Overfilled Propane tank is what the firemen said...

[Fisher_Bill]

We took the AF to Nehalem Bay State park on the Oregon coast last weekend, great weather but windy.

After getting home on Sunday and off loading the camper I noticed a strong smell of propane and I opened the cabinet and it was leaking through the overflow badly.

So I grabbed a wrench and pulled the bottle (7.5 gal) out and as I tipped it to clear the door it really started spitting and was venting LP pretty fast so I took it to the end of the driveway away from everything.

I tried relieving the pressure with the valve but the safety set so I opened up the vent and let more pressure out.

After an hour of this it would not settle down so I called the fire department for advise, listened to a recording and waited for another 15 or so minutes before I called 911.

She said police, fire or medical? I said fire and she asked what was on fire, I explained that I could not get the bottle to stop leaking and I was not comfortable with the situation so they sent a truck out, the guys were great and they all agreed on two things, the tank was doing what it was supposed to do and that kid at the gas station over filled it.

Also because it was filled Friday and it was cooler it also was affected by heat so the 15 degrees warmer in the Portland area caused expansion.

So at their recommendation we hooked up an appliance and let it run for a while in the back yard and all is good.

I've never had this issue before and wondered if there are similar stories?

Bill

[Old-Biscuit]

Fisher Bill wrote:
If you have the large plastic connectors I would replace them with the brass fittings that screw inside the output valve, this is what I have so yes, you need a wrench.

I had two Lowes hoses break on my BBQ, went down to Suburban propane and paid twenty plus buck to have them make me one and it needs a wrench to attach it to the tank.

I highly recommend replacing the stock plastic adapters and replace them with an internal brass fitting, just ask yourself plastic or metal? One will break if you drop it just right, the other is metal, no big decision for me IMHO.

Bill

~DJ~ wrote:
"So I grabbed a wrench". I didn't think those old style tanks were even refillable anymore. :h

Those plastic connectors are called ACME Nuts.
They come in 3 different colors and have different flow ratings
Black-----100,000btu/hr
Green-----200,000btu/hr
Red-------400,000btu/hr

Also those ACME Nuts have safety devices built into them
Excess Flow Check Valve, Brass Stub that opens the service valve spring loaded shut off valve when hose is connected and a Thermal Bushing that melts in a fire allowing the Brass Stud to be pushed in which allows the spring loaded valve in service valve to shut off in a fire.

Lots of good things which are NOT present in the POL fitting and one only needs a 'hand' to connect/disconnect pigtails to cylinders

Excess Flow Check Valve


Brass Stub


Thermal Bushing

[Fisher_Bill]

If you have the large plastic connectors I would replace them with the brass fittings that screw inside the output valve, this is what I have so yes, you need a wrench.

I had two Lowes hoses break on my BBQ, went down to Suburban propane and paid twenty plus buck to have them make me one and it needs a wrench to attach it to the tank.

I highly recommend replacing the stock plastic adapters and replace them with an internal brass fitting, just ask yourself plastic or metal? One will break if you drop it just right, the other is metal, no big decision for me IMHO.

Bill

~DJ~ wrote:
"So I grabbed a wrench". I didn't think those old style tanks were even refillable anymore. :h

[Kayteg1]

Guys, guys.
Stop bashing yesterday's burger flippers who fill up propane today.
It is not exactly their fault that job requirements don't include propane training.
I heard similar incidents when a "mechanic" drained transmission and refilled engine with new oil.
Than think why the industry make overfill valves mandatory just few years ago?

[HMS_Beagle]

I have had hundreds of bottles filled, and only once was a scale used to do it. That was at a place in Canada. Everyone else fills it using the bleed valve to indicate full, the more cavalier operators let the pump run until the OPD float cuts it off but even then they have the bleed valve open.

A friend of mine (a fireman) used to refill the little disposable tanks to save money. One time he had one in a tote sitting out in the sun and it blew with a huge bang, throwing debris in every direction 50 yards or so.

[silversand]

...the guys were great and they all agreed on two things, the tank was doing what it was supposed to do and that kid at the gas station over filled it.

....same thing happened to me at a local gas station after the attendant filled the BBQ tank. Got the tank home, and as the day heated up, the tank started spewing white clouds. I immediately called the fire dept (located just down our street); thankfully, the tank hadn't been connected to BBQ, so I walked it to our large open lawn, and let it off-gas for ~~3 hours. We have the newer tanks.

The fire station asked what gas station I had it filled at. He said my complaint was the 23rd complaint from that station since summer started.

Now, I have the gas company itself (about 5 miles from us) fill our tanks. They have a very sophisticated computerized system, with digital read-out and commercial digital scale; and, they know what they are doing.

That's a pretty scary thought if that were to happen in a campground.

That could be a potential nightmare scenario: propane (large house-sized tank seen at numerous sites attached to seasonals) at campground explodes, setting off a fire that consumes a campground with units very close together...

[ticki2]

I am pretty sure the OPD valves will attach with the newer external hose thread and the older internal hose thread .

[_DJ_1]

"So I grabbed a wrench". I didn't think those old style tanks were even refillable anymore. :h

[SCVJeff]

A few years ago I went over to the storage lot to have lunch and work on the RV. When I got there I heard a pronounced hissing that turned out to be coming from the OPD of my neighbors very large horizontal tank. It was a warm and very still day and LOTS of RVs in the immediate area. I thought about what to do for a while and finally stuck a hose on the OPD pipe (never seen one like that) and taped the other end to the top of his ladder to vent it 12' in the air rather than directly under the coach, then called the fire department who did nothing further.

He had just filled it so it probably vented, but then the internal spring broke and there was no way to shut it off (he showed me the pieces afterward). That's a pretty scary thought if that were to happen in a campground.

[JoeChiOhki]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

That design right there, is the shittiest I've ever known, I usually get those style of OPD replaced with the type that have a free moving side float.

Those shaft floats easily get stuck in either the open or closed position.

Both of the horizontals on my KIT had those shaft types, they both got stuck.

Replaced them both with free float models, never had another problem :).

[JoeChiOhki]

Sounds like the float is stuck.

I had this happen with a 100lber (no OPD over 40lbs), idiot at the station didn't bother to check and stuffed 25 gallons in, even though the tank wasn't empty.

Missus called me at work when the weather started warming up some time later, and the tank started venting. I raced home, unhooked the tank and got it onto a hand truck and out into an open field.

As I went to open the bleed valve to vent it, the safety vent fully opened and nearly knocked the tank over (Nothing like a 3/4" opening venting at near 300 psi to make you need to change your drawers).

After that happened the tank stop bubbling, but I still bled it for an extended time via the bleed screw just to be safe.

Don't take them in with anything left in them anymore, on the off chance I get another idjit at the station.

[Kayteg1]

For whatever it is worth -propane is one of the safest fuel you can get.
It will not blow up like gasoline vapors in open tank and due to freezing itself any accidental burning is self-controlled.
Years ago on the plant I was working on - forklift operator managed to ignite 4 tons propane tank. The feeding hose burned thru and the flame overheated the big tank. Tank had top safety lid about a foot diameter that blew up and the escaping propane ignited. The flame was over 50' high.
The plant got evacuated and several fire engines show up, only to stand by and wait for the propane to burn out. The freeze-controlled burn out lasted over 1/2 hr and with only tank lost, nothing more happen.
The management let us take the rest of the day off.

[scout4trout]

A little off subject -- we had a 02 VW Eurovan before the truck camper and when the service guy filled the integral propane tank, the mechanism that should have closed when he removed the fill hose wouldn't close so all the propane was escaping -- at a large gas station in rural northwest CT. We had to call 911 and had the fire trucks and state police -- they actually closed Route 7 and Route 4, major roads, until they dispersed the propane by directing fire hoses at our camper. The fire marshall requested that we send him the faulty part when we got it fixed. That's one reason that we prefer the truck camper to a Class B -- feel more secure with regular propane tanks which are higher up. In the VW, we were riding on top of the propane tank which wasn't very far off the ground.

[time2roll]

Fisher Bill wrote:
So I grabbed a wrench and pulled the bottle (7.5 gal) out and as I tipped it to clear the door it really started spitting and was venting LP pretty fast so I took it to the end of the driveway away from everything.

Have him stop at 7.0 gallons next time. That is all it really holds.

[Fisher_Bill]

Old-Biscuit wrote:


OP........
When you had that cylinder filled did the attendant crack open the bleed valve?

Yes he did


Did attendant fill cylinder via a scale?

No, no scale

Did attendant fill via gallons?

These were partially full, I wanted to top them off for the year.
What I saw him do is to open the vent (er, bleeder valve) and when visible gas comes out they shut it down, not much different than any other refill.

Because I can't remember when most of the tanks I have need to be inspected or they came with the camper we bought a while back I will take them to the Propane company nearby (that also takes care of our fork trucks at work) and methodically have each one checked out.

The OPD 'should have' (BIG SHOULD HAVE) prevented filling of cylinder beyond 80% capacity BUT it didn't. It is stuck OPEN and it's function should be tested next time filled.

Agreed