I'm thinking of buying one of those see-through propane tanks that they sell here, but one question: Obviously, when it gets empty you wouldn't want to just swap it out like they do with most tanks. Is it easy to find places to refill a propane tank?
Refilling propane tanks
- Thread starter John
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Not sure about your area, but on the East Coast / Chesapeake area, there are planty of places to get tanks refilled.
Easy around my local area, (Connecticut) most hardware stores will refill them as well as a lot of convenience store/gas stations have refill stations. I got to think that there must be a commercial propane supplier in your area that would refill them also and most welding supply house will also refill them. Got to mention that most state laws prohibit refiling them after they are 10 years old ( some states 12 years, check you state) with out re-certifying them. May be more cost efficient just to consider the metal ones as disposable or exchangeable unless you want the see thru fiberglass ones for other reasons.
see-through
I was thinking of the see-through so that I could tell when it's almost empty. No?
Just bought one, John.. Filled it at my local Ace Hardware.. I like it because it won't rust and you can see the porpane inside.. The certification label on the tank itself has its test date and it says.. LIFE 15 Years right below that.
John, some info to help your decision.....
I have recently considered buying one of these fiberglass tanks myself because my original aluminum tank is 13 years old and legally cannot be refilled.
I say "legally" because if the dealer filling the tank doesn't check the date and just fills it, you can get away with using a tank that is more than 12 years old that has not been re-certified.
So I was anticipating that sooner or later my refill dealer will check and refuse a refill. So I did some research.
According to federal regulations, a METAL propane tank (steel or aluminum) is originally certified for 12 years. After that, the tank must be re-certified and a new date stamped into the tank. Each certification extends the tank use for an additional 5 years. I read somewhere (can't find the link) that a metal tank can be re-certified three times for a total of 15 years after the original 12 years.
See this link: http://www.propane101.com/propanecylinders.htm#cylinderrecertification
Now the fiberglass tanks have a DIFFERENT life. Because they are not metal tanks, the initial certification period is not 12 years but only 5 years. After that they can be re-certified two more times for a total life of 15 years.
See this link from Lite Cylinders: http://litecylinder.com/faq/
Now the certification can only be done by a qualified company. Finding one, getting the tank to them, and paying for the re-certification may be more expensive than just tossing the tank and buying a new one. Re-certification can be done with a hydro test or a visual inspection. A visual inspection should be fairly inexpensive, but you still need to find a company that will perform it. A refilling dealer may not be qualified to perform re-certs, but some might be qualified. You need to ask.
Assuming that re-certification is not cost effective, then the life of the tanks will be the INITIAL certified time. That is 12 years for a metal tank and 5 years for a fiberglass tank.
Now you can do the math. Cost of the tank divided by either 12 or 5 gives you the cost per year. You decide how much the see-thru feature is worth to you and then you will know what to buy.
My solution? Well, since my refill dealer just refilled my tank, I am good until next Spring so my new tank purchase is not urgent. I did go to the Chinese Emporium, Wal-Mart, and for $5 I bought a dial-type 50# spring fish scale. Calibration tests showed that it was accurate to within 1/2 pound. Now I can weigh the tank on-board and determine the amount of propane remaining when I think I might be low. The tare weight of the tank is stamped into the tank on the protective ring.
I have recently considered buying one of these fiberglass tanks myself because my original aluminum tank is 13 years old and legally cannot be refilled.
I say "legally" because if the dealer filling the tank doesn't check the date and just fills it, you can get away with using a tank that is more than 12 years old that has not been re-certified.
So I was anticipating that sooner or later my refill dealer will check and refuse a refill. So I did some research.
According to federal regulations, a METAL propane tank (steel or aluminum) is originally certified for 12 years. After that, the tank must be re-certified and a new date stamped into the tank. Each certification extends the tank use for an additional 5 years. I read somewhere (can't find the link) that a metal tank can be re-certified three times for a total of 15 years after the original 12 years.
See this link: http://www.propane101.com/propanecylinders.htm#cylinderrecertification
Now the fiberglass tanks have a DIFFERENT life. Because they are not metal tanks, the initial certification period is not 12 years but only 5 years. After that they can be re-certified two more times for a total life of 15 years.
See this link from Lite Cylinders: http://litecylinder.com/faq/
Now the certification can only be done by a qualified company. Finding one, getting the tank to them, and paying for the re-certification may be more expensive than just tossing the tank and buying a new one. Re-certification can be done with a hydro test or a visual inspection. A visual inspection should be fairly inexpensive, but you still need to find a company that will perform it. A refilling dealer may not be qualified to perform re-certs, but some might be qualified. You need to ask.
Assuming that re-certification is not cost effective, then the life of the tanks will be the INITIAL certified time. That is 12 years for a metal tank and 5 years for a fiberglass tank.
Now you can do the math. Cost of the tank divided by either 12 or 5 gives you the cost per year. You decide how much the see-thru feature is worth to you and then you will know what to buy.
My solution? Well, since my refill dealer just refilled my tank, I am good until next Spring so my new tank purchase is not urgent. I did go to the Chinese Emporium, Wal-Mart, and for $5 I bought a dial-type 50# spring fish scale. Calibration tests showed that it was accurate to within 1/2 pound. Now I can weigh the tank on-board and determine the amount of propane remaining when I think I might be low. The tare weight of the tank is stamped into the tank on the protective ring.
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places to refill an dmaybe even recert it include home depot in some places, many unocal and shell stations, there are rv and marine stores do this, ---should be easy to find places to do the job for you. i donot trade out mine, either--i prefer mky own container....have fun and goood luck!!!
Only CNG tanks need to be swapped, which makes them such a PITA. Don't you refill your home BBQ tank??? Boat's no different.
Rich's analysis of cost over time makes great sense. Your boat, your choice.
Rich's analysis of cost over time makes great sense. Your boat, your choice.
John: Most of the tanks that are on the boats are not the same size as you use at home. I think the idea of being able to see how much propane is remaining in the tank and the fact that they don't rust make them a good purchase. If you look around you should be able to find many places in your area that refill propane tanks. Usually gas stations are a good source.
A good welding supply shop usually has a hydro-test tank and can re-certify the cylinders .. I’ve not done it in a long time but I recall that it is not very expensive to do.. They test oxygen and acetylene tanks for re-certification regularly.. I would explore that route if I had an expensive aluminum tank, and certainly will for the expensive composite one.
for those who do not want to do the math the fiberglass tank with one rectification (estimate $5) and purchased here on SBO ($109 not including s/h) ten year cost is $11.40 per year vs a steel tank (recently purchase one $40 for a 4 pound size) $4 dollar for a ten year cost. Yes the smaller tanks cost more then you can purchase a 20 pound one from at home depot ! Remember not all boat propane lockers will hold a larger size tank. John what size is you tank ?? not sure they even make a small one that is not steel.
http://shop.hunterowners.com/category.htm?cat=2320
http://shop.hunterowners.com/category.htm?cat=2320
tank size
My tank is the 10 gallon size (about 10" in diameter). The problem is that I checked around, and it seems that most places around here only swap out the empty for a full one. I don't want the hassle of having to search for a place to actually refill a tank, so I'll probably get a metal one plus one of those fish scaled mentioned in this thread. Can anybody tell me about what those tanks should weigh empty and full? Thanks.
The weight of the tank empty is the "tare" weight. It is stamped into the top ring that protects the valve and serves as a handle. You would simply add 10 pounds (not gallons) to this tare weight to get the weight when full. For example, the stamping looks like "TW 9.4", meaning the weight of the empty tank is 9.4 pounds.
When you weigh the tank, subtract the tare weight to arrive at the amount of propane that is remaining.
When you weigh the tank, subtract the tare weight to arrive at the amount of propane that is remaining.
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