Bleeding Propane from lg tank to small tanks??

[lincolnmatthews]

We have about 200 gallons in a rental tank that they won't give us any credit for when we return it. I thought if I took off the reg off the big tank & with the proper hose & fittings that I would be able to fill up my smaller camper tanks, barbecue, etc.(As long as I of course open up the vent screw on the small tank till its full, & shut off the big tank).
I really don't see any problems really doing this, I had this tank by our trailer for a couple of yrs while we were looking after my aging Mother.
The tanks got about 6 months rental left & they won't give me any credit on this either, (kind of one way I think). I don't know maybe all propane companies do this? But I wouldn't think that when a tanks 1/2 full or so that they would just bleed it off into the atmosphere.

Anyway I thought I would check with someone in the know on this site before I "blow" myself up.???? Thanks!!

[Pete_k]

Check out Ebay for this ((LIQUID PROPANE TRANSFER KIT SYSTEM COUPLER TANK GRILL BBQ FILLER FILL UNLOADING))

Pull all the gas out with this. Then keep it for later, or resell it. I know before long we will be getting a kit like this. And put it on our 300 gallon tank or the 500 gallon tank. As our company uses propane. To run our Furnace on a machine. And will be filling up my 40 lb tanks out of it also. PLus next forklift will run off propane also. Paid $25 for a 40 lb bottle last week.

[arto_wa]

tony lee wrote:
I do it in the open air, well away from any houses or vehicles.

"Away from any houses or vehicles"

What is that white thing called?
The one right behind your propane bottles in your photo?

:W

[tony_lee]

It is possible, and safe to transfer liquid propane from one tank to another, but I doubt everyone is aware of the potential hazards.

Tipping a tank upside down introduces the possibility of it falling and breaking the valve or the hose and this will release liquid propane which flashes into large quantities or propane vapour which is heavier than air and can travel large distances horizontally and be ignited by a flame in for instance, a refrigerator.

The pressure inside a propane tank can get close to 300psi so any hose needs to be rated for liquid propane and be properly crimped on to the fittings rather than push on with hose clamps.

Opening the sniffer valve to vent the pressure does release propane into the atmosphere and that can be a huge hazard of there are low places nearby, no wind and ignition sources down low.

Need to shut off the tank valves in the right sequence to avoid disconnecting a hose filled with liquid propane.

I do it in South America when I can't find anywhere to fill the US bottles so have to buy local bottles which are too big to fit into the gas locker. I do it in the open air, well away from any houses or vehicles.



By cooling the bottom bottle with wet cloths and pouring hot water over the top bottle, it is possible to fill the bottom bottle without opening the sniffer valve

[marly]

Propane is heavier than air. It will settle into any nearby low area and be very hazardous. Just north of my home 4 men were burned to death by a propane pipeline leak they were repairing. THEY WERE PROFESSIONALS!!!!!!! It settled into a low area and when they drove into it, it exploded. I spent over 4 hours with law enforcement blocking sightseers from the disaster. One state trooper drove in later to see how things were going. He was appalled to see humans laying on the ground flaming!

[3oaks]

lincolnmatthews wrote:
Hey thanks! Actually I could tip the tank on its side (Its a vertical style) & prop it up. That may work? If it doesn't have the wet style valve I wonder how the propane co would recover it without tipping it upside down, maybe with a forklift. Who knows hardly worth the effort & back aches. ...............

Could be very hazardous to you and nearby property and end in disastrous results. Would not be worth the risk and possibly be very regrettable. Dealing with liquid propane or natural gas is a whole different matter, let alone things can slip, valves can break off, hose of wrong material can crack and break when used for liquid propane, etc. Even without a possible fire and/or explosion, the liquid propane can cause instant freeze burn to exposed skin and loose of eyesight if sprayed in the eyes. Not trying to be smart, but I hope this is enough to scare you away from the idea of tipping a tank of that size.

Did you ask your propane dealer about giving you credit and refunding the money for the remaining propane in the tank? My local dealer does this when retrieving a rental tank.

[MWJones]

You said the solution. Turn the tank over and propup the end as much as possible and hook the two tanks together and transfer the propane.
Fill all your friends bottles while you are at it. Any left, BURN it off with a cooker.

[Specularius]

I would set up a burner and burn it all off before I would let them have it. Do you have another site you could move it to and use?

[lincolnmatthews]

Hey thanks Specularius, of course I never thought that they would just keep the 1/2 or more that's in there & chg the next pigeon for a whole tank. They probably would, this is in its self dishonest as far I'm concerned. But I know that that's the way it works in the bus world.
I may try to contact the Serv comm of our state, but probably won't go anywhere. And yes the propane has been paid by me & a yrs lease pd in advance. (I should have checked about there policy yrs ago, however my Brother In Law had the tanks dropped off yrs ago)

[Specularius]

They will not remove the propane, just deliver the tank to the next renter and charge them for a fill up. If you have paid for the propane in the tank, then it belongs to you. Contact the state public service commissioner for Utilities. They will instruct you on how to handle this.

[lincolnmatthews]

Hey thanks! Actually I could tip the tank on its side (Its a vertical style) & prop it up. That may work? If it doesn't have the wet style valve I wonder how the propane co would recover it without tipping it upside down, maybe with a forklift. Who knows hardly worth the effort & back aches. I think there being jerks for not at least refunding part of the yearly rental. (I will just let it sit there till the end of the lease, so they can't rent again!) I know whining like a baby, its just the principal. They have had two tanks sitting here for over 10 yrs, between our trailer & my Sister's motorhome!

[Dakota98]

Fuller_Johnson wrote:
You will need a Liquid tap on the large tank to get any amount of Propane in the small tank.

I fill one pound cylinder all the time from a 20 pounder but you have to turn the 20 pounder upside down so the liquid comes out.

Of Course you could turn the 200 gal tank upside down but Good Luck on that one 🙂

I too, do this.

But an important thing to note is to put the small canister in your freezer for 20-30 minutes prior to refilling using the 20 lb tank upside down & at ambient temperature.

Now that I've said it. Please don't hi-jack the OP's posting

[BillS]

ChooChooMan74 wrote:
Unless a propane man comes on and corrects me, you won't be able to unless you have a way to pump the liquid propane from the tank into the portable cylinder. All you will get is vapor out the top of the tank.

Correct. If the large tank has a "wet" valve and hose that draws liquid propane from near the bottom of the large tank, the small tanks can be filled with liquid propane by slowly venting the vapor off the small tank. If no "wet" valve on the large tank, no liquid will be transferred, only vapor. Most residential type LP tanks draw only vapor from the top of the tank and are not equipped with a "wet" valve. Some farm tanks are equipped with a "wet" valve in order to fill LP gas fueled tractor fuel tanks.

When I returned a 250-gallon lease LP gas tank, our locally owned LP gas dealer gave me credit for the remaining fuel in the tank.:)

Bill

[Fuller_Johnson]

You will need a Liquid tap on the large tank to get any amount of Propane in the small tank.

I fill one pound cylinder all the time from a 20 pounder but you have to turn the 20 pounder upside down so the liquid comes out.

Of Course you could turn the 200 gal tank upside down but Good Luck on that one 🙂

[ChooChooMan74]

Unless a propane man comes on and corrects me, you won't be able to unless you have a way to pump the liquid propane from the tank into the portable cylinder. All you will get is vapor out the top of the tank.