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rutzbeck's avatar
rutzbeck
Explorer
May 13, 2017

Propane tank

I have a question about a Propane tank I had filled. I watched the guy fill it. It was empty and he put 4 gallons in. When I picked it up it much lighter than I expected. I mentioned it to him and we looked at the gauge which of course said 4 gallons. I loaded and paid for it. It ran out a lot faster then the last time I used it which was the two weeks before. It lasted 5 days with just the fridge on and the heater ran for probably 2 hours at the most each day. What happened? Do you think his tank was low and he was pumping air?
  • noxinnhoj wrote:
    anyone know how long a tank is good for before re-certs in Canada.I have a 2005 lance with 2 original horizontal tanks


    In the USA DOT (Dept of Transportation) has jurisdiction over portable propane cylinders.
    Propane TANKS (permanently mounted in Motorhomes) are ASME jurisdiction as outlined by NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association)

    In Canada
    Portable cylinders must be inspected and requalified every 10 years – it is against the law to fill an outdated cylinder.
    The requalification of a cylinder must be done by organizations that have the appropriate equipment, training and certification to do so, and have been certified by Transport Canada to do the work.


    Inspection and requalification requirements for TANKS differ by jurisdiction, tank size and tank design.
    Tanks are regulated by provincial and territorial authorities.


    Yes there are Propane TANKS and then there are Propane CYLINDERS --
    not to be confused (mounted/portable)
  • anyone know how long a tank is good for before re-certs in Canada.I have a 2005 lance with 2 original horizontal tanks
  • SidecarFlip wrote:
    Propane sells on weight not volume so if he charged you for a 'full bottle (they are bottles not tanks, )tanks are armored vehicles and also hold motor fuel) and it wasn't 80% full, you get screwed.

    Typical procedure for a fill from empty is place the bottle on a scale (certified) and zero it and then open the OPD port with a screwdriver and fill it until vapor comes out the port. It's at 80% then. Close the OPD port and charge bu the full weight.

    I just filled one of mine, was 10 bucks. Propane is temperature critical too. Filling on a cold day gives you more volume because the product is more dense. Why I fill my 1000 gallon bulk tank (bottle) at the farm, only in the late fall when the ambient is cooler.


    Food for thought:

    LPG in this day and age is sold from a meter that is temperature compensated, I believe to 65 degrees F.

    Lakeside
  • Propane sells on weight not volume so if he charged you for a 'full bottle (they are bottles not tanks, )tanks are armored vehicles and also hold motor fuel) and it wasn't 80% full, you get screwed.

    Typical procedure for a fill from empty is place the bottle on a scale (certified) and zero it and then open the OPD port with a screwdriver and fill it until vapor comes out the port. It's at 80% then. Close the OPD port and charge bu the full weight.

    I just filled one of mine, was 10 bucks. Propane is temperature critical too. Filling on a cold day gives you more volume because the product is more dense. Why I fill my 1000 gallon bulk tank (bottle) at the farm, only in the late fall when the ambient is cooler.
  • ticki2 wrote:
    fishing2 wrote:
    1 gallon of propane weighs 4.2 pounds. A "full" 20 lb cylinder should have 4.7 gallons or propane in it.


    With the OPD valves they only fill to 80 per cent , so 4 gallons is about right .

    When you open the valve make sure is open all the way , sometimes a partially opened valve will leak slightly and use up the propane quicker .



    A FULL (80%) 20lb propane cylinder IS 4.7 gallons (20 divided by 4.2 equals 4.76)

    20lb is where bleeder will spew 'liquid'...which is also where OPD shuts off filling

    30lb...7.2 gal (80%)
  • fishing2 wrote:
    1 gallon of propane weighs 4.2 pounds. A "full" 20 lb cylinder should have 4.7 gallons or propane in it.


    With the OPD valves they only fill to 80 per cent , so 4 gallons is about right .

    When you open the valve make sure is open all the way , sometimes a partially opened valve will leak slightly and use up the propane quicker .
  • 1 gallon of propane weighs 4.2 pounds. A "full" 20 lb cylinder should have 4.7 gallons or propane in it.
  • Either that or his meter was not reset or off. Also, I think it makes a difference how much you can put in if you open the valve correctly on the tank.