OT...Propane...

Photo Egg · May 2017

OK,
For those of you familiar with propane. I have a 20# bottle, and it's fiberglass. I picked it up a couple years ago along with a nice Weber gas grill that I flipped and kept the tank. I believe It's time to get it re certified. Has anyone ever gone through this before? Tips?
Second, what is the going rate in your area per pound to have tanks refilled? I was thinking of buying another bottle and leaning towards the slightly larger 30# tank.
Or do you think I'm better off just buying into the 20# refill stations where you swap out bottles for about $16?
Thanks for any advice or tips...

poster · May 2017

$1/lb fill here, or about $30 for a 20lb exchange

I don't have any fiberglass tanks and don't know if theres any advantage over the metal ones, that would make it worth holding on to? I usually get the bottles filled and when the valve is about to expire or is expired i swap them with an exchange tank

Hotch · May 2017

The ones at a exchange or swap out station are only 3/4 to 2/3's full. I have a U Haul store that does filling at full level. Only pay for what I get.

DoubleEgger · May 2017

Just use the swap out. Great way to get rid of an old crappy tank.

DoubleEgger · May 2017

Hotch said:

The ones at a exchange or swap out station are only 3/4 to 2/3's full. I have a U Haul store that does filling at full level. Only pay for what I get.

That happened a while back with Blue Rhino. Illegal/false advertising and they were busted for it. Not sure if it's done anymore.

WeberWho · May 2017

Hotch said:

The ones at a exchange or swap out station are only 3/4 to 2/3's full. I have a U Haul store that does filling at full level. Only pay for what I get.

I also agree with Hotch. They cheat you out of propane in the exchange and are always more expensive. I take my propane tanks to a local gas station that is able to fill them with their propane tank. I get two 20lb propane tanks filled for $26 for the Blackstone. It takes a little more time than an exchange but nothing more than 5 minutes to fill a couple tanks. I've never owned a propane tank before my weed torch and Blackstone. I picked up all 3 tanks on Craigslist with the newer style valves for under $10/piece.

Killit_and_Grillit · May 2017

1) OT but I used your spatula for the first time last night for Memorial Day at our Veterans party. It was a big hit. Thanks again!

2) I always fill mine unless the tank is getting really crappy, then I just swap one. But I'm with @Hotch, the swap out tanks always screw you.

3) I have two 60 lb tanks in my garage I use to hook up my Blackstone with. And I always keep a few 5 gallons floating around. They are the most convenient thing ever...I rarely have that moment where I'm half way through a cook and something starts to sputter out. A big tank is worth the investment.

Possumtrot · May 2017

I had two of the fiberglas/composite tanks at one time but they were recalled because of faulty initial certification. Coincidentally the company manufacturing them was local and went out of business pretty quickly.

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/portal/site/PHMSA/menuitem.6f23687cf7b00b0f22e4c6962d9c8789/?vgnextoid=7c7384ae997be310VgnVCM100000d2c97898RCRD&vgnextchannel=d248724dd7d6c010VgnVCM10000080e8a8c0RCRD

Photo Egg · May 2017

Possumtrot said:

I had two of the fiberglas/composite tanks at one time but they were recalled because of faulty initial certification. Coincidentally the company manufacturing them was local and went out of business pretty quickly.

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/portal/site/PHMSA/menuitem.6f23687cf7b00b0f22e4c6962d9c8789/?vgnextoid=7c7384ae997be310VgnVCM100000d2c97898RCRD&vgnextchannel=d248724dd7d6c010VgnVCM10000080e8a8c0RCRD

Thank you for the link. I check into this.

Photo Egg · May 2017

poster said:

$1/lb fill here, or about $30 for a 20lb exchange
I don't have any fiberglass tanks and don't know if theres any advantage over the metal ones, that would make it worth holding on to? I usually get the bottles filled and when the valve is about to expire or is expired i swap them with an exchange tank

Thank you.
The only advantage is they are light weight.

epcotisbest · May 2017

$16 swapout here in Georgia and it is just simple and easy to do. Never really worried about the amount of fill in the tank, as it lasts for quite a while. Honestly I would not know about how full the exchange tank is, but it is fairly heavy and I have not felt cheated. Maybe Blue Rhino is filling them more than they used to or something.

HofstraJet · May 2017

$18 for a 20# fill here in SE Florida at a local shop, plus for every 9 tanks I get the 10th free, so really $16.20 each. They are 100% filled as they put the tank on a scale, open the overflow screw, and fill until it won't hold any more.

You can find a U-Haul location that has propane here: https://www.uhaul.com/Locations/

Prices are shown per gallon. A 20# tank holds about 4.7 gallons.

Blue Rhino puts 15# in their tanks.

From: http://www.bluerhino.com/Help/FAQ/Tank-Exchange#FAQLink135

Inflationary pressures, including the volatile costs of steel, diesel fuel, and propane, have had a significant impact on the cylinder exchange industry. In 2008, to help control these rising costs, Blue Rhino followed the example of other consumer products companies with a product content change. We reduced the amount of propane in our tanks from 17 pounds to 15 pounds.

To ensure our consumers are properly notified, Blue Rhino clearly marks the amount of propane contained in our tanks, right on the package.

Photo Egg · May 2017

HofstraJet said:

$18 for a 20# fill here in SE Florida at a local shop, plus for every 9 tanks I get the 10th free, so really $16.20 each. They are 100% filled as they put the tank on a scale, open the overflow screw, and fill until it won't hold any more.

You can find a U-Haul location that has propane here: https://www.uhaul.com/Locations/

Prices are shown per gallon. A 20# tank holds about 4.7 gallons.

Blue Rhino puts 15# in their tanks.

From: http://www.bluerhino.com/Help/FAQ/Tank-Exchange#FAQLink135

Inflationary pressures, including the volatile costs of steel, diesel fuel, and propane, have had a significant impact on the cylinder exchange industry. In 2008, to help control these rising costs, Blue Rhino followed the example of other consumer products companies with a product content change. We reduced the amount of propane in our tanks from 17 pounds to 15 pounds.

To ensure our consumers are properly notified, Blue Rhino clearly marks the amount of propane contained in our tanks, right on the package.

Thank you for your time.
Great information.

HeavyG · May 2017

Photo Egg said:

poster said:

$1/lb fill here, or about $30 for a 20lb exchange
I don't have any fiberglass tanks and don't know if theres any advantage over the metal ones, that would make it worth holding on to? I usually get the bottles filled and when the valve is about to expire or is expired i swap them with an exchange tank

Thank you.
The only advantage is they are light weight.

And they don't rust which is nice for use on a saltwater going boat.

Moleman · May 2017

Almost all exchanges use 15 pounds and it is posted on a sign where they tanks are located. Tractor supply is 2.49 a gallon here in Pa. And you only pay for what you need. Normally under 10 bucks for a twenty pound tank. I only recently found out about this and was paying twice as much at a local gas place.

Sirk98 · May 2017

Do all propane tanks need re certification, or only fiberglass?

Moleman · May 2017

All need re certified. They are good for 12 years originally and then re certified every 5 years. It's not expensive to have done.

Photo Egg · May 2017

Moleman said:

All need re certified. They are good for 12 years originally and then re certified every 5 years. It's not expensive to have done.

Do the places that pump/refill propane re certify or do you have to go to a special company?

fishlessman · May 2017

Photo Egg said:

Moleman said:

All need re certified. They are good for 12 years originally and then re certified every 5 years. It's not expensive to have done.

Do the places that pump/refill propane re certify or do you have to go to a special company?

the refilling station did mine last time. been awhile but i think they just looked it over, upgraded the valve, and stamped it. the new valves can be a pain, theres some type off auto shut down in them if you open it up too fast meaning you shut it all down, disconnect it, reconnect, and try again

real pain with my big burner, not as bad with the weber. mines a 40 pound pig, what they say about the exchanges has to be true, the 40 lasts me years and a 20 lasts me a couple months

blasting · May 2017

Agree with others about the exchanges not being full. I only do the exchange when the tank is getting close to needing recert.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/wy/2oiyrchhb9v5.jpg

Rte1985 · May 2017

All tanks are suppose to have an opd valve ( overfill protection device) which prevents tanks from being filled past 80%. So no tank can be filled 100% unless you have an old style tank which by now would be pretty old and finding someone to fill them would be hard to do. Here it's about 17 bucks a refill and about 60 to buy a tank and fill it

fishlessman · May 2017

HeavyG said:

Photo Egg said:

poster said:

$1/lb fill here, or about $30 for a 20lb exchange
I don't have any fiberglass tanks and don't know if theres any advantage over the metal ones, that would make it worth holding on to? I usually get the bottles filled and when the valve is about to expire or is expired i swap them with an exchange tank

Thank you.
The only advantage is they are light weight.

And they don't rust which is nice for use on a saltwater going boat.

they make lousy grills though

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/gq/2vnh4zw8efmg.jpg

jtcBoynton · May 2017

Photo Egg said:

Moleman said:

All need re certified. They are good for 12 years originally and then re certified every 5 years. It's not expensive to have done.

Do the places that pump/refill propane re certify or do you have to go to a special company?

There are three different re-certifications. The 5 year certification is based on a visual inspection and should be cheap and widely available where you get propane fills. The other two involve putting the tank under pressure. These are more expensive but the certification period is longer. For a twenty pound tank, I don't think either of the pressure tests are cost effective (just buy a new tank or go for the 5 year inspection).

OT...Propane...

Comments

Categories