Hello All, I see an old forum from 2019 regarding CNG refill but wanted to get an updated thought. Anyone know of a place that exchanges cylinders? I also have an adapter and could refill but never done it before so open to any and all advice. I bought this Hunter Legend 355 last year and love the boat and it has cng and I am almost out. I live in Maryland as well.
CNG Refill or Exchange?
- Thread starter Brooksiej24
- Start date
When was your tank last certified. No one will refill, even if you can find a place that does refills, if your tank is out of certification. It is required every 5 years and the certification date will be stamped on the tank. There may be more than one on the tank if it has been recertified before.
I refill my own at a local ENMARK station that is set up for filling big trucks. They just put in the CNG filling about a year ago to support big trucks that service the shipping port near Savannah. However, I expect at any time they will say I can't if they look out and see my minivan parked at the pump and me using some sort of "contraption" to reduce the pressure from the 3400 psig of their pumps to my 2000 psig of my tank.
You might check online with some companies like ENMARK or others that have done the same for the Baltimore shipping port. As I recall, there may be a place to fill near BWI but I am not at all sure who can use it and how to access/pay for it. I also seem to recall a post from a member on this forum who was doing some sort of fill/tank exchange in the Maryland area. It was a private individual, not a company. Did you try Bert Jabin's boatyard? However, I think they dropped the exchange service some time back but it is worth talking to them to see if they have a contact.
I refill my own at a local ENMARK station that is set up for filling big trucks. They just put in the CNG filling about a year ago to support big trucks that service the shipping port near Savannah. However, I expect at any time they will say I can't if they look out and see my minivan parked at the pump and me using some sort of "contraption" to reduce the pressure from the 3400 psig of their pumps to my 2000 psig of my tank.
You might check online with some companies like ENMARK or others that have done the same for the Baltimore shipping port. As I recall, there may be a place to fill near BWI but I am not at all sure who can use it and how to access/pay for it. I also seem to recall a post from a member on this forum who was doing some sort of fill/tank exchange in the Maryland area. It was a private individual, not a company. Did you try Bert Jabin's boatyard? However, I think they dropped the exchange service some time back but it is worth talking to them to see if they have a contact.
I also have a Hunter Legend 35.5. I use CNG and I purchased a set of gauges to refill the tanks. I fill 2 tanks and each lasts a long time.
The only place I found near me to refill is in Virginia Beach, VA. It is a pump for civilian use. If you are interested I can send you the address, and a set of youtube instructions.
Capt Patrick
Hunter Legend 35.5
If you don’t mind sending me address and instructions how to do it. I think I found a place up by the airport here at bwi but looks like a self serve and using the gauges at the pump and fill your own. The fill your own scares me a bit only because I have never done it.
I am sure @NC Brew will answer but we need to know a little bit about your fill device. I'll send you a picture of my fill device later today. There is one difference between my setup and NC Brew's. I have a valve to throttle the rate at which I pressurize my tank that is between the "on-off" valve (the one with the red handle) and the gauge that reads the tank pressure (the one on the right in the picture.) I have a few recommendations to make it feel safer and actually, IMHO make it be safer and easier. All your fittings and gauges in your fill apparatus should be pressure rated to at least 3500 psig or more and it would be good have a way to fine control the fill rate.
The pressure delivered by the pumps is either 3000 psig or 3400 psig but your tank is probably rated at only 2000 or 2400 psig or so. Certainly not 3400 psig. Your tank should have been pressure tested within the last 5 years. This will be required if you tank is filled by someone else. You should be able to get this done at a scuba shop for about $80 or so. (at least down here.)
When you open the fill valve at the pump, since you have such a small tank, the pressure will rise VERY FAST if you don't control it and the tank will heat up and could easily over-pressurize your tank! This is not meant to scare you but to just provide you with a caution. I have installed a high pressure rated "needle valve" to act as a throttle valve. You should have a gauge that reads tank pressure downstream of the fill valve. I use the throttle valve to slowly fill the tank at a pressure I can control so the tank doesn't heat up and I can raise the pressure to the desired level without fear of over-pressurizing the tank.
The pressure delivered by the pumps is either 3000 psig or 3400 psig but your tank is probably rated at only 2000 or 2400 psig or so. Certainly not 3400 psig. Your tank should have been pressure tested within the last 5 years. This will be required if you tank is filled by someone else. You should be able to get this done at a scuba shop for about $80 or so. (at least down here.)
When you open the fill valve at the pump, since you have such a small tank, the pressure will rise VERY FAST if you don't control it and the tank will heat up and could easily over-pressurize your tank! This is not meant to scare you but to just provide you with a caution. I have installed a high pressure rated "needle valve" to act as a throttle valve. You should have a gauge that reads tank pressure downstream of the fill valve. I use the throttle valve to slowly fill the tank at a pressure I can control so the tank doesn't heat up and I can raise the pressure to the desired level without fear of over-pressurizing the tank.
Great intel for me here. I will have a look at my apparatus along with finding a scuba shop to pressure test and certify my tanks as I am not sure when last time was tested and it certified.
That's the guy I was thinking about. I believe he posted on this site about providing this service some time back. I don't know if he will fill a tank that is not certified or if he can have them hydro'd somewhere before he fills them. I'd drop him a line and check his requirements but it is a good service to have available. I thought about offering the same service down here in Beaufort but I wouldn't fill a tank that is not stamped as certified within 5 years for someone else.
You should be able to tell when your tank was last certified as the year should be "stamped" in the metal on the tank some where. You may have several dates as the heavy steel tanks are pretty robust and as long as they are taken care of will last decades. The scuba shop will probably have to send it out to get it certified. My shop charges $70 for the hydro and they send it to a fire protection company, I believe called "Liberty," or something like that. You might check with a fire protection company, they may be more abundant than a scuba shop and you'd cut out the middleman.
You should be able to tell when your tank was last certified as the year should be "stamped" in the metal on the tank some where. You may have several dates as the heavy steel tanks are pretty robust and as long as they are taken care of will last decades. The scuba shop will probably have to send it out to get it certified. My shop charges $70 for the hydro and they send it to a fire protection company, I believe called "Liberty," or something like that. You might check with a fire protection company, they may be more abundant than a scuba shop and you'd cut out the middleman.