LP Refill

[inthepines]

Originally Posted by homesteader

Anywhere to get a LP tank recertified? Called last summer to get a 30# RV tank recertified and noone was doing that. And with the new law, needing the new type valve would require valve change. Mine has the new valve. I'd worked 4 years in a propane plant as a kid. SamG.

I always wondered where you get a LP tank hydro'd at.
If I needed to get it done, I would check with fire extinguisher companies.
They need to test extinguishers every 5 years or so. SO they have someone who does this test and should be able to tell you if they can do LP tanks or not.
Next place would be the local fire department, but I'm going to guess they have a contract with a local extinguisher company who checks and tests their SCBA tanks.
They can at least hopefully tell you what company does it though and call them.

[n2zon]

My understanding (from an inspector) is that recertification of portable tanks is done by visual inspection only. More than a little surface rust is disqualifying. The (ASME) tanks bolted to the chassis do not need to be requalified as long as the stamped-in numbers are legible. I nonetheless did dismount a very old one and had it tested (can't recall where now). It was fine.

[Jchemie]

I just came back from a coast to coast trip in my class A (june 2022, during record setting fuel prices!!) The 30 gallon propane tank would’ve been sufficiant for the who trip but an unforseen fitting came loose and I lost several gallons of propane. Fixed it and went looking for a refill.

Almost all KOA campgrounds have a refilling station, I ended up filling up 25.5 gallons at one for a total of $93, about $3.55 a gallon. They do refill portable tanks too. RV sales sites usually have stations, a lot of camping world stores do too. My local Costco does (cheapest refill of all). Not hard finding a propane filling station, just getting the lowest price is because unlike gasoline stations they are not mandated to post their prices.

[dvspl]

Originally Posted by homesteader

Anywhere to get a LP tank recertified? Called last summer to get a 30# RV tank recertified and noone was doing that. And with the new law, needing the new type valve would require valve change. Mine has the new valve. I'd worked 4 years in a propane plant as a kid. SamG.

When my 20# tanks need recertified, I usually trade them in at a Blue Rhino. Only get 15# of propane but also get a tank that probably has a few more years of certification. Then I refill it wherever I want for the rest of it's life. For my MH installed tank, I refill it at a nearby propane dealer when I can. If it needs refilling on the road, I've found TSC to be most reliable/convenient with (usually) reasonable pricing. Campgrounds usually charge way too much, but are convenient in a pinch.

[Jack_Hall]

MANY, but not all, Loves and Flying J (Pilot) truck stops have propane. And they are always near the freeway on the outskirts of town. They are my preferred place to refill. Because many people in the "outback" heat and cook with propane from a very large tank on their property, there are lots of propane dealers in sparsely populated areas. And you can drive to them.

[Isaac-1]

When we have needed propane while traveling I have found google and google reviews to be a handy source for locating propane suppliers that are RV friendly (accessible, etc.), though for the most part we rarely have to buy propane while away from home.

[LETMGROW]

I'm not sure if it's a federal law or a state law but whoever fills a propane tank is only allowed to fill it to a certain pre determined percentage of it's actual capacity to allow room for expansion. For example: if you have a 20# tank and the percentage was 80% to fill you would only receive 16# of propane. Perhaps they round down to 15# to add a safety cushion.
In the case of these outlets where they have exchange tanks available, they do charge a bit more to cover extra costs. Like someone said earlier in this discussion, if they have a tank in which it's certification is out of date or has an outdated valve they swap it out with a tank they know is certified. The company has to cover the burden of costs to make the tank usable again. Testing the tanks and upgrading the valves comes at a cost. The cost is spread out so everyone using the service pays a little to cover that cost. Replacing the valves and having the tanks tested doesn't come cheaply. We as end consumers have to bear those costs.

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by LETMGROW

. For example: if you have a 20# tank and the percentage was 80% to fill you would only receive 16# of propane. Perhaps they round down to 15# to add a safety cushion.

.

The capacity of a 20 lb tank is 20 lbs. That still leaves the 20% vapor space.

BlueRino even says the 15 lb, formally 17 lb fill was a marketing decision.

[Eddiez]

Stop at a Flying J they will refill your propane tanks.

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by twinboat

The capacity of a 20 lb tank is 20 lbs. That still leaves the 20% vapor space.

Correct. And Menard's fills to 18.5 pounds, and as you noted, Blue Rhino used to be 17 pounds. Both of these are more than the 80% people cite all the time, so that 80% has nothing to do with why cylinders aren't filled to 20 pounds (100%).

Which is a good reminder that when you're checking prices for getting a cylinder filled, if it's a flat fee, find out how much they put in there. There's no reason whatsoever for it not to be 20 pounds, other than trying to get one over on people, which works well enough that they keep doing it.

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by n2zon

Locally, $10 a fill (18#) at a propane dealer near us. They do so many they have a full time employee that does nothing else.

I have to clarify this. They fill to 20#. When I brought it in, there were 2# left, so what I got (that time) was 18# for $10. It's a flat fee, though, so were the tank empty I'd have gotten 20# for the same price.

[MichaelBarb]

Campground directories and review sites have some kind of list of features and amenities. In this list few of them list LP services. They never seem to list what kind.
I have been wondering why?

It seems there are four kinds of services.
1. Fill on site (both fixed and removable tanks)
2. Exchange
3. Scheduled truck
4. None

[Mongobird]

I have camping world and Wilkins RV 2 miles down the road. They refill tanks and their price is equal to the lowest prices around.

[bigchick]

i have had a 20 lb tank recertified by the local propane utility. it cost $10 and they put a new metal tag on the tank with a new expiration date on it. i think it was good for another 5 years. sine then i have had this tank refilled with no questions asked about the new date.

i can't say if the recertification was solely visual or not as they asked me to leave the tank with them and pick it up later. but i suspect it was simply visual and then the effort to apply the new expiration date tag. i had to refill a tank yesterday and the price was up to $3.60/gal.