Propane tanks on 5th wheel

[paulbeauchemin]

Just got a 5th wheel and wondering - do you remove the propane canisters to refill or can it be done while they are in the trailer?

[High5er]

2oldman wrote:

High5er wrote:
Fuel weight changes daily, trust me.

Ok.. I trust you. But I don't know why I need to.

Thank you for your trust.:D Here is a straight-forward read on propane: http://www.propane101.com/propanevolumecorrection.htm

I'm not really trying to prove anybody wrong here. Just want people to understand weight is a factor when measuring fuels.:W

[ACZL]

Get my tanks filled at local LP dealer that puts them on a scale. I take them out of the 5er and up to LP dealer to fill. New coach--tanks filled. Old coach not filled by dealer.

Never thought of how the trucks fill or know when full on tanks at homes. Good point.

FWIW, there is a number stamped into the collar of tank that has tare weight. If you have a scale at home, you can place tank on it to see how much it weighs above the tare weight number and that will tell you within reason how much you got left. OR just pour hot water alongside of tank to see where frost line/fuel level is.

[2oldman]

High5er wrote:
Fuel weight changes daily, trust me.

Ok.. I trust you. But I don't know why I need to.

[time2roll]

Temperature does not affect mass... only volume.

My cylinders do seem to take on more volume when the bleed screw is used aggressively.

[N-Trouble]

Mine came filled when I bought my 5er couple years ago. How would you do a PDI if they were empty?

[FSJPat]

At my old station in VA they did it by gallons. They had a scale (old and rusted), and when I asked the guy if he was going to weigh the bottles, he just laughed and said they haven't weighed bottles in years.

My new station in WA charges by liquid gallon also.

[High5er]

2oldman wrote:

High5er wrote:
Those old school sliding weight scales also work in all climates where moderns scales would freeze up in places like Minnesota. Just MHO 🙂

The old school comment implied that dispensing by volume was old school. It's on page 1. I'm pretty sure meters came along way after scales.

Of course I could have completely misunderstood his comment.

Fuel weight changes daily, trust me. I did this stuff for living. Maybe this will help: 🙂 https://www.orangecoat.com/the-truth-about-filling-20-lb-bbq-grill-propane-tanks

[2oldman]

High5er wrote:
Those old school sliding weight scales also work in all climates where moderns scales would freeze up in places like Minnesota. Just MHO 🙂

The old school comment implied that dispensing by volume was old school. It's on page 1. I'm pretty sure meters came along way after scales.

Of course I could have completely misunderstood his comment.

[High5er]

2oldman wrote:

bpounds wrote:
. They use a meter that measures gallons. And the bleed valve tells them when liquid has reached the top. Old school? I still by gas by the gallon.

I don't understand the old school comment either. The last time I got filled by weight the guy used a scale that looked like something from the 1800s.

I believe that fuel changes weight depending on the temperature. Even aircraft are fueled by weight, (not gallons). Those old school sliding weight scales also work in all climates where moderns scales would freeze up in places like Minnesota. Just MHO 🙂

[2oldman]

bpounds wrote:
. They use a meter that measures gallons. And the bleed valve tells them when liquid has reached the top. Old school? I still by gas by the gallon.

I don't understand the old school comment either. The last time I got filled by weight the guy used a scale that looked like something from the 1800s.

[bpounds]

You guys that think weight is the only way to fill the tanks, just haven't thought it through. How does the propane truck weigh their product when they fill stationary tanks? Or when propane fueled cars fillup, how do they weigh how much was dispensed?

Answer? They don't. They use a meter that measures gallons. And the bleed valve tells them when liquid has reached the top. Old school? I still by gas by the gallon.

[Fisher_Bill]

This. What I was told by the propane service I use is that they pressure test new tanks with water and they never get all of it out so if you don't purge the first time the two liquids separate and the water can cause rust damage on the inside.

They keep a few bad examples at the pump to show customers what not to do, the other point he made is the plastic wrappers they put on the exchange bottles, he said it's a great place for condensation and then surface rust, the wrapper says to leave it on but the man says to take it off.


New tanks have to be purged correctly ONCE, then filled with propane by weight.

[valhalla360]

Old-Biscuit wrote:


Many times the propane 'cylinders' are shipped filled with compressed air.
Air and propane do not mix well inside the cylinders and must be purged with LIQUID propane 4x-5x before filling with vapor.
Just filling with vapor will not purge the air out and then you will have issues with popping inside cylinders, regulators failing, propane flow issues etc.

This makes no sense. They don't fill the tanks with vapor. They fill with liquid. The liquid boils off at low temperatures (well below freezing), so filling and emptying the liquid 4-5 times wont' do much of anything. The first time full will eliminate the vast majority of the air and when you open the valve, the liquid propane vaporizing will push the air out.

The first fill and letting the air bleed out is the purge. If you are going thru 4-5 tanks of L (liquid) PG you are doing something wrong.

[OH48Lt]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

If NEW then you need to make sure that they have been properly purged before 1st fill.

If they are not filled by the dealer, how does the dealer or the purchaser check out the systems that require propane? Stove, water heater, furnace, fridge, etc?

New tanks have to be purged correctly ONCE, then filled with propane by weight.