13.5lb Propane tanks?

[Fishspearit]

Does anyone have a lead for me on where I might be able to find this odd size of propane tank, 13.5 pounds? The boat came with two tanks and a locker that these tanks fit perfectly into, and I'd rather not have to replace the propane storage locker. (Got enough projects going already) I took these to get filled today and because of a little paint blistering on the bottom the guy wouldn't fill them. Every where I've been to try and find replacements just stare at me with a funny look like I'm from another planet(or that I must have gotten these tanks on another planet). Thanks for any suggestions.

[GordMay]

What are the interior dimensions of your propane locker?
I’ve never heard of a 13.5 pound propane cylinder; but there is a standard 30 pound (13.7 kilogram) cylinder; at 12.25" overall diameter x 24.15" o/all height.
Surely a standard 10 LB (8.8 LB) cylinder should fit (9.63" H x 13.63" dia)

[hellosailor]

Paint blistering? If it cleans off and doesn't show a corrosion problem on the tank, just clean it up and repaint. AFAIK there's no requirement banning tanks from being repainted in the US, it is only the appearance of corrosion or other problems that is a stopper. (For good reason, after all.)

Are you sure the size is 13.5# ? Can you verify that, or the maker, from a DOT number or something stamped in the tank? Perhaps that is an European "six kilo LPG" bottle, not a conventional US propane bottle at all?

http://www.rpiv8.com/gasrefill_brochure.pdf page two, top of text

[Fishspearit]

I'm pretty sure they are 13.5#, it's stamped on the tanks and I had the guy at the fill station verify that it was the weight stamp, because I had never heard of, or seen that size either.

The paint blistering was, in the opinion of the guy at the fill station, due to corrosion around the bottom skirt. It didn't look bad to me, but I figured it's his business and if he was willing to turn down my money then they might really be bad. So I'd like to get new tanks, although I did drop them off at another place and I'll find out tomorrow if they are willing to fill them. Just so I can cook until I replace them.

Gord, I thought about the 10# tanks and they probably will fit, but then I thought 27# was kind of light for a cruising boat, 20# total seems, possibly, much too little for comfortable cruising. Especially with an Admiral who LOVES to cook. Maybe this is a topic for another thread, but how much propane are most of you carrying?

[Vasco]

We go through 10 pounds every 21 to 25 days and we cook all the time including baking bread. I would love to have two twenty pounders but we make out ok with the two ten pounders.

[GordMay]

We carried (2) aluminum 10 pounders on our C&C29., which lasted about 10 - 12 weeks (up to 6 weeks each) in the Bahamas (2 adults). I’d estimate we’d have been considered “frugal” consumers.

[Bradley]

I have 2 twenty pound tanks. One is aluminum which I have had for 3 years. I just bought a composite tank which is great. You can see how much propane you have.

This is enough fuel to last 2 people a very long time. During normal island hopping where filling up is easy, I am going to leave one with only a few days supply and then only use it when the other goes empty. Then rotate.

If your LP needs are only for cooking, it is hard to imagine more than 5-8 lbs per month.

[svquest2]

I have 2 10# aluminum tanks in a below deck locker, a 26# aluminum tank on my barbecue and 2 20# fiberglass tanks in an above deck locker.

The propane supplier may have refused to fill your tanks because they didn't have the new overfill preventing valves now required by law or the test date on the tanks may have expired. I think my old steel tanks were good to go for 10 years, I think my aluminum were good for 12, and my new fiberglass are good for 15 years. Im really like the fiberglass tanks because in addition to being able to see your fill level they are much lighter.

Unfortunately I don't know a source for a 13.5# tank.

[Morgan Paul]

Here is a 14 pound tank

14lb. Propane Tank - eBay (item 300128067740 end time Jun-30-08 10:56:48 PDT)

Tank Specs

http://www.wlptank.com/images/Steel%...%2060%20lb.pdf

[Unicorn Dreams]

We went a little overboard when we built Santana, propane wise. Our propane locker carries 2-10 gallon, 40# cylinders. each full tank doesn't really weigh that much more than 5 gallons of kerosene, and smells a lot better, i.e. no smell..Of course Santana is a steel hull so building the locker during construction was easy..

[hellosailor]

The fill dates on tanks can be a racket. They are there for good reason, but how shops treat them is terribly erratic. Some will do a free swap for a new full tank (on conventional steel 20# tanks), some will do an overpressure inspection test and restamp the tank for a nominal fee. Others will claim that's a long hard process they have to send the tank out for--at a price higher than a new top-brand tank. I wonder how they'll treat fiberglass once those dates finally start rolling around.

It's even worse with SCUBA tanks and shops, a simple $20 hydro test and visual inspection can become a $80 two-week-long ordeal at many of them!

[Fishspearit]

Ok, I figured my issue out today, at a place that was more in agreement with my own assessment of the tanks condition. I had seen a stamp on the tank that was TW 13.5 , and I thought that meant 'total weight, 13.5#) and the guy at the fill station yesterday agreed with me. Turns out, that's only the weight of the tank itself(TW=tank weight). The amount of propane that it holds is from the stamp that reads WC 26.1 (WC=weight of contents?) which is in some esoteric standard and has to be checked against a chart they had at the fill station which correlates to 11 pounds. So I have 11 pound tanks, which I can find pretty easily here 839316 11 LB, Propane Tank, Vertical Cylinder - eBay (item 130134527357 end time Jul-08-08 14:05:34 PDT)

Thanks for the help everyone.

[easterly]

OK Tare Weight is the shipping weight of the tank empty. Gross weight is the total weight when filled. WC is how much the water weights if filled with water. I get confused when talking about propane tanks and fill weights.

[Fishspearit]

Originally Posted by easterly

OK Tare Weight is the shipping weight of the tank empty. Gross weight is the total weight when filled. WC is how much the water weights if filled with water. I get confused when talking about propane tanks and fill weights.

That makes sense. I had to go back and look at my tanks again after reading your post. If I had been paying more attention I would have noticed that one tank was TW of 13.5 and the other TW 14.4 even though they are the same size tanks. There doesn't seem to be a gross weight stamped anywhere on the tank however.

I've only used standard 20# tanks before, never realized they were so trickily labeled. Even though they are sold as 11# tanks, no where on them are they labeled as such, unless you happen to know that 26.1=11#. Hopefully this thread will help someone in the future with an odd sized tank.