Thinking of replacing ASME propane tank

[steveh27]

I have had a 1997 Xplorer 230XL since 2000 and will keep it as long as I can drive. The ASME tank is mounted underneath the passenger side. I scrape and paint it every year or two, but I am worried that it is not enough and it would be good to replace it. I have not found any place that does that. Any ideas? I live just north east of Detroit.

[fourthclassC]

OP FYI I found this on winnebagoparts.com
https://winnebagoparts.com/specials/

[CavemanCharlie]

steveh27 wrote:
Caveman,

Your tanks are DOT and do need regular inspections. Permanently mounted ASME tanks do not. This tank is not removable without reconstruction. The rv would have to be hoisted and then someone who knows how it's mounted may be able to remove the mounts and brackets and bolts throught the van bottom. Not much room under my class B to do this.

Really, Good to know. Thanks.

[Dutch_12078]

ASME tanks don't require periodic recertification like DOT cylinders, but refillers are supposed to give them a brief visual inspection for damage before filling. I've only seen a refiller refuse to fill one on a Class C one time. And that one had obvious crash damage.

[wa8yxm]

I very much suspect your tank is still in excellent condition...

If you are "Just north of Detroit" I know a place in Flint, MI that might be able to help you.. I believe they are on Carpenter road (Exit off I-475) at Dort Hwy

I'd call and check.. They re-cert luggable tanks but the tanks on Motor homes do not need that. I suspect they could replace one if you insist but doubt it is needed. If you work with them you may need your own jack..

I-475 was under construction when I split on Nov-11 and I doubt they are done but there are alternate routes (IE 69 to Dort)

Jacks.. I carry a 12 ton Air/Hydraulic Jack-Jack (Can be operated manually or eat compressed air) from Horrib.. Er, Harbor freight. .and some nice STRONG jack stands (six ton) And a plank (2x12x12 minimum or 2x8x3feet) to put under the jack (Without the plank it punched a hole in a parking lot when the tire store used it to put on new rubber)

Parker Propane Flint

[PA12DRVR]

This is a stamped (U, V, UM, ....) ASME Tank?

I'd suspect that unless you're seeing pitting that you would believe weakens the tank, it's probably fine.

However, given what appears to be the difficulty and expense of replacing it, it might be worth looking around for a tank shop (an industrial tank fabrication shop, not Joe's Propane) with an "R" stamp: they will have a National Board / ASME approved testing program and will likely be able to hook up to the tank, pressure test it in place, and identify if it is suitable for continued use. Might have to pay a bit since most folks with an R stamp think of "tank" in the hundreds of gallons or hundreds/thousands of psi, but an R stamp shop should have a testing program that would indicate continued suitability for use.

[steveh27]

Caveman,

Your tanks are DOT and do need regular inspections. Permanently mounted ASME tanks do not. This tank is not removable without reconstruction. The rv would have to be hoisted and then someone who knows how it's mounted may be able to remove the mounts and brackets and bolts throught the van bottom. Not much room under my class B to do this.

[CavemanCharlie]

I lerned on this site that some propane filling stations will require you to have the tank inspected every so often. If it is passing inspection during filling it is fine. They are made of quite thick metal.

I have a Travel Trailer. My 2 propane tanks (or bottles if you prefer to call them that) on the front of the trailer require me to repaint them every couple of years. (My tanks don't have one of those plastic covers).

Even if you use Good spray paint it is still not that good. And, the tanks were not painted that good from the factory. If you want you could remove the tank, have is sandblasted, and then have a auto body shop repaint it will good paint. But, it would be easier and cheaper to just keep repainting it every year or two.

[steveh27]

Thanks for all the replies. I do clean, scrape & rustproof/paint much of the metal underside as needed, usually just the back end. When I do scrape & clean it it does have some 'pitted' spots, just not sure if that is the coating or tank. The shield is still decent.

I've talked to several rv repair shops & propane shops & none would deal with it.

[time2roll]

When you scrape it... is the steel actually pitted deeply with corrosion?
Otherwise I would ask a commercial propane dealer to look at it.

[Lorne_Lorraine]

I changed out a tank on previous Class B van I had. I scraped and painted the old tank for a few years but finally decided to replace the tank because the steel shield under the regulator etc had rusted through notwithstanding my painting (lots of road salt used up here). Perused Manchester's web site and selected a new tank the same size and shape as the old one and had a local RV dealer order it for me. Pretty straight forward to drop the old tank and mount the new one. Only small issue was that the mounting holes for the new tank were in slightly different locations but I had a welding shop make a couple of transition brackets out of angle iron. I would think a pretty simple job for an RV dealer with a maintenance shop. Need to have the new tank purged of air and water vapor before use.

[Matt_Colie]

Were I you, and unless you have real fear, I would just keep repainting the gravel damage and not worry about it. There are no coaches in our chapter that are newer than 1978. The only LP tank failure that I have heard of was a leak at a weld seam on one of the coaches newer than mine (iirc it was a 76). An acquaintance with an exposed tank painted all the impacted surface with truck bed liner years ago.

Manchester Tank is one of the best suppliers out there, don't even bother trying to get help from Camping World or General, just look them up and try to go direct. A coach as new as yours they might just have some in stock.

Matt

[Ozlander]

My 500 gallon tank has been sitting outside since 1955.
Of course I don't spray salt water on it.

[Lwiddis]

X2, Lynnmor.

[ItsyRV]

Lynnmor wrote:
Since the OP lives north of Detroit, one cannot compare rust damage to those that live in the desert SW. If the RV was driven on salted MI roads it is surprising that it still exists.

I would pull the tank then have it cleaned and inspected, if it is still serviceable then paint it properly.

You are aware that RV's are mobile and one located in a snowbelt area could spend most of it's time in the south while an RV in the SW desert can easily travel to snow areas.

I stand by my opinion that if they have to scrape and paint their tank every year or so, they have a much bigger problem on their hand. The tank is normally well coated from the factory unlike many other parts located under the RV. If the tank has been rusting out so often it needs that type of maintenance, think about what all the uncoated metal parts under that RV looks like.