Propane Tank Purchase

[wado66]

I am in need of a couple of 30# tanks.
Mine have expired their certification.
Would it be cheaper to recertify my existing tanks or purchase new ones?
If purchase is the option who has the best deals?

[RLM5150]

Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware sell new 30lb cylinders for $65-70. You may find them somewhere for closer to $60.

Not sure how much a propane retailer charges to recertify but it should be a lot less than cost of new. I thought Tractor Supply told me about $18-20 last year. So if your tank are in good shape it is worth getting another 5 years use out of them by getting the recertified.

[chuckster57]

OK, I understand school is out, but let's conduct a class on LP containers.

LP cylinders/Bottles are considered portable and as such are certified by DOT in the US:

http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/PHMSA/DownloadableFiles/Files/Hazmat/requal_propane_cylinders.pdf

LP TANKS are not portable and are mounted permantly ( as much as bolts/nuts can hold them) and are certified by ASME not DOT, and NOT subject to the same re certification schedule.

[Desert185]

OK, I understand school is out, but let's conduct a class on LP containers.

LP cylinders/Bottles are considered portable and as such are certified by DOT in the US:

http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/PHMSA/DownloadableFiles/Files/Hazmat/requal_propane_cylinders.pdf

LP TANKS are not portable and are mounted permantly ( as much as bolts/nuts can hold them) and are certified by ASME not DOT, and NOT subject to the same re certification schedule.

My local propane palace doesn't check the bottle date when I refill. Are they good for another ten years when they're recertified?

[JRTJH]

As with almost every aspect of life, the government has a regulation covering propane cylinders. You can find it here: http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/PHMSA/DownloadableFiles/Files/Hazmat/requal_propane_cylinders.pdf

Essentially, cylinders (don't confuse them with propane tanks) are good for 12 years from manufacture.

At that time, they require "reinspection". If reinspected using the "volumetric expansion" method, then they are good for an additional 12 years. If reinspected using the "proof pressure" method, they are good for an added 7 years and if reinspected using the "external visual" method, they are good for 5 more years.

At the end of the "reinspected extension time" I'm not sure if the cylinders "turn into Cinderella's pumpkin" or if they can be extended again. I'd suppose that eventually they would have to no longer have a serviceable life, but I don't know how that limit is reached. It's not in the "regulation" and like most, there's probably another 10 or 12 (or more) regulations that "regulate the existing regulation".... :hide:

[chuckster57]

My local propane palace doesn't check the bottle date when I refill. Are they good for another ten years when they're recertified?
When your at the palace in Vegas, I bet they only check ID's. My local supplier checks every time I fill.

[sourdough]

^^^I live in a little town in W TX. I take my tanks in to the local propane dealer and they spin my bottle around to make sure they are up to spec every time.

[CaptnJohn]

^^^I live in a little town in W TX. I take my tanks in to the local propane dealer and they spin my bottle around to make sure they are up to spec every time.

I find as I get older those darn 30# tanks get heavier every day. Fortunately, one CW in Myrtle Beach will fill the tanks while still in the 5er and the other location will have a young guy remove and replace the tanks in the 5er.

[bobbecky]

If you are replacing the cylinders, and are wanting a lighter unit, maybe the viking cylinders would be an option. The same physical size holds less propane, but they are quite a bit lighter than the steel cylinders, and the fluid level is visible. http://vikingcylinders.com/shop/lifestyle/22-lb-vapor/