Propane Tanks Question

[fallsrider]

We bought our '95 TT 14 months ago. The seller said he thought both 30 lb. propane tanks were empty. Apparently not, because we just ran out of propane this weekend on the one tank we've been using, and I know there is some in the other tank because I removed it and shook it after we bought the trailer.

All along, I've figured we will eventually need to replace the tanks one at a time as they run out, because they are old and cannot be refilled or converted. 30 lb. tanks are expensive, though.

I contacted my local mobile RV repair guy and asked where is the best place around here to get tanks and get them filled. He said that he converts his trailers (his wife runs a trailer rental business) to regular 20 lb. tanks to make them easy to exchange. He said my cover should work with the smaller 20 lb. tanks.

Has anyone done this, and do you think it is a good idea? We don't run the furnace much because we camp on W/E sites, but we do use the stove, and occasionally heat water on gas. I did get to thinking that there would be less weight to haul around. I just don't want to regret that decision later on if it is better to stay with the 30 lb. tanks.

[jaycocreek]

:B

Propane topics always make me chuckle. Tank/cylinder or gallons/pounds. Used to be all gallons like 5 gallon or 7 gallon tanks now pounds is more politically correct in some circles.

But when they fill it you pay for gallons not pounds! :@

[fallsrider]

That makes sense, Beemer. Thanks for the info.

I couldn't stand it. I just had to know how much propane is left in my remaining old tank. I pulled the tank out and weighed it, and it is completely full. So now I am good to go for a LONG time with 60 lbs. of propane.

[beemerphile1]

brirene wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, they can only be filled to 80%, which would be 24, so something isn't right there. Or I'm wrong...that's happened before too! 🙂 No matter, as long as you're happy.

A 30# DOT cylinder (not tank) holds 30# of LPG when at 80% of capacity.

A 20# DOT (Department of Transportation) cylinder holds 20# of LPG when at 80% of capacity.

Portable cylinders are DOT rated and permanent tanks (like in a MH) are ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) rated.

[fallsrider]

I've never heard that before. It will be interesting to see if anyone else comments.

I went ahead and installed the new regulator, the new pigtail for that tank, and the new tank itself. I have the new pigtail for the other old tank, but will need to switch it out when that tank runs out and I replace it down the road. While I had everything apart, I should have weighed the old tank to see how much was in it. But I didn't think of it, and I don't feel like removing the cover and unscrewing the hose now! Maybe I will this weekend.

[brirene]

If I'm not mistaken, they can only be filled to 80%, which would be 24, so something isn't right there. Or I'm wrong...that's happened before too! 🙂 No matter, as long as you're happy.

[fallsrider]

Well, My Propane Butler showed up at the door a short while ago with a full 30 lb. tank. They said a week ago it would be today, and they showed up as promised. The guy was really nice, and they only charged me $15 for having the old style valve. They had said $30. So I got a full tank of propane with the new style valve for $55.51. I'm very pleased.

I was curious how much propane it had in it, so I weighed it with our strain gauge bathroom scale. Based on the tare weight stamped on the tank, I got 29.5 lbs of propane. That's pretty full!

Now, this weekend, I get to install the new auto-changeover regulator I bought, and one of the hose pigtails. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome of this.

[Nvr2loud]

If you can easily get the 30 lb tanks refilled later, then I would just get new 30 lb tanks.

I use 20 lb tanks because there are NO bulk fill stations here. We need to exchange our tanks, we can not fill them, so the only suppliers around me have 20 lb tanks.

I carry a spare in a milk crate when I camp, I use it for the stove and BBQ and lantern. Much cheaper then throw-away cylinders and far easier then removing one of my tongue mount tanks for the appliances.

[jaycocreek]

It's not that big of a deal to go smaller or even bigger. I have connectors to accommodate my two 25 gallon tanks or a 10 gallon I always take along.

In your case the 5 gallon bottles seems like a better solution for your needs. Worst you would have to do is modify your main line.

[fallsrider]

opnspaces wrote:
If you belong to Costco they have 30 pound tanks for $40.

Unfortunately, I don't. But thanks for the suggestion.

[opnspaces]

If you belong to Costco they have 30 pound tanks for $40.

[Popupguy2001]

Find a place that does 30lbs exchanges, they will probably not even look to see if it is the old style valve. If they do just pay the fee, it probably cheaper than re-certifying.

[Caveman_Charlie]

I love my 20 pound tanks. I take them to just about anywhere and exchange them. They never even look at the date. Approximately 20 bucks for a filled exchanged tank. I go through about 2 a year. My local grocery stores even exchanges tanks.

[Ron3rd]

Huntindog wrote:

A conversion may not be as easy as it first appears. The entire hose/regulator assembly will sit lower. It may cause problems with the main hose being too long, and you may want to cut the hold down all thread to the shorter length to make it easier to deal with the shorter tanks.. If these mods are done, then switching back to the 30s would be more difficult.
Costco sometimes has the 30s really cheap.
If not, get them recertified. The one time you need more capacity, you will be glad you kept the larger tanks. And at selling time, the 20s would be a negative for some potential buyers.

These fitment issues are true, you might have a problem with the length of the hoses. Having said that, the conversion is not always a problem, and a lot of the lower end trailers are now shipped with the 20 lb bbq tanks.

[fallsrider]

smkettner wrote:
....Probably a good time for a new automatic switchover regulator, pigtails etc....

I ordered these this morning. I believe I still have the originals on there. The tank I'm replacing has a mfg date of '94.

[time2roll]

Spend the money and get new 30 pound tanks. Probably a good time for a new automatic switchover regulator, pigtails etc. Set it up right so you can enjoy camping without a propane management project.