Yesterday for the first time in a few months I took #20 propane tank into town for an exchange for a full one, knowing that I had the new type connectors as was required - thats the ones with the machine threads inside and the hand type threads outside. My tank was rejected due to it not being up to date! It seems that now your tank must have a three knobed shut off valve as well as the twin type threads. The vendor offered to cure my problem for $34.00 for a tank that did cost $13 to 15 to exchange before, the same tanks I did fill at a local hardware for $8.75 a couple of years ago. So, when did the propane vendors join forces with the politicians??

The moral of the story is: if your tanks do not have twin threads and three knobed valves be prepared to pay the piper!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), April 14, 2002

Answers

I was wondering about this just yesterday. I was at a store which had a sign up reminding customers new regulations were in effect for their propane tanks . . . .and that they would no longer be able to fill their old tanks - - but instead needed to replace them.

My grill tank is only a year old - - it better not be obsolete! !

-- Judy (JMcFerrin@aol.com), April 14, 2002.

new tanks have been sold for at least 2 years, the new regulations has been coming since then,, all you have to do is read it. Find a propane dealer/supplier that can switch the valves. Instead of buying a new tank, just buy the new valve, around here 13 bucks

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 14, 2002.

Personally I don't like the newer style valves at all. I find that they tend to leak rather easily. I don't know why the rubber gasket doesn't seal better. With the old P.O.L. fittings I rarely had leaks.

As for the cost of filling, etc., I have a large nurse tank and fill my own bottles out of it. Before I got my tank moved to my present location, I was paying $8.53 to have a 20# bottle filled at an LP dealer rather than paying $14 or thereabouts for an exchange.

As to getting your bottle upgraded, check the price of new ones at Home Depot. Seems they were in the upper $20 range.

-- Notforlprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), April 14, 2002.

When we exchange our tank they just took our "old" one and gave us a new one with the new set up. It is just as cheap to turn them in then to refill them around here.

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), April 14, 2002.

The new valve assy. has an automatic shutoff inside so the dummy filling the propane tank cannot overfill it. As long as we keep looking to the gov't to solve our problems we will keep paying more for the anti natural selection devices. Falls into the same catagory as antilock brakes and airbgs on cars or all the safety features on lawnmowers and farm equipment. I refer to it as INS, interfereing with natural selection. It's just like printing CAUTION contents are hot on coffee cups.

-- Emil in TN (eprisco@usit.net), April 14, 2002.

The new valves have a triangle shapted shut off looking at the top of the shutoff valve.

I bought one at Academy's Sports about 15 months ago and it was the new valve.

-- Milam (milam@nospam.com), April 14, 2002.

Now that a new tank with the OPD valve can only be filled to 80% of capacity I wonder if anyone will only charge 80% of the previous cost to fil it? emory

-- Emory (NE PA) (et@hazleton.net), April 14, 2002.

Be aware that the price increase for charcoal, and firewood will follow shortly. Doo, Dah, Doo Dah, and etc.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), April 14, 2002.

The reason for the new valves is to counteract the tendency of some to forget to remove their heads from their behind. Propane tanks were never supposed to be filled over 80% of their capacity. The reason for this is that if the tank is filled in cold weather and is not used until hot weather, the liquid propane expands greatly increasing the pressure in the tank. If it reaches a critical level, two things will happen. The safety valve will relieve the excess pressure by by spewing gas into the vicinity or the valve will not work and the tank will rupture, Putting a lot of raw gas in the vicinity creating a very interesting potential bomb. Now if a person is careless enough to do that to themselves, I agree with the natural selection thing. Evolution has been doing great for millions of years and I hate to see anyone interfere. However when you take your tank into be filled,and they overfill it, more than likely you or your family will be the ones injured rather than the person that filled it.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), April 14, 2002.

intersting aside note, last month the propane guy came out to fill ou tank, i had called about a month or two prior to this, pretty sure it was around christmas, about the "propane smell" leaking around the tank ... thier answer its just a tiny leak , well fix it next fill up , well , in the meantime my paid for propane has been leaking , i have no idea how much , i think quite a bit , since we hardly ever use the furnace , but went through the stuff like water... i didnt think of it, but i should have , asked them to reimburse me for the cost of the "lost" propane.... oh well

i think that stan said it , you can just change the valve on the tank , not replace the whole tank , i know its a hassle , but call around, and get it done, since most grill tank exchanges,like at the gas station wont exchange your tank for a diffrent one unless its done.... personally though , i wouldnt exchange my brand new grill tank anyhow(the ones at the gas stations always look beat up to heck)

any how , my 2 pennies

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

I went in the end of march to get my old tanks topped off. Well, no can do, they were over 12 years old. Too old, would need reinspection, don't know what _that_ would cost, but only lasts 5 years then...

So, might not want to mess with a new valve, seems they will gitcha no matter what on trying to upgrade....

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

Hey Stan, where do I get the $13 valves? Havent seen them anywhere. I saw converters that screw into POL and apparently include the safety valve mechanism, but idiots filling tanks cant use brain and have been told in no uncertain terms not to fill 20lb tanks without 3 sided handle on valve whether there is a converter or no converter. Makes one wonder if they would fill my old tanks if I just replaced the handles on the old valves. Places selling tanks now want around $30 for new tank. Nobody seems to have just new valves for sale so I can buy one and change it myself. I really dont want to wrestle 100 # tanks anymore. Either replace valves or forget propane altogether and get me a Coleman stove that can burn regular unleaded gasoline. I'd rather spend $50 on gasoline camping stove than spend $100 to replace my 3 twenty pound tanks. I only use the 20# bottles to fuel my little 2 burner stove in kitchen. One bottle lasts me 4 to 6 months.

-- HermitJohn (Hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), April 14, 2002.

Forgot to add, that I ran into that tank inspection scam 15 years ago in Michigan. I just changed where I bought my propane. However if that hadnt worked, I was thinking of buying set of those number dies you can get from JCWhitney to mark tools etc. Thats what they used to mark the propane tanks with new date. Aint I a stinker for even mentioning such a thing. My tanks were perfectly safe. Back then I used 100# tanks. They sat off ground so bottom didnt rust and I checked valve and connection for leaks after every refill with soapy water.

-- HermitJohn (hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), April 14, 2002.

I found a place near me that will replace the valve,, just going to have to call around,,I used to "stamp" my tanks also :)

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 14, 2002.

It is frustrating at best that we are being subjected to more government control. And is very sad to think that our landfills are going to soon be overloaded with used propane tanks, since it is cheaper around here to replace than update those tanks.

-- Barbara Ann (think_peace51@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

yup, 99% of the people paying for the 1% that can't pay attention to what they're doing.

If you replace your 20lb tank, a good thing to do with the old one is make it into a portable air tank. For a few dollars in parts it's a pretty handy thing to have around.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

Here in Sierra Vista, Arizona, it costs $34 to have our propane tanks converted to the overfill protection device. I'm glad to know that there might be a leak problem to look out for. We just got an advertisement from our local propane company that they got a "special deal" on propane and will come out and fill our 500 gal. tank for $1.30 per gallon. How does that compare with the rest of the country? We keep thinking we are getting robbed out here. What is the rest of the country paying? Thanks.

-- Dee (bdforce@theriver.com), April 14, 2002.

I just happened to buy a new grill and had to buy a propane tank. Bought it at Ames department store. The price was $29.99 but I had a 30% off coupon which saved me $9. Then I went and had the tank filled and that cost $11.25. It is interesting to see the different prices in the different areas. Hubby said that the last time he got the tanks filled on the motor home it was cheaper than it was this week when he went to get them filled. I guess, propane, like gasoline, is going to keep going up.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 15, 2002.

To abolish all the foolishnes. All Propane tanks had an 80% valve all these ancient times before. You opened the bleed valve, and when the tank was 80% filled, you had liquid exited the valve. It was obvious, so what the XXX is the sudden problem? Did it change the density of propane from 1973 to now?

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

My $2. worth. The "new" valves used on 20#cylinders have been out around 5 years. The inspections mentioned above have been out about 12 years or so. We've done bunches of those inspections, stamped the cylinders and kept a written record for unk sam. People would bring in cylinders to be refilled with holes rusted in the underneath side and not even know it. Filled to 80% wasn't difficult but those same folks sometimes would store the tanks inside the house--even after being to not to!

My older brother who I worked for in his propane business, started a new cylinder refurbishing business a couple years ago. It sure is amazing to see all those empty cylinders on pallets, settin all over the place. Almost all of'm have some gas in'm. Some are still full!

One other little tidbit that will make ya'll happy---those cylinder are not filled to 80% anymore. The new valves shuts it off at about 17# instead of the former 20# or 4.4 gallons. It's all automatic. A body couldn't cheat if they wanted too. Big Brother? Absolutely--the past "sins" of cylinder refillers have caused it. old hoot. Mat.24:44

-- old hoot gibson (hoot@pcinetwork.com), April 18, 2002.

Thanks or all the info. One left out - what does the tank inspection cost???? And if ya got the time, how's it done - just visual, or pressured, or???? Had never heard of it before.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.