Expired propane tank

[Ronbo]

I have a tank that expired. I ask at the campground if they recertification tanks. They said no but as long as it doesn't look bad they would refill it. Yahoo. Never hurts to ask.

[Dutch_12078]

Call an area LP distributor and ask where to get the tank recertified. It only costs a few dollars for a visual 5 year recert, and will save you any hassles if you take the cylinder anywhere else to be refilled.

[nana25k]

X2 for what Dutch said. Check the local...read none national type like Amerigas etc...first. The big companies wanted to empty our tanks and charge us big, like $60, to do this. Found a local one in Maryland who did it for $10

[Ray,IN]

My local LP dealer that supplies my home LP, re-certified my 30# cylinders for the 5er when I took them in for re-filling, at NC. Prior to taking cylinders for re-certifyine, remove any surface rust and retouch with paint. Looks are half the re-certification inspection.

[shaman52]

X2 clean, de-rust and touch-up paint. Make sure top protective ring is not too bent up around valve. You need an OPD type valve on the tank or the person doing the re-certification can install a new one for you.

 

OPD Valve Information

Propane bottles equipped with overfill prevention valves are recognizable by the triangular hand wheel at the top of the valve itself. The hand wheel connecting to the valve stem is tamperproof and is not interchangeable with a cylinder not equipped with the overfill prevention safety mechanism.

[Sehc]

I don't know if you are talking about a portable bottle. But what I do is have my bottles refilled until date codes are expired. Exchange for a full bottle at Amerigas. Start over.

[D&J]

We had this problem last year and after trying to find a place to get them certified on the road we just bought new tanks.

 

Denny

[Dutch_12078]

I don't know if you are talking about a portable bottle. But what I do is have my bottles refilled until date codes are expired. Exchange for a full bottle at Amerigas. Start over.

 

Does Amerigas exchange 30 or 40 lb cylinders?

[Ronbo]

This is a 40 lb tank. No exchange.

[Dutch_12078]

This is a 40 lb tank. No exchange.

 

I have 20, 30, and 40 lb cylinders, Ron, and I've never seen an exchange vendor that accepts anything except 20's. I don't know if Sehc has found something different, thus the question.

[Sehc]

No, sorry, just 20 pounds. The exchanges only give me 16 pounds, but the dealer puts the full 20.

[bobsallyh]

The only place I have seen that exchanges 30 pounders is the convenience store/gas station at Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park.

[bigjim]

I did an exchange on a 30LB at a Tractor Supply in Millington, Tn. last winter or the winter before. The guy filling the tank told me about it. It was more than even exchange plus the cost of the gas but less than buying new and getting it filled. I don't know if they do 40#. Not all Tractor Supply stores have propane.

[rvtamer]

I have a tank that expired. I ask at the campground if they recertification tanks. They said no but as long as it doesn't look bad they would refill it. Yahoo. Never hurts to ask.

 

Ronbo,

 

I have taken my out of date propane tanks ( 30 lb ) to a local K-Mart retailer and purchased the exchange tanks.

 

Since you are charged to recertify outdated propane tanks, and that recertify is only good for 5 years , I find the exchange route the cheapest solution .

Also a lot of places do not want to mess with the certifications, they find it easier to just sell a new tank .

 

During the exchange process, I usually have the opportunity to check several tanks in the racks before buying. I buy the one that has the longest expiration date.

As you are aware, these exchange tanks are not filled to capacity ( approx. 4 gallon ) , so I use their initial fill and then refill to capacity later.

 

I have used this process for several years.

 

Using this method , I don't have to purchase a new tank from places like HOME DEPOT or LOWES and then have to go through a proper propane tank purge that most rv filling locations don't even know how to do or have the tools to do a proper purge.

 

A proper Lp tank purge It IS NOT just let the air out of the tank and refill with Lp.

.

If the purging and filling are not done properly , some not so good things can happen to the LP system .

One example to an improperly purged and filled Lp tank is you hear popping sounds when you use the LP system.

 

tim

[wildmandmc]

have a buddy that runs a propane fill station. most tanks have lifetime of 10 yrs. after that, well atleast in fla. its against law to fill tank past the 10 yr lifetime date.