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exchanging propane cylinder that came with TT

danimal53
Explorer
Explorer
I recently tried to have my 20lb propane tank refilled and it wouldn't fill. The person filling it determined it must be a bad valve. She proceeded to fill a second tank I had without issue. So my question, is there any reason NOT to just exchange the cylinder for a full one (at Menards, Walmart, etc)? I understand it's more costly, and you get less propane than if I did a refill. But is there any reason to keep the original that came with my TT? Or just exchange it and move on?
2010 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
2016 Coachman Clipper 17BH
45 REPLIES 45

Yosemite_Sam1
Explorer
Explorer
Do humanity a favor and declare that the tank you are turning in is defective so nobody will have an accident trying to reuse or refill it.

Boomerweps
Explorer
Explorer
With just a single tank, nows the time to get a 30# tank to get some more campin' time!
If the tank is over a certain age, they have be tested or replaced anyways, just like when the industry changed out the valves. Exchange the old one for newer.
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2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
Flute Man wrote:
To me, turning in a defective tank is the same as lying and cheating.
It's not. Those tanks are thoroughly inspected and certified, and they expect to get some junk.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
Flute Man makes a good point. I agree.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
Don't rule out operator error yet. I would go to a commercial propane dealer and see if the fill works.

danimal53
Explorer
Explorer
kmac7800 wrote:
@GrandpaKip: Do happen to have a picture of yours? Where did you get them with the float gauge?

Thanks!

//KMac


FYI, I saw this one at Menards that got me interested:
tank with gauge
2010 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
2016 Coachman Clipper 17BH

danimal53
Explorer
Explorer
Flute Man wrote:
Personally, I would not turn in a tank that I knew was defective. You might take your old tank to a propane dealer and see if they could repair the old tank. To me, turning in a defective tank is the same as lying and cheating.


I may be wrong, but I believe it's generally expected that this is done. They are inspected and repaired or disposed of before being refilled and put back into circulation. The woman who was filling and mentioned the bad valve even suggested I swap it and was ready to do it for me, but I wasn't sure if there was a difference between TT tanks and BBQ grill tanks, so I didn't do it yet.
2010 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
2016 Coachman Clipper 17BH

danimal53
Explorer
Explorer
thanks for the quick replies, consensus seems to be just swap and move on.

It's only a single tank on the tongue, so no worries of matching collar heights or anything like that. Seems weird that my tank, which came new with a brand new TT 3.5yrs ago has a bad valve already. But I'll just swap it. thanks again everyone!
2010 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
2016 Coachman Clipper 17BH

Flute_Man
Explorer
Explorer
Personally, I would not turn in a tank that I knew was defective. You might take your old tank to a propane dealer and see if they could repair the old tank. To me, turning in a defective tank is the same as lying and cheating.
Jerry Parr
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time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
Are any of the exchanges still a proprietary fill that needs a special key?

kmac7800
Explorer
Explorer
@GrandpaKip: Do happen to have a picture of yours? Where did you get them with the float gauge?

Thanks!

//KMac

GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Explorer II
If you are going to replace with new, I suggest getting one with a built in float gauge. The gauge makes it simple to get an idea of how much is left in the tank. I really like the 2 I’ve got.
Kip
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2018 Silverado Double Cab 4x4
Andersen Hitch

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
I've switched old tanks for new ones at exchange places a couple times.

Years ago, when "they" changed from the rounded valve knob to the triangle valve knob style, my old tanks with the rounded knob could not be refilled. So I just exchanged it at one of those places for a new one with the triangle valve knob. End result, I had a tank I could now get refills on, and didn't have to exchange. I cleaned up all dirt and gunk on the new tank and it was still on the ol' pop-up when we sold it.

Did the same thing for an old tank on a BBQ grill. No one was the wiser, and I didn't have to buy new tanks.

Besides.... if you don't exchange the tank and you buy a new one, how are you going to dispose of the old one that's defective? You'll need to find a recycling place for hazardous materials, which most cities have. But still, that's going to take extra effort and time away from CAMPING!

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
When I last had a tank go bad, the replacement had a different height collar on it. So I needed to buy two in order for them to mount on the tougue tightened down properly.


This was with 30s but, I have 6 extra 20s that I bring along for extended cold weather trips, and the collars on them vary as well. Not a big deal for me, as I just remove the 30s when I set up camp, and set the 20s in the tray. I use the 20s first, so I can have the 30s mounted in place for the trip home.

So that is the only potential problem I see with your plan.
Huntindog
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schlep1967
Nomad
Nomad
Exchange it and move on. The other option is to buy a new tank. That will cost you more than than exchanging and getting a 2/3 full tank.
2021 Chevy Silverado LTZ 3500 Diesel
2022 Montana Legacy 3931FB
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