Forum Discussion

Bob_Barrett's avatar
Bob_Barrett
Explorer
May 09, 2014

Propane Tanks

Hope this helps someone, and hope i post correctly, being im new
We bought a 2005 Keystone in January and have just started using it. Yesterday i took off the tank that was half full to be topped off. When the lady filling the tank told me it was half full, i preceded to open the valve to let her know that it was indeed empty, and told her to try to put the gas into it. She did get 18 dollars worth in , 3.50 a gallon here in SC, and when she finished she opens the valve , no discharge. She like me figured too, BAD TANK, and suggested i call Palmetto Propane, and see if they would trade it out. After talking to the folks at palmetto, I found out the the tanks had a one way valve, and the tanks wont discharge when the valve is open. Im a little up in age and i had never heard of any such. BUT the lady that filled my tank ,didnt know either.
So im sure that some day , someone, will run across this too, and probably will think that when they open the valve, that tank just has to "Hiss", and it just aint going to never ever.
Also on the long 7 way plug cord. Dont just throw the excess wire over the toung of the trailer. When i got to the lake, it had fell from where it was draped, and worn in half. So i probably drove most of the 58 miles with no brake lights, and yes i shudder at that thought, i was really dangerous.
Thanks for letting me join, and i hope this post helps someone some day

Bob Barrett
Aiken SC
  • Tachdriver's avatar
    Tachdriver
    Explorer
    May 09, 2014
    Welcome to the forum Bob:

    I am not that familiar with propane tanks, I do know that there is a 10 year life limit before they need to be reinspected. That date is found on the handle flange that covers the valve. True you can open the value with no fitting connected and no propane comes out.
  • vic46's avatar
    vic46
    Explorer
    May 09, 2014
    Bob Barrett wrote:
    Hope this helps someone, and hope i post correctly, being im new
    We bought a 2005 Keystone in January and have just started using it. Yesterday i took off the tank that was half full to be topped off. When the lady filling the tank told me it was half full, i preceded to open the valve to let her know that it was indeed empty, and told her to try to put the gas into it. She did get 18 dollars worth in , 3.50 a gallon here in SC, and when she finished she opens the valve , no discharge. She like me figured too, BAD TANK, and suggested i call Palmetto Propane, and see if they would trade it out. After talking to the folks at palmetto, I found out the the tanks had a one way valve, and the tanks wont discharge when the valve is open. Im a little up in age and i had never heard of any such. BUT the lady that filled my tank ,didnt know either.
    So im sure that some day , someone, will run across this too, and probably will think that when they open the valve, that tank just has to "Hiss", and it just aint going to never ever.
    Also on the long 7 way plug cord. Dont just throw the excess wire over the toung of the trailer. When i got to the lake, it had fell from where it was draped, and worn in half. So i probably drove most of the 58 miles with no brake lights, and yes i shudder at that thought, i was really dangerous.
    Thanks for letting me join, and i hope this post helps someone some day

    Bob Barrett
    Aiken SC


    And,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, there was a trained propane service person involved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes, that is real frightening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It would appear that the overfill prevention device is really needed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Dennis_M_M's avatar
    Dennis_M_M
    Explorer
    May 09, 2014
    Thanks for the great link Downtheroad!

    I found this out last winter. Had a tank filled at a campground (two guys doing it together - always a problem). When I hooked it back up I could not open the valve. They took it to their shop and tried to open it, finally took it to a real propane dealer nearby and were told the valve was jammed open!

    They had not closed it after filling (both thought "the other guy" did it!) and as a result we jammed the valve trying to open it more. The propane dealer said to hook it up and use the propane then see if the valve could be closed.

    Of course I was hundreds of miles away when it was empty and ended up having to replace the valve out of my own pocket a month later! Never knew that no gas would flow through an open but unconnected valve.

    On edit: regarding that pigtail, I picked up a spring like semis use on glad-hands at a truck stop and use that to hang my pigtail under the front of the fiver.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    May 09, 2014
    You can't just open the valve all at once, you have to do it slowly otherwise the valve shuts off the flow thinking there's a massive leak.
    Let it sit for 30 minutes or so and then hook it up and turn it on SLOWLY.
  • wmoses's avatar
    wmoses
    Explorer
    May 09, 2014
    Bob Barrett wrote:
    ... I found out the the tanks had a one way valve, and the tanks wont discharge when the valve is open. Im a little up in age and i had never heard of any such. BUT the lady that filled my tank ,didnt know either.

    Far as I know you have to be certified to fill propane tanks and if she did not know that the curent tanks have this safety valve then she should not be selling propane. Were I you I'd not be buying from them any more.

    If the flowrate out of the valve is suddently changed, say from nothing to open, it is designed to react as if there is a leak and then shut it down. I know this because I use an 11# tank with my table top grill in place of the 1# disposable bottles and for a while could not get the gas to flow. Then I discovered if I opened the valve very slowly and only maybe 1/4 turn it works perfectly.

    Bob Barrett wrote:
    Also on the long 7 way plug cord. Dont just throw the excess wire over the toung of the trailer. When i got to the lake, it had fell from where it was draped, and worn in half. So i probably drove most of the 58 miles with no brake lights, and yes i shudder at that thought, i was really dangerous.

    I have never seen that much excess cord!

    Welcome to the forum. :)
  • ChooChooMan74's avatar
    ChooChooMan74
    Explorer
    May 09, 2014
    The new tanks won't spit out propane without something connected to it. There is a spring loaded valve that gets pushed in. You can manually do it with a screwdriver.

    From http://www.nashwauk.net/UnderstandingOPDValves.html

    The Discharge Check Valve, prevents any discharge from the cylinder unless there is a POL fitting connected to the valve. This feature has been discussed as being a suspect problem on web site information pages dealing with poor flow/discharge from cylinder. www.bluerino.com/
    My test of this feature was to run a turkey cooker burner at full regulated flow and loosen the POL fitting until there was a decrease in flow. I was able to back the POL swivel nut away from the valve 2 full turns before the flow began to diminish. This was done with a POL fitting that has an O-ring seal, and there was no noticeable vapor leak while loosening the swivel nut.
    I then reversed this test by opening the cylinder hand wheel and then tightening the POL fitting. The vapor flow started and was flowing sufficiently with more than 1-1/2 turns away from full engagement.
    With this finding I find no merit in the information on BlueRino web site.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    May 09, 2014
    The 'cylinders' (tanks are permanently mounted like in motorhomes) have a shut off valve that will only open when the pigtail hose is attached.

    They also have an 'overfill protective device' (a float that will shut off propane filling at 80%---liquid level)

    The pigtail hoses have excess flow check valves in them (basically a steel ball that will trip closed due to pressure difference).
    IF you open cylinder shut off valve to fast the pressure can not equalize on both sides of the steel ball.......also should a hose/fitting break and propane flow is high the steel ball will close off stopping propane flow from cylinder.

    There is a bleed screw on neck of cylinders that can be cracked open to fill cylinders....close when liquid spurts.
    You can also crack the bleed screw to check that tank is empty.

    Weighing a cylinder will give you info..tank is full, empty of in between

    Propane cylinders have to be re-certified/re-qualified 12 yrs. after date stamped on collar.
    Tanks do don't have to be re-certified.
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    Make it a standard habit to check your brake controller and test your brakes manually before pulling out. I do this every time I hitch.

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