Older Heartland RV's and Propane Tanks

[wdk450]

Gang:
I just went through a short period where I used propane a LOT more than I usually do. I will explain that later. Anyways, I was caught "with my pants down" when 1 tank ran empty on my 2008 production Bighorn, and I went to get it refilled. IT SEEMS THE 10 YEAR CERTIFICATION ON BOTH PROPANE TANKS HAD EXPIRED, AND THE PROPANE REFILLER REFUSED TO REFILL THE TANK. In the whole San Diego area I could only find 1 gas supplier who would do a recertification of the tank, but they wanted me to "drop it off for a few days". This didn't work well with my images of the 2nd tank also going empty.

So, the message I wanted to put out there to my fellow Heartlanders with older rigs (8 years or more) is CHECK YOUR TANKS STAMPED DATES AND EITHER REPLACE THEM (which seems so wasteful to me) or have them recertified the next time it is empty. New 30 lb tanks are about $75; or about $30 for recertification.

The back story is that I am presently staying in a Thousand Trails Preserve in the mountains 40 miles East of San Diego. I haven't been watching the local TV news, so I didn't know that the local electrical utility decided to shut off the electric power for about 80 hours starting Thursday morning due to dry weather and high winds in these hills/mountains. I learned about this late Wednesday evening. My portable generator didn't work. So I was stuck for 3 days living on propane running the refrig, hoping the battery system would hold out, recharging the batteries some during the days by hooking up to the truck and running the engine for an hour or so, and not using any other 12 volt load (including lights) until the power was restored. It was as this outage began that I checked my propane tanks system and found that it had switched over, and 1 tank was now empty. I will start the recertification process on Monday, then get the other tank done when it is empty.

There is a prediction of high winds again on Wednesday, and the park itself has a scheduled electrical 10 hour outage for wiring upgrades next Saturday. I DID find a new carburetor for my generator on E-Bay for only $12!!

 

[Gary521]

I think that there is a sublimital message in this.

 

[JohnDar]

Ran into the recertification recently for one of our 20 lb. grill tanks getting refilled at a hardware store. They did it on the spot and charged $3.00, not $30. It's actually just a visual inspection and putting some new stickers on it.

 

[Fox]

Not that this'll help but I believe these tanks are certified for 12 years.

I've got a small fleet of the 20 pound ones, as they approach the date I swap them out at Walmart (choosing one that has a recent date on it).
I traded out my Jayco about the same time their 30# tanks needed renewal.

 

[CDN]

10 years max on tanks for certification on tanks in Canada. I can buy brand new purged tanks at Costco for $35 -$40 CAD and fill them for $13 to $14 .

 

[rhodies1]

In Nova Scotia,Canada there is more to recertification than replacing sticker,,, the tank has to go to a certified location ,inspected by a licensed propane tech ,the valve is removed, tank inspected for the extent of rust and the valve is replaced with a new one, it is re- stamped for another 10 year period.
This cost is higher than going to Costco and buying a new tank and having it filled.

 

[Hockster]

Alabama is also 10 years, so I believe this may be a federal law.
I take two 20# tanks with me and run off them, by using a longer hose to the tank, lighter & easier to handle.
I’ve had the same problem as the first post with my 20# bottles.
I just go to Walmart and exchange them, and get another out of date tank.
I wonder how they get away with that.
Check your tank dates for the year.

Hockster

 

[wdk450]

Well. I'm finally getting around to getting the 2nd tank re-certified, and I can tell you that in Southern California (home to many, many, RV's) finding one of the gas companies to re-certify tanks is a hard chore. Nearest one I have talked to is about 30 miles away, and ALL of them WILL NOT do the re-certification while you wait, so that is at least 2 60 mile round trips. It seems that the delivery drivers are the only ones certified to do the re-certifications, and they are usually out on the road, and don't want to fool with it when they get back to the yard, so it just sits on the back burner endlessly. On the last one, the secretary running the place finally took pity on me after a week of waiting, daily phone calls, and a 2nd in-person visit to them, and got the tech (out in the yard at that time) to stop whatever he was doing and get my re-certification done. It was a short visual inspection (no pressure testing) that I think is only good for 5 years???

So I was thinking about buying a new tank. The places like Amazon and Walmart.com that had the lower prices and free shipping were going to be over 2 weeks waiting to get the tank. BUT THE BIGGEST CONCERN IN BUYING A NEW 30 LB TANK IS THAT YOU PRETTY MUCH CAN'T DISPOSE OF THE OLD 30 lb TANKS!!! All of the disposal sites on the web say that they only take up to 20 lb (BBQ sized) tanks. The ONLY way I found to dispose of the old 30 lb tank is to take it to a propane dealer who will flush it out (for a fee) and dispose of it for you. According to the propane dealer I talked to, the metal recyclers won't take the tanks EVEN IF A CERTIFIED PROPANE SERVICER HAS MARKED THEM AS SAFE. THEY JUST DON'T WANT ANY RISK.

I am thinking of the huge inventory of 30 lb propane tanks out there on all the 5th wheels sold in the last 10 years. A lot of people are going to get stuck with these things and probably dispose of them illegally. Maybe this is another argument to move down to the 20 lb tanks that ARE accepted by local hazardous waste sites.

This whole propane tank re-certification issue seems strange to me, as I had a Class A RV at one time, with the propane tank permanently installed on the vehicle chassis. You had to bring the propane filler hose to the vehicle, AND THERE WERE NO PROPANE TANK RE-CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THESE "PERMANENTLY INSTALLED" TANKS. From an RVTravel.com website: "Motorhomes, though, have installed ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) tanks, not DOT tanks. ASME tanks are not required to be re-certified since they are permanently installed. ". I would think that either type of tank would have the same age risk of rust through leaks.

 

[rhodies1]

Do not know your laws in the US in regard to re- certification but in Canada ...the re- certification is also good for 10 years.
If you buy a new one from Costco here in Nova Scotia Canada ,they will take your old one at no charge.
They will also purge your new one at no charge as part of the fill.Costco price for a new 30 lb tank is less than half of the price that an RV dealer charges.

 

[travelin2]

Cylinders are subject to recertification (also known as requalification) twelve years from their date of manufacture and every five years after that.


https://www.propane101.com/propanecylinders.htm




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[Hockster]

D.O.T. law changed on 23 January 2017 to 10 years.
If you do a Google search using “requalification guidance for propane cylinders” it shows tank markings and requalification procedures.

Hockster

 

[travelin2]

12 years, 10 years, whatever. Not many bother looking at dates especially if the tank is rust free etc.
20 pounders swinging from a chain at 200 yds at camp make good targets


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[JohnDar]

12 years, 10 years, whatever. Not many bother looking at dates especially if the tank is rust free etc.
20 pounders swinging from a chain at 200 yds at camp make good targets


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Set them on a 10 lb. Tannerite charge and watch them fly.


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[mlpeloquin]

Empty the tank of all propane and remove the valve. Fill with water and let it sit for a week. Empty and refill with water. Six months or a year later cut it into pieces.

 

[wdk450]

Empty the tank of all propane and remove the valve. Fill with water and let it sit for a week. Empty and refill with water. Six months or a year later cut it into pieces.

Great idea, especially if you add some salt to the water. Doesn't work for me as i have no, permanent residence, live fulltime in the Thousand Trails system, my contract has me move every 3 weeks.

I finally drove the 30 miles to Riverside this morning, to Kamps Propane. I took my old empty cylinder, bought a new one for $79, got it filled with gas for about $10. They even disposed of the old one for me free of charge since I bought a new one. New one dated 9/2019, tech said that it wouldn't need re-certification for 12 years. I probably won't be RVing by then. Tech couldn't explain why RV trailer portable tanks need to be recertified, but RV motorhome fixed tanks don't. Only difference is 2 different regulatory agencies involved. Actually, he said that the big storage tanks like he was filling me from, or the big home propane tanks, or the motorhome tanks are regulated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (NOT DOT like ours) have a 30 year re-certification (or disposal) requirement.