On-board propane tank refill

[vcbutton]

I have a 20 Gallon propane tank welded to the frame. I have had this tank refilled dozens of times over the last 10 years. Today, the propane truck refused to refill the tank, citing some fuzzy DOT rule. Does anyone have info about this?

[Travelin2]

darsben1 wrote:

Isaac-1 wrote:
Motorhome tanks are ASME lifetime certified tanks, not DOT tanks, the guy did not know what he was talking about.

see https://www.amerigas.com/amerigas-blog/2011/july/rv-propane-safety/

This is the correct answer but I have had idiots at FlyingJ and other truck stops refuse to fill citing the 12 year rule. I used to try and educate them but now I just move on

I find the same thing. Once in awhile you get a guy that thinks he knows it all and won't listen. You will also get guys that don't know the proper sequence for attaching the hose, opening the valve, opening the bleeder and such. Some times I wind up getting half of what I should into the tank and just pay and leave. It's not worth it to try to educate the uneducable.

I do recommend that you tape over the ID plates and stickers and keep your tank looking good by spaying it with a little paint once in awhile if you see rust forming.

[Trackrig]

Go get it filled at a propane distributo who refills tanks. They'll know it doesn't need to be recertified. We haven't had a problem at a U-Haul either.

Bill

[CharlesinGA]

The twelve year rule went down to ten years under recent rule making changes.

http://www.lpgasmagazine.com/dot-cylinder-requalification-rule-to-impact-propane-marketers/

Five year visual inspection is still in effect.

It reduces the period from 12 years to 10 years for cylinders requalified using volumetric expansion testing. However, the requalification period for DOT cylinders following a proof pressure test increases from seven years to 10 years

The intent was to steamline the rules and eliminate uneven intervals and dates, in addition to providing a little more "safety"

Charles

[Steeljag]

maddog348 wrote:
Is the 20 gallon tank original equipment to your Motorhome??

X 2 ?

[darsben1]

Isaac-1 wrote:
Motorhome tanks are ASME lifetime certified tanks, not DOT tanks, the guy did not know what he was talking about.

see https://www.amerigas.com/amerigas-blog/2011/july/rv-propane-safety/

This is the correct answer but I have had idiots at FlyingJ and other truck stops refuse to fill citing the 12 year rule. I used to try and educate them but now I just move on

[maddog348]

Is the 20 gallon tank original equipment to your Motorhome??

[Isaac-1]

Motorhome tanks are ASME lifetime certified tanks, not DOT tanks, the guy did not know what he was talking about.

see https://www.amerigas.com/amerigas-blog/2011/july/rv-propane-safety/

[susan-y]

So who is qualified to inspect the cylinder?

[mbutts]

From the Propane 101 website:

Cylinder Certification and Recertification

Cylinders are subject to recertification (also known as requalification) twelve years from their date of manufacture and every five years after that. For example, a cylinder manufactured in January of 2000 will have to be recertified in January of 2012 meaning if you take your bottle to the propane company in April of 2012 to be refilled, it will have to be requalified by authorized personnel before it can be filled. The recertification process is simple and does not take too long to complete. Think of cylinder recertification as an inspection similar to that of your car. A vehicle has to be inspected annually so that it may continue to operate safely on the road. Similarly, a propane cylinder must be inspected so that it may continue to operate safely in LP Gas service.