Another propane question (maybe)!

Almost froze one night in Santa Fe. Horizontal tanks were going empty .... WallyMart had 20lb exchange tanks across the parking lot.

Tossed the horizontal and fitted standard 20lb tanks in the TC. No problems now.

By the way the Hz were actually 16lb tanks .... but we were always charged the same rate as to fill a 20.

Moisheh & Mex wanderer:

Super interesting. Thanks. I'm not the OP, however I'm going to archive this thread for future reference. We have horizontal tanks in the truck camper (filled up-right).

If my memory serves, there was an attempt (in the mid 80s?) to bring portable propane (a butane component?) into the Guatemala outback, in an attempt to wean campesinos off of "leña". No idea if this worked...

Back to the programme...

S-

POL and OPD

Filled both POL and large motorfuel Fast Fill tanks in Guat City Teguchigalpa Managua San Jose & Colon back in the seventies. South of the USA external threaded OPD overfill protection device, tanks are non existant. So use these pots filling the POL fitting and drain using the OPD hookup.

Some OPD tanks HATE to be filled down here. One quart an hour fill rate. Entering the country with high pressure propane still in the tank then expecting a low pressure Butane pump to work is a hassle. Drain the tank all the way before trying to fill the first time.

Older propane tanks have an internal LH thread. Propane shops in Mexico can fill these with no problems. Newer tanks have both the internal and an external thread. Mexico does not use the external threads and sometimes their attachment will not connect properly. But they usually have many connectors and one of them will be OK. You will not have a problem in Mexico. Be aware that the further south you go it is not what we call propane but it works.

Moisheh

Hi: we are truck camper users:

....way back in the early '90s (90 and 91 and later), I had seen propane refill installations In all the ~mediumish and largeish towns I was in throughout Guatemala (and, Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras). Some restaurants were using propane tanks (the small 20LB tanks) in the above countries I recall back then. These tanks appeared to be the same tanks we see in US and Canada - side. I have to admit, I never paid close attention to the fill attachments, because I was not using propane at that time (kerosene only).

This doesn't really answer the detailed questions you have, however, it does indicate that propane was being sold in a good sized chunk of Central America as far back as 1990.

I have read in an expedition forum (with a Latin American travel discussion section for soft, medium and hard-core overlanders: Expedition Portal) that most travellers bring the small refillable propane cylinders at the 4.5 lb size. Others buy cylinders in the countries they traverse (the thread and safety mechanism can vary country to country, apparently).

Anyhow, I'm sure several on here that traveled Central America recently and use propene can offer far more detailed info; hopefully, country-by-country specific.

Good luck,
S-

LPG, mostly butane--I think, is readily available.

The tanks need re-certified after 12 years--so you should be good.