20 pound propane tank

Russ from MN · Aug 6, 2019

Has anyone had one re-certified lately? Do they just put a sticker on them or do they stamp the date in the handle like they used to? I have a good tank but it's out of date, I don't like to exchange because you only get 15 pounds of gas.

jeffcat · Aug 6, 2019

Take it to home depot and just exchange the darn thing. You get a much newer tank and next time fill it up where ever you want. Have done it several times with old tanks. Walk away happy.

Barts Dad · Aug 6, 2019

Had one recertified last April at a national propane vendor. Guy looked it over top to bottom, turned upside down, checked the valve, applied a sticker (six inches by twelve inches) with company name and advertising, statement of inspection, and an embossed number. Was told to register the number up front at the office when I paid. No extra charge for recertification.

DoubleO7 · Aug 6, 2019

if your tank is old enough to have the "old style" valve, the recertifier may or may not want to recertify even if the tank is good enough.

markct · Aug 6, 2019

Some places still stamp them, I much prefer it over a sticker

rustred · Aug 6, 2019

ooh wow. be safe.

Scott 730 · Aug 6, 2019

Geez, just trade yours in and get a nice shiny tank, even if you feel you're getting screwed out of a couple pounds of gas. Now you have a nice tank and your usual tank filler can refill it to your satisfaction.

Hobo,NC · Aug 6, 2019

I had a few rectified all that did was put a shinny sticker on it inside the top part about 1" X 2" that had a new stamped date on it... It looked like HVAC duct tape sooooo now I just make my own

... So far so good as it seams there is no standard to how they apply the new date...

Stephen Newell · Aug 6, 2019

You might fill the old date with bondo and put a new date on it with a dremel tool. Then touch up the paint.

Michael Soldan · Aug 6, 2019

Tanks are inspected for rust on the bottom , then the valve is removed and a new valve is installed. The tank is then stamped with the new expiry date and a valid sticker is put on. I had two done and they were about $25. The Coop has a deal to exchange your tank for a reconditioned one , freshly painted and full of propane for $49 . I think that is a good deal, the propane is $19 alone. The exchange tank is good for ten years. New tanks at Walmart are $38 , then they need to be purged and filled. I'll exchange the next time.

ss55 · Aug 6, 2019

For only $15 you can exchange your old tank for a certified one with 14 or 15 pounds of propane in it. After that you can get the newer tank topped off or refilled anywhere you want. That seems like a bargain compared to messing with an old tank or buying an empty new one for $45.

oldsarge · Aug 6, 2019

That might be the second dumbest thing I ever heard; can't remember the first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heyseed · Aug 6, 2019

I agree with the others about just trading it in. For the small extra one time cost it feels safer.
On that note, has anyone ever had one of these tanks fail? I saw a SCUBA tank let loose when it was left in the sun, it was scary but was just compressed air.

jlewis457 · Aug 6, 2019

Just exchange your tank they can only refill your tank to 80% of the capacity with my math that is only 16 pounds

Two Dogs · Aug 7, 2019

Some don't know a joke when they hear one.

rustyfarmall · Aug 7, 2019

(quoted from post at 16:56:24 08/06/19) Take it to home depot and just exchange the darn thing. You get a much newer tank and next time fill it up where ever you want. Have done it several times with old tanks. Walk away happy.

The tanks I've seen at those exchange places look like they've been through a war. I bought new tanks. I get them refilled at a place I trust.

Steve@Advance · Aug 7, 2019

The propane industry must have some very persuasive lobbyists.

What other product can be knowing sold under weight and still be legal?

I'm sure it's all in the wording, but when I exchange the forklift bottles, the charge ticket says 7.5 gallons, but I weigh it and only get about 6, something is just wrong with that!

But it's industry wide. The only way I can get full bottles it to take them and get them filled. They charge more per gallon, plus the wait time, so it's back to the exchange...

Still, it just ain't right!

JDEM · Aug 7, 2019

I have several 20 lb. horizontal ASME tanks and have a miserable time getting them filled. They used to be common in small motorhomes and also forklifts. ASME are exempt from inspections and also do not require updated valves.

Vertical 20 lb. tanks are usually DOT tanks and require an inspection and an inspection date mark every 5 years.

And yes, the 15 lb. fills are a rip-off. Anybody who says a 20 lb. tank only is supposed to get 15-16 lbs. is just plain silly. A standard 20 lb. tank is marked with a certified TARE weight and is designed to be 80% full when it has 20 lbs. of propane in it.

The 15 pound rip-off began back when propane prices had gotten sky high. Many propane fillers started putting less propane in the tanks to "keep the prices down." Then when the propane prices came back down - they stuck with that idiotic 15 or 16 lb. fill.

All tanks, ASME and DOT are marked with what their proper fill cap is. Certainly NOT 15-16 lbs.

I just got three of my ASME tanks filled at a lower hardware store yesterday for 8 bucks each. They are from 1978 and no inspection required and no POL valves. I went to three places in the Michigan UP and nobody could or would fill them. So I brought them back to the lower peninsula and the local gas place filled them right up. 20 lbs. of propane put into each one. 80% full.

JDEM · Aug 7, 2019

Your math is bad math. Most 20 lb. tanks are designed to hold 19-20 lbs. of propane when safely filled at 80%. Look at the WC and TARE marks on the tank to calculate.

showcrop · Aug 7, 2019

(quoted from post at 05:06:27 08/07/19) The propane industry must have some very persuasive lobbyists.

What other product can be knowing sold under weight and still be legal?

I'm sure it's all in the wording, but when I exchange the forklift bottles, the charge ticket says 7.5 gallons, but I weigh it and only get about 6, something is just wrong with that!

But it's industry wide. The only way I can get full bottles it to take them and get them filled. They charge more per gallon, plus the wait time, so it's back to the exchange...

Still, it just ain't right!

Steve, is your forklift cylinder steel or Aluminum? The kids are used to filling aluminum so they set the tare for aluminum, so if your tank is steel you will get a lot less propane. I have one of each, and when I figured it out I went back to the office and they gave me a free fill. I used to usually have to show the kids how to fill a fork lift cylinder but in the last 10 years they have been better.

JDEM · Aug 7, 2019

Besides the aluminum versus steel thing, forklift cylinders are often ASME tanks and not DOT tanks so the steel is thicker and tanks are
heavier. Thus why the tanks get stamped with WC and Tare marks.

jeffcat · Aug 7, 2019

Actually you can buy the handy dandy number - letter stamp set at your local Harbor Freight. Grin..... just make sure you get the correct size set.

Steve@Advance · Aug 7, 2019

showcrop, I just exchange them now.

I used to have them filled, and they used a meter to measure the amount.

The service got really bad, acted like they really didn't want to have to go sell their product. The price was way higher, went up and up and never went down.

So I started exchanging them at other places. I think they all get them from the same supplier, they don't fill them onsite.

I complained about the shortage, said there was nothing they could do.

ss55 · Aug 7, 2019

It could be that third party retailers prefer 15 pound fills, similar to 48 ounces of ice cream, 28 to 30 once canisters of coffee or 4/5 quart of liquor. The pounds of propane is clearly marked on the racks.

DoubleO7 · Aug 7, 2019

If they charge by the pound, your only complaint is the need to get it "refilled" more often.

showcrop · Aug 7, 2019

(quoted from post at 15:24:48 08/07/19) If they charge by the pound, your only complaint is the need to get it "refilled" more often.

Obviously OO7, but not the case.

rustyfarmall · Aug 8, 2019

I would like to fill my own tanks from the 500 gallon tank, but my propane supplier will not allow me to install a wet leg on the tank.

John S-B · Aug 8, 2019

If a SCUBA tank failed while lying in the sun, it had other problems other than lying in the sun. SCUBA divers typically like to dive in warm sunny places....

20 pound propane tank

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