Can I tighten a pressure relief valve?

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by Yillbs

Called a local propane company, guy said they would do it but it would be a waste of propane for no reason. He said if it's loose, tighten it.

I went out prepared to Break it, instead, it tightened right up. No more leak.

Guess I was just being slightly too cautious.

Thanks for all the replies, no more leak!

There you go!

Simple......

[KanzKran]

Originally Posted by Yillbs

Called a local propane company, guy said they would do it but it would be a waste of propane for no reason. He said if it's loose, tighten it.

I went out prepared to Break it, instead, it tightened right up. No more leak.

Guess I was just being slightly too cautious.

Thanks for all the replies, no more leak!

I don't think you were being too cautious; more like appropriately cautious, given the risk of accelerating a flammable gas leak that you can't stop once started if something were to break.

Glad you got it fixed.

[Tlmr4784]

I myself would bring it to a reputable propane shop for the piece of mind knowing to is repaired by a professional.
In the field, get your wrenches, clear the coach of occupants, give a whirl.
Slow and easy checking with soapy water till leaks stop.
Stop by propane shop when nearby.
Caution propane is not very forgiving.[emoji15]

[New Guy Will]

Originally Posted by Argosy

He said it's barely bubbling. If you take it to a propane dealer the first thing they will try is to tighten it, that's pretty much the fix for a small leak. Do as was posted, turn it in small increments, a small leak won't take much to stop.


And don't let life terrify you so much you terrify others.

My 2000 Alpine propane tank was leaking exactly like this, and the 1st thing the guy at Ferrell Gas did was tightened with a pipe wrench, no charge. Checked it again, no leak.. filled tank.. Worked perfectly and never had another problem after that...

[Ctrod]

To be on the safe side if you do decide to try and tighten it yourself. Do not stand right in front of it. It's under pressure and even with a small chance of it breaking off, if it did it would definitely ruin your day.

[THenne1713]

Call around for a CERTIFIED Propane Technician for proper advice, so that you do not blow rig and yourself up? Consider an EXTEND A STAY AND THEN USE UP/ EMPTY MAIN TANK so proper inspection/ repair can be done? With the EAS, you can run on portable tank until repairs completed, AFTER main tank empty. Generally, brass fittings are NOT NPT tapered, so tightening will not/ may not cure seal issues?

[Savage1]

Originally Posted by HarryStone

I'm guessing there is some kind of sealing tape or compound on the threads. Tightening it may allow it to seal, and then again, you may break the valve off. IMO, I'd take it to a reputable propane dealer and have them drain the tank and then try to fix it.

First of all that is not a relief valve....it's an 80% fill valve. If you get it out without blowing yourself up, use thread sealing paste. Teflon tape is not a sealant, only a lubricant.

[Dave01a]

FYI, That propane is under 250 psi... all the time.

[Dave Meekhof]

This is the manual pressure relief valve that the "kid" at the propane refill place (Hardware store, etc) is supposed to open while filling, which allows the liquid filling the tank to expand up to the upper 1/4 of the tank. When LIQUID propane starts streaming out, that's when they are supposed to shut off the pump, or when your tank's gage indicates it's 75-80% full on the valve. (assuming the pump's valve itself didn't shut off first). When done, they should tighten the valve by HAND (with gloves on), not with the pliers at their pump, so they don't crunch the rubber O-Ring. They should also CLOSE the main propane valve while filling, so you don't send too much pump pressure to your pressure regulators.
So two possible reasons why the manual refill pressure relief valve is leaking:
1. If they over-tightened it, then you have a bad O-ring, or
2. maybe they didn't tighten it enough, just tighten it by hand.
Hope this helps.
Dave

[twinboat]

Post #55 says it's fixed.

He put on a level A total incapsulated Armored suit and approached it with a full fog pattern fire hose backup.

He survived.

[Stevens10]

Some facts about propane that are relevant to this discussion:

Propane pressure is a function of the temperature of the liquid, at 50F pressure is about 100 psi absolute, or 86 psi gauge. To reach 250 psi absolute requires the liquid to be around 125F.l

One poster was correct when indicating that there is a narrow band of concentration where propane will ignite explosively.

Propane is heavier than air thus the open bottoms of the tank areas on RVs.

In a former life I was a mechanical contractor. We often did was was called a hot tap on gas lines, usually natural gas but the same process works on propane. We would weld a thread-o-let ( steel forging shaped to fit the exterior of the pipe with female pipe threads) to the gas main while it was full of gas, then attach a full port ball valve to it with a nipple. Then a hand operated machine consisting of a tube with a drill bit inside with a means of turning via a crank would be threaded onto the ball valve, the hole drilled into the main, the drill retracted and the valve closed, and presto you have a tap on the gas main with out shutting down the system.

Note that I said "welded", which means the main pipe got red hot both inside and out in the area of the weld puddle, but it could not burn because there was no oxygen to support combustion. Once while welding on the main an employee got a little to carried away with the weld puddle and a small hole appeared in the wall of the main pipe. Of course the gas began to burn when it reached the air, note burn not explode, because the concentration was to high in gas to be explosive. The employee, being experienced, just continues to weld around the hole, pushing the molten metal ever closer until the hole was closed, problem solved! This was a 5 psi line so that was possible, if it had been higher pressure the answer would have been to let it burn while shutting off the main valve and waiting for the gas pressure to drop to zero at which point the flame would go out and all would be well again.

My point of this story is that while propane or natural gas should be respected and handled properly, it is not mysteriously dangerous, and understanding the chemical and physical properties allows safe use.

[hookjockey]

It's hard to say, but it looks like it is cross threaded to me. If that is the case you will never be able to get it tightened enough

[PeterFTH]

I have to agree that the tank has to be emptied before you attempt any repairs. If you tighten against a flaw or corrosion you could break the thing off! In any event, the valve has to be removed, the threads cleaned and re-coated with Teflon tape, then re-installed to the proper torque (foot pounds). Propane is a wonderful thing, until it kills you. This is one instance where a professional is called for.

[twinboat]

It's to late, the OP blew his house off its foundation. He is fine except he lost his hair.