Community Forums

Bill Grimsle · 03-17-2018, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MnTom

Gas company should be the ones responsible to get things going again. They should know better than to overfill the tank. Something you can do is open the spitter valve and allow the liquid to flow out. Just remember, propane is heavier than air and will flow quite a ways. Make sure there are no ignition sources anywhere around.

Filled in Ark. by prior owner who drove home to St. Louis where I purchased. Live 110 miles North of St. Louis. May try parking in open area, remove batteries, disconnected appliance feeds from valves, and open valves a little to see if I can slowly release exess propane or all of it so I can replace valves. Other option is to drive to Colaw, 326 miles, and get tank with valves off of newer coach and replace tank I have. Thank you for assistance.

grindstone01 · 03-17-2018, 08:09 AM

Any local propane supplier should be able to pump out your gas for a reasonable fee and replace any valves.

hohenwald48 · 03-17-2018, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindstone01

Any local propane supplier should be able to pump out your gas for a reasonable fee and replace any valves.

A lot of folks seem to assume this to be the case. However, if you've ever tried to get a propane supplier to do work on a motor home propane tank then you know it's almost impossible. I don't know why but I know most won't touch a motor home.

Tony Lee · 03-17-2018, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindstone01

Any local propane supplier should be able to pump out your gas for a reasonable fee and replace any valves.

How do they do that?

twinboat · 03-17-2018, 05:27 PM

Any time we, in the FD, needed to empty a propane tank, we used a flair. Its a 10 ft tall touch that you connect to the tank and light it off.
I have seen flairs at propane filling stations, look for one who has it.

hohenwald48 · 03-17-2018, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

How do they do that?

The just connect a hose and turn on the pump. Propane in the tank is a liquid just like water and can be transferred like any other liquid. Of course, that assumes your tank has a liquid withdrawal tube. Not all do.

grindstone01 · 03-17-2018, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

How do they do that?

...

It does require a separate propane pump that will pump the propane out of the tank and pump it into the storage tank. Not a common system but most propane dealers should have a set up to do that. Our company had 5 trucks and only one was set up for pump outs.
Flairing off a full propane tank could take a couple of days, best done by a experienced and trained person.

twinboat · 03-17-2018, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindstone01

...

Flairing off a full propane tank could take a couple of days, best done by a experienced and trained person.

I suggested he find a dealer to flair it off. That would include a trained and experienced person doing it.

The spec's of a flair, I found online, says it will burn off up to 529 gallons per hour. A 20 gallon tank will empty out pretty quick.

grindstone01 · 03-17-2018, 09:48 PM

The spec's of a flair, I found online, says it will burn off up to 529 gallons per hour. A 20 gallon tank will empty out pretty quick.[/QUOTE]...

That is one heck of a flair that would attract alot of unwanted attention. We used a smaller flair to burn off the vapor in 500 gallon condemed tanks before cutting them open for Bar-B Q pits. It would take all day just to burn the vapors off with the gas already removed! I'm guessing the MH has a 80 gallon tank.

palehorse89 · 03-18-2018, 04:15 AM

I think the excess flow valve will prevent the liquid from being pumped out, it is very sensitive and works on a gas flow not a liquid flow. And as mentioned if this valve was not a issue, does the fill have a dip tube? Bleed it off or use the torch method.......which may also make the safety valve snap shut?

wa8yxm · 03-18-2018, 06:09 AM

The procedure when a propane tank is new is to actually VACUUM the tank out using a pump. then they fill with a bit of propane and vacuum again to remove all traces of AIR from the tank.

This is why I always shake my head when someoen says you got to open that little valve to "Let the air out".. there is no air inside the tank, just propane, liquid and vapor.

The same system can remove all traces of propane as easily as it can all traces of air.

grindstone01 · 03-18-2018, 08:29 AM

Just to add to the above post, most new propane tanks are shipped from the manufacture with a vacuum, negative pressure.

hohenwald48 · 03-18-2018, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palehorse89

I think the excess flow valve will prevent the liquid from being pumped out, it is very sensitive and works on a gas flow not a liquid flow. And as mentioned if this valve was not a issue, does the fill have a dip tube? Bleed it off or use the torch method.......which may also make the safety valve snap shut?

Liquid propane is not pumped out thru the vapor outlet connected to the regulator. It's pumped out thru the liquid withdrawal tube. I've never seen a liquid withdrawal port with an "excess flow" valve. We're talking about a tank in a motorhome and not a portable propane bottle.

Only a few motorhome tanks have a liquid withdrawal port but I have seen some.

Tony Lee · 03-18-2018, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

Liquid propane is not pumped out thru the vapor outlet connected to the regulator. It's pumped out thru the liquid withdrawal tube. I've never seen a liquid withdrawal port with an "excess flow" valve. We're talking about a tank in a motorhome and not a portable propane bottle.

Only a few motorhome tanks have a liquid withdrawal port but I have seen some.

Yes, a very few RVs do have a liquid supply port for one of their appliances. To pump out the liquid in a regular RV tank, you would need a port with a pipe that goes down to the bottom of the tank and the standard tank doesn't have any such ports. The fill port which discharges about half way up the tank has a non return valve plus the OPD valve so that isn't much use and all the other ports go right to the top of the tank so not much use either.