligence and responsible workers…

there are plenty of readings of untrained or improperly trained workers causing accidents… it’s the reason for requiring the training today….

At least eight injured, five critically, as explosions rock Blue Rhino propane gas plant in Florida

Three workers were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center early Tuesday, while one person injured in the explosion was in critical condition at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Other injured workers drove themselves to hospitals.
Five workers walked up to a command center with skin hanging off their arms, torso and faces, a fire official said.
Early in the morning of August 10, 2008, a fire and series of explosions disrupted the Downsview neighborhood of Toronto. In the video above, the shock wave from the explosion is clearly visible. One Sunrise employee was killed in the explosion, and a firefighter died of cardiac arrest the following day. An investigation revealed the cause as a leaking hose used during an illegal tank-to-tank transfer of propane.

On the morning of January 30, 2007, a gas company worker encountered a problem while transferring propane from an old tank to a new replacement tank behind a rural convenience store and gas station. A component on the older tank broke, allowing propane vapor to escape. A fire crew from the Ghent, WV, volunteer fire department and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene. Within minutes, propane had seeped into the convenience store. It exploded with such force that the a fire truck and ambulance were flipped over, five homes were damaged, and windows were blown out at the Ghent Elementary School. Four people were killed and five others were seriously injured .

Propane from a single grill-type 20-pound cylinder leaked into the space beneath a restaurant, which had been built over a swimming pool. While preparing for the evening meal on July 28, 1997, a spark from a vacuum cleaner ignited an explosion that killed the restaurant’s manager and a 25-year-old woman who was there interviewing for a waitress job. Five others were seriously injured.
On the day of the accident, Ostenrider took his propane tank to the Citgo Service Station to have it refilled. A Citgo employee overfilled the tank because he believed it had an automatic shutoff device,.

mlts22 wrote:
If I knew a reliable propane filler, I'd switch to 40# bottles in a heartbeat. Right now when I do the usual dry camping at a festival, I keep two 20# bottles on the rig, and carry a few bottles in the truck bed, switching them out each weekend. That way, I at least have two full bottles, and whatever propane is unused from last week. Of course, this is in winter. Summer, I barely touch propane, other than the small amount to keep the refrigerator cold.

I guess we are lucky around here. There are a dozen places that refill tanks within a few miles of home, and I've never had to do much of a search on the road. Most any truckstop can refill along with many places near campgrounds.

they are getting real strict about checking expiration dates on tanks though. fine with me.

PartyMarty wrote:
Because the OPD (Overflow Prevention Device ) consumes space within your tank it is best to use the 30 tank instead of the 20 tank .
The OPD consumes a higher percentage of the 20 than the 30 .

Huhh..... A 20 lb tank with or without OPD holds the same amount of propane when filled to capacity correctly. Same for a 30lb. All the opd does it keep you from overfilling the tank. the airspace as a % of capacity is the same for a 20 or 30lb tank.

And a reason NOT to do an exchange. If you notice, many of the places that "exchange" 20lb tanks do NOT fill them to the rated safe capacity. They show in small print the filled capacity and it is less than if you have a 20lb'r filled correctly to it's rated propane capacity.

If I knew a reliable propane filler, I'd switch to 40# bottles in a heartbeat. Right now when I do the usual dry camping at a festival, I keep two 20# bottles on the rig, and carry a few bottles in the truck bed, switching them out each weekend. That way, I at least have two full bottles, and whatever propane is unused from last week. Of course, this is in winter. Summer, I barely touch propane, other than the small amount to keep the refrigerator cold.