Propane Tank Recertification

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by atexasex

I took our spare LP tank to get refilled in Chesapeake VA and it too was out of certification (only lasts 10 yrs apparently). The Propane place re-cert'ed it and filled in for $20.00 total

The guy said they had similar ones in stock if I needed a spare. I told him this one was the spare. His price for a new one was $230.00. I had no idea these aluminum tanks were so expensive.

The standard 20 lb steel tanks are $30 or so empty, $50 filled in the USA. You can exchange empty one for full ones at home centers, gas stations, grocery stores and convenience stores. Or you can find a place that will refill them and probably put 20 lb in them.

[atexasex]

Mine are the small aluminum ones. No exchanges possibel so they need to be refilled at an actual propane store. Steel ones are not so good in a marine environment.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by atexasex

Mine are the small aluminum ones. No exchanges possibel so they need to be refilled at an actual propane store. Steel ones are not so good in a marine environment.

That's one reason why I often trade mine in. The other reason is convenience.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by rwidman

The standard 20 lb steel tanks are $30 or so empty, $50 filled in the USA. You can exchange empty one for full ones at home centers, gas stations, grocery stores and convenience stores. Or you can find a place that will refill them and probably put 20 lb in them.

There is a gas station that I like because they have the lowest prices and sell gas, diesel, red diesel, race gas (110) and propane. They also have $6 car washes and take 20 cents off per gal with the wash. One stop shop when I fill up the truck, and gas cans, propane bottles, etc. They never look at the cert. on the tanks.

Recently, Costco started selling propane, and their price started off at $2.49/gal as opposed to $3/gal that everyone else charged. I went there with 2 5 gal and 2 7.5 gal tanks. To my surprise, the guy checks the tanks and tells me one 5 and one 7.5 both need recert, but he can refill the other 2. He puts the tanks on a scale (I've never seen that done either) and starts refilling them. I get a receipt that shows the weight and gal of propane sold, plus it shows the cert. date of the tank!

He told me they sold new tanks inside, about $38 for a 5 gal and (IIRC) about $68 for a 7.5 gal. I bought another 7.5 gal tank and he filled that, too.

Then I drove over to my fave gas station to get the other 2 tanks filled and the owner told me he had dropped his price to $2.49/gal to compete with Costco! Got them both filled, no hassle. Now Costco has dropped their price to $2.15/gal, it's going to be tough for the gas stations to compete!

[a64pilot]

socal,
You have a hot air balloon or something , what are you doing with all that propane?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by cal40john

There's a fourth method, no re-certification needed for ASME tanks.

No gas expert but aren't ASME tanks only large home or commercial tanks and not an option for boats?

I looked at the standards and one said tanks must be mounted level. Could be a problem for monohulls.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

socal,
You have a hot air balloon or something , what are you doing with all that propane?

I have 2 trailers, 1 is a rental. We only go to the desert in the winter, so the night time temps are down in the low 40s, a few times down to low 30s. Between fridges, furnaces, stoves, ovens, BBQs, and my goofy contraption, "Dial a Fire" I go through a good amount of propane.

It's a $250 fine for using gas to start a fire in the Imperial Sand Dunes, but most still do it. I use "Dial a Fire", a propane burner from a fake fireplace buried in the sand under a pile of wood to start the campfire. Instant, smokeless heat, I can adjust it up or down, the wood catches really fast and if we want a little more heat just before shutdown without wasting wood, I just turn up the burner. Plus it's legal. A few nights of that will burn up 5 gal of propane.

[sailorboy1]

hope people have noted the point of the thread:

Its that before you replace an expensive propane bottle with a new because the certification has expired, look into getting it recertified.

[a64pilot]

I was wondering if you were Hot-Rodding the truck

[MBWhite]

Originally Posted by john540

What is a standard size boat?

Originally Posted by socaldmax

50 feet.

My propane tank:

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by rwidman

The standard 20 lb steel tanks are $30 or so empty, $50 filled in the USA. You can exchange empty one for full ones at home centers, gas stations, grocery stores and convenience stores. Or you can find a place that will refill them and probably put 20 lb in them.

With the valves that have been required since 2002, you can't put 20 lbs of propane in a 20 lb tank in the US anymore. The OPD limits the fill to 80% of capacity, and even Bubba knows to check for the triangular valve knob.

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by skipmac

No gas expert but aren't ASME tanks only large home or commercial tanks and not an option for boats?

I looked at the standards and one said tanks must be mounted level. Could be a problem for monohulls.

Mine is a 10 lb horizontal tank. The Cal 34 I sailed on before I got my boat had a 5 or 10 lb horizontal ASME tank as well. Quick google found a 5.5 gallon tank. LP Gas Tank, 5-1/2 Gal. - $462.90

I thought I had heard something that ASME is no longer available. In light of the above link, it could be that portable ASME tanks are no longer available, only permanent mount. But I haven't found anything to confirm that.

Well DOT cylinders designed for vertical use must be set vertical, and horizontal use must be set horizontal. I guess you shouldn't be using any propane on monohulls in that case.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Mine is a 10 lb horizontal tank. The Cal 34 I sailed on before I got my boat had a 5 or 10 lb horizontal ASME tank as well. Quick google found a 5.5 gallon tank. LP Gas Tank, 5-1/2 Gal. - $462.90

I thought I had heard something that ASME is no longer available. In light of the above link, it could be that portable ASME tanks are no longer available, only permanent mount. But I haven't found anything to confirm that.

Well DOT cylinders designed for vertical use must be set vertical, and horizontal use must be set horizontal. I guess you shouldn't be using any propane on monohulls in that case.

Guess we have all been lucky that we didn't blow ourselves up cooking underway.

[Curmudgeon]

Propane tank recertification? I never heard of such a thing. Is it some sort of scam?

My boat had two 10 lb tanks that were old and unbelievably rusty. I replaced them last year, but no one ever refused to fill them.

Everyone has a good sniffer and a vented propane locker, right?

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Propane tank recertification? I never heard of such a thing. Is it some sort of scam?

My boat had two 10 lb tanks that were old and unbelievably rusty. I replaced them last year, but no one ever refused to fill them.

Everyone has a good sniffer and a vented propane locker, right?

You must be friends with the gas people. In the third world, no one seems to care but in the USA they seem to be all over the new style valve. For 10 years or so now.