Blue Rhino propane tanks

And 3/4 of them don't work right, ALWAYS use the 10%/bleeder valve.

mkirsch wrote:
Containers since time immemorial have been rated by their raw/absolute capacity, not by what is "legal" to put in them. Propane cylinders are no different. It's a marketing thing, designed to confuse and distract, but it is a fact of life.

A 20lb propane tank is a 4.7 gallon container. If you put 20lbs of propane at 4.11lbs per gallon, in it it would be full to the brim.

People who cry foul because a 20lb cylinder does not actually have 20lbs of propane in it really need to educate themselves.

Sure if you can fool the OPD, you can get pretty close to 20lbs in but it is illegal to do so.

The problem is fooling that OPD. When I take my empty tanks in to fill, I always watch the meter. Those guys could give a******about legal and just fill until the OPD shuts off. The OPD trips and stops taking propane at just a little over 4 gallons each time.

Here are the true facts.

A 20 pound cylinder holds 20 pounds of LP when filled to the 80% level. It still has a 20% expansion space due to the installation of a drip tube inside the cylinder. The same holds true for a 30 pound cylinder. You can add 30 pounds of LP when the cylinder is empty. It is perfectly safe, legal and designed that way. The OPD is designed to prevent overfilling. That is why it is called an overfill protection device.

God I love this place. I got rid of my out of Hydro old propane tanks for a couple of "new" Blue Rhinos. Once emptied they will get refilled at the local "Full Fill" place.

Ain't recycling grand!!

mkirsch wrote:

A 20lb propane tank is a 4.7 gallon container. If you put 20lbs of propane at 4.11lbs per gallon, in it it would be full to the brim.

Watching the meter, I don't think I've EVER seen a tank accept more than 4.5 gallons before the valve starts to blow off gas. Most times the screw gets turned at 4.25 to 4.5. This is why I always take a couple tanks to the place near my house with the 5 gallon minimum charge. So, I'm pretty much in agreement with what you said.

"People who cry foul because a 20lb cylinder does not actually have 20lbs of propane in it really need to educate themselves."


The capacity of a 20lb cylinder is greater than 4.7 gallon. A typical 20lb cylinder has water capacity of 47.8lbs (stamped into the collar). The cylinder empty is 17.8lbs. Adding 20lbs of propane to the empty weight makes it 37.8lbs. or about 78% of the total capacity

Reference 1

Fill Procedures

Containers since time immemorial have been rated by their raw/absolute capacity, not by what is "legal" to put in them. Propane cylinders are no different. It's a marketing thing, designed to confuse and distract, but it is a fact of life.

A 20lb propane tank is a 4.7 gallon container. If you put 20lbs of propane at 4.11lbs per gallon, in it it would be full to the brim.

People who cry foul because a 20lb cylinder does not actually have 20lbs of propane in it really need to educate themselves.

Sure if you can fool the OPD, you can get pretty close to 20lbs in but it is illegal to do so.

The problem is fooling that OPD. When I take my empty tanks in to fill, I always watch the meter. Those guys could give a******about legal and just fill until the OPD shuts off. The OPD trips and stops taking propane at just a little over 4 gallons each time.

Bubtoofat wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
I've also used them to replace tanks that the attendant says is too old (date stamp) for mine to be refilled.

Hmmm......sounds kind of unethical.

I asked the store manager about that and was told that they didn't care. They "take anything".

Both Blue Rino & amerigas exchange are light. It's a conveint thing if nessary.I never do but in a pinch, would. I use to work for Amerigas and have seen brand new tanks traded for exchanged tanks from people that bought a new bar-b-que and were to lazy to go fill so they traded at the store.I've also seen very old valve tanks exchanged all rusty and such. Good way to get a current tank if you got old ones laying around. I only have about 20 5gal. bottles that are all current, I know people in the bussiness, that helps keep them current, ha, ha.

I keep extra cylinders filled in my trailer or at home. It allows me to shop for refills when convenient and cheap rather than having to exchange while camping when you cannot find refills. I have 30# cylinders in the TC but most spares are 20# (20's fit in the same space as long as I put 4" block underneath). When the certification date gets close, I do a cylinder exchange like others.

It's a convenience factor. I have one that i keep but just refill it myself most of the time. But, it's nice knowing that if I need gas and can't find a refill station, one of the exchange stores is an option.